« My feet are numb and tingly | Main | The Brain MRI »
June 9, 2013
Initial Triage
I made an appointment with my primary care physician and saw him towards the end of December, 2012. He said, "you're young and otherwise healthy, and shouldn't have problems like this," and referred me to a neurologist. Due to the holiday season and general physician scheduling difficulties, I wasn't able to get an appointment with the named expert at the recommended practice until some time in February, 2013. But there was an opening with one of his newer associates for January 3, 2013. I wasn't getting any better on my own, and I didn't want to wait, so I took the appointment.
She examined me and determined that yes, something was amiss. I couldn't walk in a straight line. I couldn't balance well at all. I couldn't feel different pokes or pricks or prods on the tops or soles of my feet or on my toes or ankles. The paresthesia shooting from my shoulders was repeatable and concerning. There were many potential causes for my symptoms, but she didn't think that it was related to walking around Bangkok for 5 days in poor quality sandals. She decided to start a series of tests.
The first test was bloodwork. I went to an independent lab the next day, January 4, 2013. They scanned for a whole host of diseases and conditions, levels of hormones and antibodies, and other blatantly significant findings related to metabolic levels. Four days later, January 8, 2013, the results came back. They found low levels of vitamin B12 and D3, which were not especially suspicious or concerning with respect to my symptoms. They were also easy to treat with supplements, so I quickly purchased some and began a regimen. Nothing else concerning like Lyme disease or diabetes that might manifest my symptoms was apparent.
The second test was an MRI of my cervical spine (neck). It took place the same evening as the bloodwork, January 4. Since the paresthesia originated there, it seemed like a reasonable place to start the diagnostic imaging process. My neurologist suspected something might be going on in my spinal cord. The test results came back the same day and showed an enhancement (abnormality) between my C4 and C6 vertebrae. There were also some signs of mild stenosis (spinal cord compression) and moderate bulging discs. These results started a chain of events that would take me to unexpected highs and lows.
Posted by jon at June 9, 2013 7:24 AM