Ask a doctor on the topic of Neurology

Help with multiple complaints - Desperate

June 8, 2015 | 25,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Hello,

I have several health problems and I'm not sure what it could be or where to go for help.

Symptoms:
- Pain in lower back and knees, primarily on the left side.
- Chest pain, on the ribs
- Tingling and slight pain in the left abdomen.
- Tingling and slight (currently stronger) numbness in the left arm and partially in the leg/lower left side of the face.
- Pumping feeling in the left arm, not in the right.
- Strong difficulty concentrating, simple tasks are challenging.
- I am motivated but can't accomplish anything, it's like there's a wall/blockade in my head.
- Rare spastic? seizures. Must tense muscles, especially in the face, and, I don't know, laugh or something - it's just ridiculous.

Possible causes:
- Injury last year, beginning of March, on the back from leg press.
- Too much coffee/energy drinks last year at the same time.
- Extreme reaction to booster (caffeine powder drink for training) about 2 months after the back incident. Extreme heat and pain as if the skin is burning and bright red spots all over the body - went away after about 45 minutes.

Previous actions:
- Orthopedics with diagnosis of disc protrusion -> Doctor's statement: wait, it will go away.
- Kassel hospital emergency room due to strong numbness - 1 week in neurology with a few tests -> nothing abnormal.
- Often at the swimming pool to get movement.

Conclusion so far:
It's getting worse, I'm gaining weight, can hardly exercise because I either have pain or my left side goes numb with exertion. This has been going on for almost a year and a half now and I'm slowly falling into depression because I don't know how to get out of it.

What worries me the most at the moment is the numbness in my left arm - my visit to the doctor this week resulted in a recommendation to go for a massage, lay on the floor with my legs up, and continue going to the swimming pool. As a person affected, I may not have a neutral perspective, but after such a long time with these symptoms, the suggestion seems a bit too casual. I was thinking more along the lines of getting a thorough examination because it's getting worse rather than better.

I would be grateful for any advice on how to deal with these symptoms as they are really affecting my life and dragging me down.

Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Good evening,

These symptoms are consistent with tension in the entire back area, from the lumbar spine to the neck. The numbness on the left side is consistent with a herniated disc. In my opinion, you need three things: an orthopedist who can prescribe proper physical therapy for you to continue on your own, a course to learn progressive muscle relaxation according to Jacobson, and possibly Amitriptyline, which relaxes the muscles and also has an antidepressant effect.

If you are visibly "crooked" or tense, a visual diagnosis is sufficient. Then the examination is not superficial, but the therapy suggestion seemed too casual to me.

You can find good orthopedists at www.jameda.de.

Sincerely, Dr. Höllering