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What Causes Recurring Numbness Of Toes And Dizziness After Missing Meth Shots?
Question: I had a missed shot of meth around 6 days ago. I immediately went with a hot compress for the first day and then ice pack and neosporon. I stopped shooting afterwards but I kept taking orally. A soft mushy spot came towards the left of my arm and it would get worse when I would dose (1x a day in am) a few nights after missed shot I'm not sure if it was an anxiety attack or mild heart attack. A few more days down the road same mushy spot. Take my morning dose and the same chest pain shoulder pain back of arm pain came and then out of nowhere the dizziness hit along with the finger and toes going numb worse than before. I knew that enough was enough went to er. And told them what happened they barely even checked the miss and spot beside it. They said I was having a panic attack. I've lived with general anxiety disorder since I was a child and have never had anything like that. So they send me home and my arm,kidneys, and armpit lymph nodes are still hurting plus the chills. The doctor said if nothing has happened in a week then nothing will. But my question is why am I still having heart fluttering and all the other pains. I Feel like they blew me off after I told them about the meth and the panic attacks. So should I just take the doctors word and not worry about it, or go get a second opinion?
Brief Answer:
cannot say in your case; that's the point
Detailed Answer:
I cannot say in your particular case withiout an exam and testing. There is at least a possibility there has been some heart damagge ove the years with meth and caused a predispositiion to arrhtyhmia. Indeed there could be severe heart damage and some heart failure because of it. This is detectable with an exam and an ekg. A recorded EKG will show what the abnormal beats actually are (gnerally either not serious or NOT HTERE !). and... a simple stress test shows likelihood of dying from heart disease.
All of which is very likely to be negative in a young person. That is the point. If someone has a fear.. to snakes, to going over bridges or about heart disease the first step of ending the fear in cognitive behavioral therapy which is often overlooked is to establish that the fear does NOT HAVE A RATIONAL BASIS. Fear of jumping off of hi buildings or running onto highways is not reasonable to overcome. After establishing that you do not have a hert risk, the next part is noting the feelings/sensations and the thoughts one has during one of th eepisodes and realizing they do not have a basis in reality. This cogntive behavioral therapy can be done by a therapist or even online. the entire cost of everything is under a thousand. The ekg is 25, stress test about 100-300, holter 100-200, therapist is often low cost but 500 would be a reasonable full price. Insurance covers all of it.
Then, we get to the real issue. Drugs of abuse are not good. There is increasing risk with stimulants iwth increasing age. They will eventually do heart damage. The process of overcoming addiciton and triggers to use drugs is not surprisingly similar to overcoming fear and the same CBT has been applied and helps. BUT 12 step meetings have the best track record. They are seriously augmented by a CBT approach and also seriously improved by increasing the milleu they affect (the more they enter your life the more they work.... involving family, having a sponsor, having more meetings are all factors associated with increasing likelihood of staying off drugs).
cannot say in your case; that's the point
Detailed Answer:
I cannot say in your particular case withiout an exam and testing. There is at least a possibility there has been some heart damagge ove the years with meth and caused a predispositiion to arrhtyhmia. Indeed there could be severe heart damage and some heart failure because of it. This is detectable with an exam and an ekg. A recorded EKG will show what the abnormal beats actually are (gnerally either not serious or NOT HTERE !). and... a simple stress test shows likelihood of dying from heart disease.
All of which is very likely to be negative in a young person. That is the point. If someone has a fear.. to snakes, to going over bridges or about heart disease the first step of ending the fear in cognitive behavioral therapy which is often overlooked is to establish that the fear does NOT HAVE A RATIONAL BASIS. Fear of jumping off of hi buildings or running onto highways is not reasonable to overcome. After establishing that you do not have a hert risk, the next part is noting the feelings/sensations and the thoughts one has during one of th eepisodes and realizing they do not have a basis in reality. This cogntive behavioral therapy can be done by a therapist or even online. the entire cost of everything is under a thousand. The ekg is 25, stress test about 100-300, holter 100-200, therapist is often low cost but 500 would be a reasonable full price. Insurance covers all of it.
Then, we get to the real issue. Drugs of abuse are not good. There is increasing risk with stimulants iwth increasing age. They will eventually do heart damage. The process of overcoming addiciton and triggers to use drugs is not surprisingly similar to overcoming fear and the same CBT has been applied and helps. BUT 12 step meetings have the best track record. They are seriously augmented by a CBT approach and also seriously improved by increasing the milleu they affect (the more they enter your life the more they work.... involving family, having a sponsor, having more meetings are all factors associated with increasing likelihood of staying off drugs).
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
My question was more directed to the part where i went through a vein in my arm and i have a soft mushy lump about 2 inches by 3 inches. That the doctor said was fine, because it has been 6 days. If there is meth or meth adulterants in there it can easily eat away at skin tissue, causing gangrene or amputation. As you already know. I have done enough CBT research to try and solve this anxiety issue, its easy enough i just need to leave the meth alone. And not to make this response sound like a rebuttal, butttt have you seen the real statistics on 12 step programs? Single digit success rate. Anyways im wondering if theres anything else it could be on the soft spot to the left of my injection site besides residual drugs. Thanks
Brief Answer:
yeah, second opinion
Detailed Answer:
Dermatologic conditions are difficult to diagnose without seeing them, so what I do is list every possibility.
