comfortzone
07-06-2009, 04:15 PM
Guess I'm turning into quite a complicated case if I listen to what my current slew of docs say. I've posted elsewhere -- but in a nutshell since bilat knee replacements life has never been "right"....
First it was huge amounts of stiffness with pain in both knees. Oddly then it began to happen in my hands and bilat arms. Very stiff -- to the point of difficulty moving in the morning at all. Have to manually get my right arm started...and then it is weak and painful near the elbow especially -- but throughout the arm as well. I started dropping things, my balance was wobbly on occasion.
Initially blamed it on the knees.....then went to rheumatology who diagnosed hypermobility syndrome (sometimes likewise called Ehler Danlos type 3 -- but docs disagree if it's the same illness for sure).
After than the arms got worse.......a new ortho had an MRI of neck done - he thought it cervical radiculopathy....and the MRI agreed with those findings and I was turfed to another ortho -- a spine one.
He says it's not your neck. Great. Then what is it? Okay so last few nights my toes get numb, bottom of ball of foot too......and a vaguely discernable beginning of the same thing in bilat hands. Meaning they are just increasing in tingling -- but feel not as sensitive to touch as they've always been.
Somethings going on. Then I get a referral to a Neurologist. That appt. can't happen till August they tell me. So in the meantime I see PM for pain etc. He already ordered a lower EMG....I see him next week to talk about this. Tell him I need upper and lower....and that I'm scheduled for neuro work-up. He likes to do it all....but I think Neuro is needed.
So my questions.....what's a neuro appt. like? Is the first one just talking? Or will they do tests and a thorough exam the first appt.? Or just a brief exam and talk? Will they order bloodwork? Of course I'm hoping for nothing terribly serious like ALS or MS etc......and in the end I'd like to know what's going on --- my recovery from the knee surgeries is at the one year mark in August! Maybe it's PN? Or worse?
Thanks everyone......
First it was huge amounts of stiffness with pain in both knees. Oddly then it began to happen in my hands and bilat arms. Very stiff -- to the point of difficulty moving in the morning at all. Have to manually get my right arm started...and then it is weak and painful near the elbow especially -- but throughout the arm as well. I started dropping things, my balance was wobbly on occasion.
Initially blamed it on the knees.....then went to rheumatology who diagnosed hypermobility syndrome (sometimes likewise called Ehler Danlos type 3 -- but docs disagree if it's the same illness for sure).
After than the arms got worse.......a new ortho had an MRI of neck done - he thought it cervical radiculopathy....and the MRI agreed with those findings and I was turfed to another ortho -- a spine one.
He says it's not your neck. Great. Then what is it? Okay so last few nights my toes get numb, bottom of ball of foot too......and a vaguely discernable beginning of the same thing in bilat hands. Meaning they are just increasing in tingling -- but feel not as sensitive to touch as they've always been.
Somethings going on. Then I get a referral to a Neurologist. That appt. can't happen till August they tell me. So in the meantime I see PM for pain etc. He already ordered a lower EMG....I see him next week to talk about this. Tell him I need upper and lower....and that I'm scheduled for neuro work-up. He likes to do it all....but I think Neuro is needed.
So my questions.....what's a neuro appt. like? Is the first one just talking? Or will they do tests and a thorough exam the first appt.? Or just a brief exam and talk? Will they order bloodwork? Of course I'm hoping for nothing terribly serious like ALS or MS etc......and in the end I'd like to know what's going on --- my recovery from the knee surgeries is at the one year mark in August! Maybe it's PN? Or worse?
Thanks everyone......