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Yellowbug

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Hi. I'm new here and trying to find some clue as to what's going on with me. I've been having symptoms for about a year.

The first one was numbness in my right foot that lasted about a week. A few months later, the numbness/tingling started again in that foot, then spread to the other foot and up both legs to my knees. That lasted a few weeks. Then, a few months later, I had painful burning in my lower legs and numb thighs. After a week, I woke up with a numb left hand and a tingly and burning arm. I had trouble using that hand for fine motor stuff for a couple of weeks too.

Each time these symptoms appeared, I was very very tired. I also noticed that I was tripping over my feet a lot and a little off balance. I also had some eye pain once and some dizziness.

The next episode of symptoms started with a very stiff and tight thigh muscle that made it hard to walk off and on for about a month. I also had tight and aching muscles in my upper arms. These symptoms have not completely gone away about five months later.

The newest symptom I have is horrible burning pain on one side of my face. It started in my cheek and part of chin and spread to part of my ear. It was constant and pretty bad for a few weeks, but is tapering off now.

My GP suggested MS as really her only idea, but the neurologist I saw gave me an MRI, which was normal. The neuro mentioned fibro, but left me without any diagnosis. All of my blood work was normal and the only neurological finding was hyperreflexia. After the face pain, I'm going to see a neurologist with more experience, but I don't know if this is the right direction to go in. My GP does not think it sounds like fibro because I mostly have pain only in my arms and I don't have any sleep problems.

Has anyone had episodic symptoms like this that started with paresthesia?

Thanks so much for reading all of this and for any insight you can offer! 😊
 
Hi Yellowbug and welcome,

You will find an array of different stories here, on how peoples fibro started, and there are probably different reasons for it as well.

My own experience, it came on after taking a medication for a couple of months. My blood work was normal as well, except I had been tested for a variety of things, starting with an ANA which has come back positive a few months in a row. Testing for other autoimmune diseases were negative.
So for me, my body is attacking itself. And yes, I did start off with numbness/tingling in one leg, and I continue to get burning sensations mostly in that one leg, but sometimes in other areas of the body. But read around the forum as well, so you can see how fibro effects other and the different variety of ailments that occur with many of us (such as IBS).

So you probably want to think about your age, other ailments you may have had before this came on (some have had TMJ, I have had IBS for a long time along with digestive issues), did you have muscle aches as a child (thinking back, I always loved running, but couldn't run distance, I
would get pain in my calves which was casually diagnosed as shin splints. In retrospect, maybe they weren't). So anything that may be relevant, you probably want to discuss with the doctor (I make a list so I don't forget, and they can add it to my med. records). For people of my age (50's), it's important, since our pediatricians are most like no longer alive and you probably can't get your records if they've never been forwarded.
 
Yellowbug, I tend to view the symptoms you have presented as emanating from sciatica and radiating pain which spreads to other parts of the body. I think you should use compression stockings to improve circulation in the lower legs as a prelude to exercises which should start gently and then gradually increase in order to ameliorate your pain. There is also the possibility of fasciitis due to poor choice of footwear or cramps caused by dehydration. This can be checked by drinking lots of water and replenishing electrolytes like magnesium, calcium and sodium in your body. Keep a pain journal to record what precedes every episode of pain so that you learn what to avoid, the triggers. Best regards.
 
Thanks sureimsore. I will explore the forum. I'm sure that will help
I'm 40 years old. I don't think there is anything that set this off, as far as I can tell. I don't think there is anything relevant from my childhood.
Do tou think peoe are more likely to have fibro if they have other conditions that can go along with it? I did have mild ibs when I was younger, but haven't had problems for a long time.
 
Thanks remnant. Those are interesting ideas. I will look into them and talk to my doctor. I'm going to have my magnesium tested and I have thought of dehydration as a contributing factor. With sciatica, isn't there usually back pain or pain down the back of the legs?
 
IBS seems to be a common denominator, in regards to symptoms when being diagnosed. I don't know if that makes one predisposed.
Eventually I will research that, but I'm thinking it is. Also to think about, do you have any symptoms of being perimenopausal.
 
My fibro started with just severe fatigue for many years on and off. Later i had pain in both feet that came for a few weeks/months then went away...then weeks of migraine and face pain tingling and burning...then the same burning vibrating sensation in my legs that turned to deep muscle pain and stiffness.

After months of this it spread to one side of my upper body and a few weeks later i was food shopping taking things from shelves and the same pain began randomly in my right arm and shoulder too.

Its hard to say if you are experiencing fibro as usually they do say in all four quadrants of the body....but mine was a gradual onset....with on off symptoms at first in localized places.

As sureimsore says read around the site their are lots of stories and it varies for everyone.
 
Your symptoms sound like my sisters. She had a pinched nerve that caused her hand to go numb, much like you said. She ended up being diagnosed with fibro years later. For her, I think they were unrelated, but your symptoms sound much like I remember hers. I know one of the hardest part is getting a diagnosis. It took a long time, and more than a few doctors for me to get mine. Its frustrating. Good luck!
 
The good new is that your MRI results were clear, the bad news is that some of your symptoms can be caused by spine issues, things like bulging discs in the spine. I should know, because I had the same numbing feeling some weeks after I got hurt. It would be worth checking out our spine, get a MRI of your whole spine done, but good luck, I had to fight really badly in order to convince the doctor to order one.
 
Trellum you didn't tell me you had to fight for yours also! Do we have the same dictor? I was just going to ask what the MRI was of. Yellow bug, fibro is one of the last diagnosis you want. Research and ruel out everything if you can first. Nerves seem to be what's effected the most so ruel out any possabilities of nerve pressure/damage. Viruses that are dormant exc. I wish I had started with a neurologist a long time ago, but honestly I would also get the ball rolling with a reumotolgist in case it is fibro. He or she will probably check you for the normal auto immune signals and the common fibro signs (low vitamen D, magnissium).
Let us know what you find out.
 
Waiting for diagnosis is terrible, but at the same time if we have a correct diagnosis we can start fighting the disease.
 
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