I have been to my primary care physician three times now, and she has thrown her hands up and basically said “I dunno what’s wrong with you!” after my blood tests came back normal. I am now looking for a new primary care physician, but in the meantime my insurance does not require a referral in order for me to see a specialist - the trouble is, I have NO idea what kind of doctor to go see.
The basic problem is I have a constant pins and needles feeling in my foot and calf on my right leg. The backstory is I had a headache, light sensitivity, and lightheadedness (feeling ‘floaty’ is the best I can describe) for three weeks. Doc put me on light steroids to bring any swelling down (thought I might have had a concussion from snowboarding, but I think that was unlikely) which made me dizzy and even more ‘floaty’ headed.
My CAT scan was clear. I went to see a neurologist who found nothing wrong with me - he said that once I was off the steroids that the dizziness would go away, which it has. The headache has SEVERELY lessened, I can go hours in the day without noticing I have a headache now. The floaty feeling has gone away.
So, all good news that my original symptoms seemed to have been cleared up with the steroids. Either that or it was nice timing.
But then I developed pins and needles in my right foot. It then moved to my calf as well. It’s not painful, just sort of annoying, and slightly worrying.
From some googling I’m thinking it’s either nerve, or possibly circulation related. Or it’s just random and there really is nothing wrong with me.
I’m hoping someone has had similar symptoms and can tell me what doctor they went to.
A side note, I have had an EKG which was fine, but I have not had a stress test. I do get a fluttering in my chest when I run really hard or lift very heavy weights - not every time, but maybe once every few months. My mother has a heart murmur and her mother died of a heart attack - but my doctors aren’t concerned about my heart, or the occasional fluttering in my chest.
I’m sorry for your troubles MissRancher I hope you find a solution soon.
My $.02 is that I had back/sciatic nerve problems a while back and my main symptom was that my right foot and toes would feel like they fell asleep. That feeling would travel up the back of my calf at times. Not completely numb, but that tingly pins and needles sensation. I spent some time under the care of a chiropractor and that fixed things for me.
If you’re not already doing it you may wish to consider keeping a journal or diary that details time of day, general mood, activity, food, alcohol and any medications including vitamins or herbal supplements and your symptoms and how each thing affects or seems to affect your symptoms. It’ll help you and your doctor figure out what’s wrong with you. You might have a sensitivity to something that you’re not aware of.
Pay attention to things, even little things, that have changed recently. New shoes, a new chair to sit in at work, new mattress, maybe a new laundry detergent or perfume or you dyed your hair. It may seem like you’re grasping at straws because you are but you might uncover something.
Wow, it’s tough when you know something is wrong but the doctors can’t tell you what it is. I hope you finally get some relief. Perhaps you can visit another physician? Does your PCP have any collegues that can look at your chart and maybe throw their hat into the ring? They may offer some fresh insight into what could be going on or at least point you in the right direction to a specialist.
I had something similar, to what you are describing ,about 3 years ago. There was also a reddish quality to my left leg. It was hot, tingly and when I walked my foot felt squishy. My doctor thought maybe it was a blood clot and sent me down for an ultrasound and said, “If it’s a clot go directly to the ER.” :eek:
The ultrasound came out clean. The doc figured it was probably an infection under the skin. Wrote a scip for some antibiotics and sent me on my way. It cleared up in two days.
I’m hoping your case is as simple. Whatever you do, don’t let the docs get away with “I don’t know.” Demand another opinion. Ask your doctor what kind of specialist they recommend. Velvetjones has a great idea with keeping a journal of what’s happening.
Can I ask how old you are? If I were in your shoes, I might question whether I’d need to go to the doctor at all. So long as the symptoms are tolerable, not getting worse, I think it’s not likely that you have anything seriously wrong. You could find yourself on a wild goose chase going from doctor to doctor, test to test, and never come up with anything – or worse, come up with completely contradictory recommendations.
In my experience, modern medicine is great when you have something seriously and acutely wrong with you – an appendix about to burst, an aneurysm in your brain – but merely maddening when you just have some minor discomfort.
I have had lower back issues in the past, and have gone to chiropractor’s before. I might try that route. Usually I have low back pain when I’m out of whack, so to speak, and lately I’ve been fine. But worth a shot! Thanks!
I understand your frustration, MissRancher. I’m currently dealing with something along similar lines- I’ve got tingling and reduced sensation in both hands and feet. It’s been going on for years, and every once in a while more area gets affected. My primary care physicians up until this point have been useless (much of “Well, you’re not in pain, you’re functioning just fine, so there’s really no need to do anything. . .”) And that was acceptable to me when I was younger. But now the sensation has spread to the entireity of my hands and feet, typing is much more difficult, and it’s now accompanied by sharp pain. It seems that’s finally gotten the attention of doctors, and I’ve got several tests scheduled.
I’m sorry I don’t have advice as far as what kind of specialist you should see, but I encourage you to keep up with it. It may get worse (like my case), or it may go away entirely (which I hope it does!) Either way, it’s affecting your life right now, and there’s nothing wrong with wanting some answers. Though I hate to say it, you may not get any.
My one suggestion? Go splurge on a nice massage if you can afford it. May not do anything at all for your leg, but it will help the stress you’re no doubt feeling!
Sorry to hear about your situation too. I hope you find some solutions!
A friend of mine suggested getting my arteries dopplered, or at least looking into it. She suddenly got severe headaches and tingling in her right arm. Turns out due to a genetic disorder, her carotid artery fused to her rib and they had to remove it (the rib, not the artery). Bizarre! They discovered it through dopplering her.
Go to a neurologist (either back to the previous one or to a second opinion). While this is not intended to serve as medical advice (necessary disclaimer as IAAD), the symptoms you describe sound neurologic. A neurologist can do nerve testing to determine where the problem is comin from.
Since your insurance will pay for it, I second the motion to try another neurologist. “Pins and needles” is basically what neurologists do, and just because the first one couldn’t think of something that might be wrong, doesn’t mean there isn’t anything fixable.
And after that, a chiropractor. To find a chiropractor who isn’t just a quack, look for one whose practice is affiliated with a hospital.
Well, I’ll be the lone one out and recommend an orthopaedist. Chiropractors aren’t medical doctors and can be either dangerous or counterproductive to see in lieu of an M.D. in certain circumstances.
(Bolding mine)
[
](Back Doctors) At the moment I’m experiencing numbness and tingling in my right hand and arm. It turns out I have a bulging disk between my C5 and C6 vertebrae, which is pressing on the nerve that runs down that arm. It was only through an MRI, prescribed by my orthopaedist, that we discovered that this was the cause, and not a tumor or some other potentially serious problem. He prescribed physical therapy, which I’m taking 3 times a week, which has greatly improved my condition and minimized my symptoms. Personally, I wouldn’t mess around with a chiropractor unless it was prescribed by my medical doctor.
Good luck! I hope you find out what the problem is and find relief soon!
I agree about avoiding the chiro if you are not sure what’s causing the problem. If you’ve got nerves being pinched by bones why would you want someone randomly snapping your joints?
I think it’s a toss-up between the neurologist and orthopedist. You might consider going to both. My dad had back problems that his GP could not handle, and he was sent to both - ultimately ending up being “fixed” by the orthopedist.