Strange things are happening to me

[JosieW]

Hi i'm Josie and i'm new to the forum.

I am a sufferer of Myalgia and TMJ. I have been prescribed a low dose anti deppressant for the pain, and have been on this medication for about 6 years.

Recently, probably about 2 weeks ago I ws suffering from numbness in both arms, mailny in the right arm with pins and needles in the outer fingers (pinky and ring finger) I went to the Doctor and was referred to a Neurologist to have a nerve conduction study done (which I haven't had done yet), to see if it was Carpel Tunnel Syndrome. My symptoms went away the next day, and have not yet returned, but instead have been replaced with new symptoms.

Saturday night 23/2/08 I got a headache after receiving a pretty brutal massage. This headache lasted 4 days and was accompanied by visual disturbances on the outer ege of both eyes, kind of like looking through a kaliedeskope. Right eye, then left eye, then Right eye. This happened on Monday and Tuesday. After the visual disturbance I get a dull ache on the opposite side of the head, at the back of the neck, jaw and temple, also a slight numb feeling to the cheek is present.

On Wedensay, I started to get a strange feeling in my chest. Like a wave moving accross the left hand side of my chest finishing in the centre. This was accompanied by a dry cough, and some acid reflux (which may not be related because I suffer reflux sometimes anyway). Of course I started to panic and went to the hospital emergency. They took my vitals and tested my blood and urine. The doctor told me that there was nothing showing up in my blood or urine work to suggest that I was in danger of having a heart attack or stroke. They hooked me up to an EGC machine to check my heart, for a total of 30 seconds, they told me I was fine. I was then discharged, not feeling any better at all. What a joke !!

The strange sensation in my chest and dry cough continued for a whole two more days. It is gone today, but this morning I have just suffered another visual disturbance, followed by the dull ache and numbness on the opposite side of my head.

What is happening to me? Is there anyone else out there who has experienced similar symptoms?

Hope to hear from somebody soon.

[Jjeni]

Right ok let me start at the beginning !! - the tingly down the arms and fingers - i have posted about myself and i thought yesturday it was my heart was convinced but then learnt from on here that so many people suffer with it too - so we cant all be having a heart attack right ? The bit about the headache and tunnel type vision sounds very much to me like a migraine (which could have been brought on by tension) i have currently had a head ache for nearly 6 weeks now have had ct scans the works and theres nothing there - but the doc said i may have a trapped nerve which is also causign the pain in my arm - this could have been caused by the way i hold/tense myself !! So if your tense or anxious this could of brought on ur migraine!

When u go to the hospital they are fully trained to look for anything when u mention chest and arm pain so take comfort in the fact that they really do know what they are doing - although it might not be what we want to hear somettimes !! I think with health anxiety its all about reasurance and if we dont get it - thats it lol!!
However i too have had the pains in chest and dry cough - this is all anxiety im sure - if there was an irregularity's atall they would have spotted them - remember they are dealing with this on a day to day basis !! i promise x We all here though so dont hesitate to talk to us all !! xx

[dorabella]

You are describing typical symptoms of fibromyalgia, a lot of which I have myself experienced over the years since I was first diagnosed.

It is often described as muscle fatigue - but unlike muscle fatigue caused by overuse of the large muscles (i.e. aching legs or arms owing to prolonged activitiy such as walking, painting), the fatigue of fibromyalgia is misdirected pain signals from the brain into the fascia (soft tissue) surrounding the muscles and joints. Some doctors will prescribe anti depressants to alleviate these symptoms since the regulate the uptake of serotonin (the feel-good chemical) in the brain and - in my experience - have a slightly sedative effect on the fibro pain signals.

I suspect if you were to press on your ribs or sternum you would find very sore spots - as if someone had punched you - which is very common in fibro. This is what is contributing to the weird feelings in your chest. I have exactly the same symptoms myself today, owing to my having got caught in biting cold wind last night (causing tension and pain in the ribs) - a bit like the negative effects of fluctuating weather conditions on rheumatism. Repetetive activity such as keyboard use can cause pain in the hand and forearm, painting and decorating will have the same effect on the upper torso and ribcage.

The numbness and floating pain sensations are also very typical fibro symptoms - they have no logical cause and are sporadic and unpredictable. However this is what fibro is - a very irritating and sometimes debilitating condition which often results from depressive and anxiety states and comes and goes as it pleases. All you can do is try to modify your activitiy where possible to alleviate the worst effects.

I was not surprised to see that you had some bad effects after a massage. I find that normal muscular manipulation like this actually aggravates fibro. A much better treatment is shiatsu (japanese pressure point massage) which can, in the hands of a skilled practitioner, hit the trigger spots which are causing the pain signals. Strange but true but it does work.

I hope this helps to put your mind at rest a little. Do some reading up on the subject. I can recommend some texts if you wish.

D.