New symptoms and Dr. appt.

[Time_of_my_Life]

Hello all-

It’s been awhile since I have been on here. I have had some strange things happening to me lately and would like your input on what I should be looking for. Also I am going to see my General Dr. for a checkup and would like to have labs done. I am not sure what labs I should request. I have hypothyroidism so he only has me down to be tested for that level.

First off, here is the main problems I have been experiencing. Numbness.. mostly in between my shoulder blades and along the sides of my spine and up my neck going into the back of my head. Occasionally it will also affect my lower legs and feet making me feel somewhat clumsy. My head also feels like it is in a fog. Most every day I feel hot to the touch and hot on the inside but not a fever hot. I notice when this happens I will also get what looks like a rash on the sides of my neck. It has always been a bit discolored on both sides (kind of brown and red splotches) but becomes more prominent when I have this hot flushed feeling. Extreme fatigue. I really have no energy at all and have to force myself to do anything. I am 47 and feel like I’m 87! I would say I have felt this way for about a year but it seems to be getting worse. I am also tender to the touch especially in between my shoulder blades. My heart feels like it has inflammation.. like heavy in my chest.. once in awhile i will have palpitations. When I exercise I find it hard to take that deep breath that I need and I just can’t catch my breath anymore and have to stop. I used to be an avid runner and never had that problem before.

I have not been to the Dr. for a checkup in over 2 years. (I know I’m bad) My Dr. is the kind of Dr. you have to be very Pro-Active with. He will not do anything unless I ask for it. I really need to find a new Dr. but do not know who to see or waht kind of Dr. I should really be seeing.

Do you think any of the numbness I am feeling could be due to a disc problem in my back or my neck and maybe could be pinching a nerve that is causing all the numbness?

Sorry this is so long. I just really need some input on what I should ask my Dr. to be tested for… you have all always given me great advice and support.

Thanks in advance,
Lori

[Time_of_my_Life]

Anyone? Just bumping this up in hopes of a reply.

[Maz]

@Time_of_my_Life wrote:

First off, here is the main problems I have been experiencing.

Numbness.. mostly in between my shoulder blades and along the sides of my spine and up my neck going into the back of my head. Occasionally it will also affect my lower legs and feet making me feel somewhat clumsy. My head also feels like it is in a fog. Most every day I feel hot to the touch and hot on the inside but not a fever hot. I notice when this happens I will also get what looks like a rash on the sides of my neck. It has always been a bit discolored on both sides (kind of brown and red splotches) but becomes more prominent when I have this hot flushed feeling. Extreme fatigue. I really have no energy at all and have to force myself to do anything. I am 47 and feel like I’m 87! I would say I have felt this way for about a year but it seems to be getting worse. I am also tender to the touch especially in between my shoulder blades. My heart feels like it has inflammation.. like heavy in my chest.. once in awhile i will have palpitations. When I exercise I find it hard to take that deep breath that I need and I just can’t catch my breath anymore and have to stop. I used to be an avid runner and never had that problem before.

I have not been to the Dr. for a checkup in over 2 years. (I know I’m bad) My Dr. is the kind of Dr. you have to be very Pro-Active with. He will not do anything unless I ask for it. I really need to find a new Dr. but do not know who to see or waht kind of Dr. I should really be seeing.

Do you think any of the numbness I am feeling could be due to a disc problem in my back or my neck and maybe could be pinching a nerve that is causing all the numbness?

Sorry this is so long. I just really need some input on what I should ask my Dr. to be tested for… you have all always given me great advice and support.

Hi Lori,

Sorry your post got pushed down before you got a reply and very sorry to hear of your new symptoms, as you sounded like you were on top of the world in Jan when you last posted.

I think maybe the only way you will know if it’s a disc problem or not is to get that check-up you were mentioning. I think in the same shoes, I’d ask for an MRI of the back and neck to have it looked at for any injuries or degerative signs. Some docs will run basic tests first before making any referrals to specialists (can save time), like neurologists, cardiologists, endocrinologists, etc. If this is the case, I’d also ask for all the routine labs (including thyroid work-up), an EKG and chest x-ray. Hope others will chime for you, in if they have further suggestions for tests.

If your doc (or referred specialist) can’t find any logical reason for this mix of symptoms (e.g. a vertebrae or thyroid prob), my suggestion would be to take a look at other infections that might be involved and perhaps haven’t been addressed. It’s not uncommon for there to be a mix of infections and, when one is dealt with and beaten back, others take the opportunity to rise to the surface to have their day in the sun. I think I recall you have had IGeneX labs run and they were inconclusive? That said, Lyme should be a clinical diagnosis and can cause all kinds of neuro symptoms, like MS, as well as fevers, rashes, brain fog and fatigue and…babesiosis, a common coinfection of Lyme, can also be a culprit of the air hunger you’re describing. I know you’re a pretty fit person and like to run, so it might even be a mix of things…an injured back, a thyroid issue and an unaddressed coinfection. The only way to really know is to work through the lab tests first in a process of elimination that hopefully your doc will be able to help you with.

I was checking back on your last posts…did you alter your mino dose in the end?

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5498&p=50629#p50629

[mschmidt]

Lori,

I’m so sorry that you are feeling bad. I thought you were not on the board for a while because you were doing so well. The first thing I thought of when reading your symptoms was Lyme, or co-infections of Lyme. My igenex test was screaming Lyme at all–I had inconclusive test results mostly–only a few double starred bands but, mostly negative. I remember having some serious brain fog, neck pain, constant shoulder tension, stiff muscles all around the upper back/spine and neck area. All I know is about 2 months into my first 3 abx protocol for Lyme, all those aches and pains that were nagging at me for a year disappeared…and they’ve never come back. I wasn’t comfortable with an inconclusive test, anymore than I was comfortable with a sero-negative result for SD. I decided to treat them both, despite the lack of evidence in my blood, and I’m so glad that I did. I honestly believe that by addressing everything at once, I was able to recover so much faster–faster than even I was anticipating. Also, CPN infection is a culprit in some of the symptoms you described.

Whatever you decide to do, I hope you find the relief and answers that you’re looking for very soon.

Maria

[WAYNE HARGREAVES]

Hi Lori,

I have the same symptoms, have been on different anti-biotics, but although my flare ups get less, i still cant get r id of the shoulder and neck pain it gets so tight and stiff.
Agree with Maz and Maria, I also had an MRI SCAN and although i damaged a vertabrae at the lower back through a fall, they said my shoulder had mild degenerative disease ( wear and tear ) but was fine, not sure about others, and think Maria is spot on about co-infections but i do think my food sensitivities play a big part in it for me, if im very strict with eating whatever is in my vaccine im usually ok.

Hope this helps.

Wayne

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