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Pain, Numbness In Fingers, Feet. Balance Problems, Headaches, Knee Pain, Tremor In Right Hand. Sleep Apnea, Memory Loss. Cause?
I have several neurological symptoms and would like to know if there is a connection. I am a 58 yr old female. A lot of the symptoms started in my 20's; most are progressing at a markedly increased rate in the past few years, and affecting my work and life in general, to include:
- Finger numbness/pain, since age 20 - worse in cold weather, wakes me up at night, makes typing, writing and carrying objects difficult; started dropping dishes lately.
- Numbness/pain in feet, since age 30 - much worse now, cannot walk without shoes.
- Right hip/leg giving way without warning, since age 56 - I stumble and/or fall. Some pain associated at top of leg.
- Headaches, since age 12.
- Migraines, since age 28 - several a month; can last hours to days; almost always starts in left temple.
- Knee pain, since age 12 - severe pain when climbing/descending steps. Arthroscopic surgery on both knees in
20's and 30's. Can no longer play sports.
- Tremor in right hand, since age 28; diagnosed as essential tremor - has progressed to both hands; more
pronounced with movement, but has recently occurred during rest.
- Head/neck tremor, since age 57 - recent onset.
- Tourettes Syndrome, since age 9. Facial ticks and throat clearing. Not as pronounced since age 40.
- Loss of balance and falling, since age 40 - much worse now at age 58.
- Memory loss/fog, since age 55 - symptoms increasing.
- Fatigue, since age 35 - symptoms increasing. Some days can hardly move for hours.
- Depression, since age 35 - symptoms steady until age 55; decreasing.
- Concussions with and without loss of consciousness, due to falls.
- Leg cramps/charlie horse in calf and arch of feet, since age 12 - right and left.
- 6 miscarriages, 3 live births, ages 24-31 - severe toxemia and per-eclampsia with all three pregnancies/births.
- Sleep apnea, since age 50.
- High blood pressure, since pregnancies.
I have moved a lot across the US and overseas with my ob and it seems every new doctor with each move wants to start testing all over again (they won't use the results from another state/country) and I never get a definitive or continued diagnosis. I have been diagnosed with Lupus, Essential Tremor and most recently Parkinson's Disease. But then when I move, sometimes the new internal med or neurologist will disagree with a previous diagnosis. I am frustrated that the symptoms are increasing and want to know what is wrong.
- Finger numbness/pain, since age 20 - worse in cold weather, wakes me up at night, makes typing, writing and carrying objects difficult; started dropping dishes lately.
- Numbness/pain in feet, since age 30 - much worse now, cannot walk without shoes.
- Right hip/leg giving way without warning, since age 56 - I stumble and/or fall. Some pain associated at top of leg.
- Headaches, since age 12.
- Migraines, since age 28 - several a month; can last hours to days; almost always starts in left temple.
- Knee pain, since age 12 - severe pain when climbing/descending steps. Arthroscopic surgery on both knees in
20's and 30's. Can no longer play sports.
- Tremor in right hand, since age 28; diagnosed as essential tremor - has progressed to both hands; more
pronounced with movement, but has recently occurred during rest.
- Head/neck tremor, since age 57 - recent onset.
- Tourettes Syndrome, since age 9. Facial ticks and throat clearing. Not as pronounced since age 40.
- Loss of balance and falling, since age 40 - much worse now at age 58.
- Memory loss/fog, since age 55 - symptoms increasing.
- Fatigue, since age 35 - symptoms increasing. Some days can hardly move for hours.
- Depression, since age 35 - symptoms steady until age 55; decreasing.
- Concussions with and without loss of consciousness, due to falls.
- Leg cramps/charlie horse in calf and arch of feet, since age 12 - right and left.
- 6 miscarriages, 3 live births, ages 24-31 - severe toxemia and per-eclampsia with all three pregnancies/births.
- Sleep apnea, since age 50.
- High blood pressure, since pregnancies.
I have moved a lot across the US and overseas with my ob and it seems every new doctor with each move wants to start testing all over again (they won't use the results from another state/country) and I never get a definitive or continued diagnosis. I have been diagnosed with Lupus, Essential Tremor and most recently Parkinson's Disease. But then when I move, sometimes the new internal med or neurologist will disagree with a previous diagnosis. I am frustrated that the symptoms are increasing and want to know what is wrong.
Wed, 4 Dec 2013
Hi,
Thank you for posting your query.
I agree with you that a clear cut diagnosis is difficult to make in your case, because you have multiple neurological symptoms, over a long period of time. In addition, neurological diagnosis is most often a clinical diagnosis. There is no "test" (blood test or scan) that can "confirm" the diagnosis. This is unlike say a kidney failure, which can be diagnosed by high creatinine or a heart failure that can be diagnosed by echocardiogram. This is one of the reasons because of which different neurologists would not agree on one diagnosis. Also, the neurological symptoms may not remain same at all times, they are different at different times. Symptoms also change with medications.
However, the symptoms in your case are not due to one diagnosis, and multiple diagnoses would be made, which include carpal tunnel syndrome, essential tremors, etc.
I hope my answer helps. Please get back if you require any additional information.
Wishing you good health,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD (Internal Medicine), DM (Neurology)
Senior Consultant Neurologist
Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, India
Click on this link to ask me a DIRECT QUERY: http://bit.ly/Dr-Sudhir-kumar
My BLOG: http://bestneurodoctor.blogspot.in
Thank you for posting your query.
I agree with you that a clear cut diagnosis is difficult to make in your case, because you have multiple neurological symptoms, over a long period of time. In addition, neurological diagnosis is most often a clinical diagnosis. There is no "test" (blood test or scan) that can "confirm" the diagnosis. This is unlike say a kidney failure, which can be diagnosed by high creatinine or a heart failure that can be diagnosed by echocardiogram. This is one of the reasons because of which different neurologists would not agree on one diagnosis. Also, the neurological symptoms may not remain same at all times, they are different at different times. Symptoms also change with medications.
However, the symptoms in your case are not due to one diagnosis, and multiple diagnoses would be made, which include carpal tunnel syndrome, essential tremors, etc.
I hope my answer helps. Please get back if you require any additional information.
Wishing you good health,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD (Internal Medicine), DM (Neurology)
Senior Consultant Neurologist
Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, India
Click on this link to ask me a DIRECT QUERY: http://bit.ly/Dr-Sudhir-kumar
My BLOG: http://bestneurodoctor.blogspot.in
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