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Hello, I'm Going On My 5th Week Of Not Being
Question: Hello, I'm going on my 5th week of not being able to feel my feet. Feels like Shingles Virus..Depending on time of day, they either feel freezing cold or on fire with a tingling feeling.. Chiropractors said back is fine. MRI was negative.. Blood work negative. Two trips emergency room; no results! One Dr gave me a cortizone shot in the lumbar L5.. Other Dr has me on 600mg Gabapentin.. Even had a EMG with no results; Dr says no pinched nerves, everything working fine.. PLEASE HELP?
oh, I forgot.. Took acyclovir for a week also..
Brief Answer:
Further examinations are necessary for a correct diagnosis.
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to "Ask a Doctor " service.
I have read your query and here is my advice.
Shingles infection should manifest with dermatological features too, and this usually happens few days after the infection.
So, if you don't have any cutaneous features consistent with shingles, it is not shingles that is causing your issues.
If you had an MRI only in a part of the spine ( lumbar region for example ), an MRI of the other parts of your spine is necessary ( thoracic and cervical spine ) in order to understand correctly your condition.
Conditions such as transverse myelitis for example should be considered.
Your symptoms also point towards peripheral neuropathy.
This condition may linked with underlying causes such as prolonged alcohol use, low vitamin B12, diabetes, viral infection, heavy metals poisoning, etc., so, blood work for these conditions should be done too.
Besides gabapentin, consider using high doses of vitamins B complex for your symptoms.
Finally, if these are not the conditions diagnosed after the above mentioned evaluations, a vascular problem, (vasculitis for example), may be considered.
Discuss with your Doctor for these issues.
Hope you found the answer helpful.
Let me know if I can assist you further.
Further examinations are necessary for a correct diagnosis.
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to "Ask a Doctor " service.
I have read your query and here is my advice.
Shingles infection should manifest with dermatological features too, and this usually happens few days after the infection.
So, if you don't have any cutaneous features consistent with shingles, it is not shingles that is causing your issues.
If you had an MRI only in a part of the spine ( lumbar region for example ), an MRI of the other parts of your spine is necessary ( thoracic and cervical spine ) in order to understand correctly your condition.
Conditions such as transverse myelitis for example should be considered.
Your symptoms also point towards peripheral neuropathy.
This condition may linked with underlying causes such as prolonged alcohol use, low vitamin B12, diabetes, viral infection, heavy metals poisoning, etc., so, blood work for these conditions should be done too.
Besides gabapentin, consider using high doses of vitamins B complex for your symptoms.
Finally, if these are not the conditions diagnosed after the above mentioned evaluations, a vascular problem, (vasculitis for example), may be considered.
Discuss with your Doctor for these issues.
Hope you found the answer helpful.
Let me know if I can assist you further.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
Answered by
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