Scary Symptoms for 2.5 Years

[amandastorey]

EDIT: Should also mention I have been taking SSRIs for anxiety since last year's scare with the MRI.

Hi everyone,

I’m Amanda, a 25-year-old female and have been experiencing symptoms since April 2015. And guys, the anxiety is real. I have (yet another) doctor appointment booked for this Friday, but I wanted to see if some of the good folks on here could give me their input on my case.

I’ll break it down by dates and symptom appearance.

April 2015: Extreme difficulty swallowing, lasted one or two months then disappeared

April 2016: Right arm became weak/stiff, followed by my left, then my legs; trouble swallowing returned

May 2016: Had a CT scan and MRI that both came out clean

June 2016: Had an EMG test with a neurologist and it came out dirty, and he diagnosed me with ulnar nerve palsy (damage to the ulnar nerve in both my arms). Eventually all my symptoms disappeared again

September 2017: All of the above symptoms returned, plus extreme difficulty breathing

December 2017: Twitching all over my body started, loss of sensation/strength in my hands/thumb muscle increased

This is where I’m at now. Some days I’ll wake up feeling fine with zero symptoms, but then one will pop up during the day and the rest will come crashing in on me.

All of this being said, I'm still able to walk, drive etc. normally, but the numbness and other symptoms have become impossible to ignore.

Thank you so much to anyone who reads this and especially anyone who decides to share their thoughts.

 

[lgelb]

Was the "extreme difficulty in breathing" validated through clinical exam/pulmonary function testing?

Best,
Laurie

 

[amandastorey]

Hi Laurie — no, I asked my doctor about it and she just prescribed me a puffer that doesn't help much.

 

[lgelb]

You should not be using an inhaler without having had testing to confirm that it is the right thing. I'd find another doc.

If the hand/arm issues are the most persistent, it may also be worth getting evaluated for the ulnar nerve issues by a hand therapist, to test the idea that therapy can improve the issues, and you may also find improvement in other respects.

Finally, a session with a massage therapist with a neuromuscular specialty might help address the symptoms. But we are not going to see any MND in what you have reported.

 

[amandastorey]

Laurie, thank you so much for your help. That's incredibly reassuring to hear after so much anxiety. Lots of love.