Benign fluid filled small cyst. This is what the first physician thinks that it is. It's resolution is speeded by hot compresses 15 min 2-3 times a day. And, it would be shrinking considerably by 5 days. OR.... it can't shrink. This happens commonly and needs a small cut and possibly a slight bit of extra care to get the fluid out. Implies second opinion.
Infection. You'd really really expect a LOT more signs of infection: fever chills, sweats and / or local redness, pain, warmth and spreading. Doesn't seem to fit that pattern.
Vascular anomaly. Happens. Sometimes a vessels is damaged and bulges outward. If it is an artery this is both dangerous and REALLY REALLY OBVIOUS (it is pulsing and feels plain dangerous). Unlikely. A vein may also increase in size and bulge outward with damage. This is what occurs with varicose veins. Is it dangerous. Gosh, I really hope not ! since I and most everyone my age has several of them (no, not dangerous, but, you might want them treated if it is that and it's possible. they are obviously really common).
So... four possibilities.. each and every needs doctor's intervention if the hot compress doesn't work.
A general surgeon can treat local infections and local collections of fluid. A plastic surgeon is a specialist in that. If it is a vessel you need a vessel surgeon (vascular surgeon) BUT for the more common conditions, the vascular surgeon might not do anything even if they can ! ..... so... regular general surgeon.
yeah, second opinion
Detailed Answer:
Dermatologic conditions are difficult to diagnose without seeing them, so what I do is list every possibility.
Benign fluid filled small cyst. This is what the first physician thinks that it is. It's resolution is speeded by hot compresses 15 min 2-3 times a day. And, it would be shrinking considerably by 5 days. OR.... it can't shrink. This happens commonly and needs a small cut and possibly a slight bit of extra care to get the fluid out. Implies second opinion.
Infection. You'd really really expect a LOT more signs of infection: fever chills, sweats and / or local redness, pain, warmth and spreading. Doesn't seem to fit that pattern.
Vascular anomaly. Happens. Sometimes a vessels is damaged and bulges outward. If it is an artery this is both dangerous and REALLY REALLY OBVIOUS (it is pulsing and feels plain dangerous). Unlikely. A vein may also increase in size and bulge outward with damage. This is what occurs with varicose veins. Is it dangerous. Gosh, I really hope not ! since I and most everyone my age has several of them (no, not dangerous, but, you might want them treated if it is that and it's possible. they are obviously really common).
So... four possibilities.. each and every needs doctor's intervention if the hot compress doesn't work.
A general surgeon can treat local infections and local collections of fluid. A plastic surgeon is a specialist in that. If it is a vessel you need a vessel surgeon (vascular surgeon) BUT for the more common conditions, the vascular surgeon might not do anything even if they can ! ..... so... regular general surgeon.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Well the vein was raised to a good sized lump. I hot compressed and lightly rubbed it with clean hands for the first day. Then i suppose the next day or day after when jm already putting ice to keep bruising and swelling down this pocket comes up. I cant recall if i ever tried the warm compress with it or not. But it has been iced. Now the vein in my elbow just looks raised and outlined. And i tried telling the doctor ive had chills from this, kidney pain, armpit pain (no red streak going towards armpit), and lower abdomen. There is still pain in my arm and the soft spot does get occasionally red but i try and ice it down as much as possible. Its very strange not like an abcess that is hard just fluid filled skin. If i wore gloves and had a sterile razor could I just rub some isopryl alcohol and cut a small incision and i think it would just leak out. I could then rub it down again with isopryl and gauze/bandage it instead of another few thousand dollars in hospital bills since i have no insurance. Im sure youre not suppose to advise people to do surgery on their selves. But how would you perform the task on a patient?
Brief Answer:
don't go there.
Detailed Answer:
You really really cannot do this yourself.
Let us assume the best possible case and this is merely a clear fluid filled sac (frankly, I don't think the best case is most likely given the description). Then, in the best case example, you cannot do full sterility. You cannot pack it, you cannot suture it. you cannot do reasonable care for it. It has a VERY HIGH risk of becoming infected even if it isn't already (frankly, sounds like it got infected already).
no.
Or it's gotten infected and needs prompt drainage by a general surgeon. It will be fast, nearly painless with local anaesthetic, and virtually guaranteed to heal up fast. Complicated infections (spreading into the surrounding area deeply) can still likley be fixed up without hospitalization.
Hot compresses help infections wall off and make them more easy to see that they are infections. Hot compresses help resorb fluid. Ice, doesn't.
So.... good question, but no, still first advice on all possibilities. General surgeon best and cheapest option. While a free standing urgent care center mostly would also handle this. they have less qualification and likely MORE expensive.
don't go there.
Detailed Answer:
You really really cannot do this yourself.
Let us assume the best possible case and this is merely a clear fluid filled sac (frankly, I don't think the best case is most likely given the description). Then, in the best case example, you cannot do full sterility. You cannot pack it, you cannot suture it. you cannot do reasonable care for it. It has a VERY HIGH risk of becoming infected even if it isn't already (frankly, sounds like it got infected already).
no.
Or it's gotten infected and needs prompt drainage by a general surgeon. It will be fast, nearly painless with local anaesthetic, and virtually guaranteed to heal up fast. Complicated infections (spreading into the surrounding area deeply) can still likley be fixed up without hospitalization.
Hot compresses help infections wall off and make them more easy to see that they are infections. Hot compresses help resorb fluid. Ice, doesn't.
So.... good question, but no, still first advice on all possibilities. General surgeon best and cheapest option. While a free standing urgent care center mostly would also handle this. they have less qualification and likely MORE expensive.
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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