"Where there is creativity, there is hope." ~ Donna Karan




A New Set Of Symptoms

by - Saturday, August 07, 2010

On and off for the past year I have been experiencing a tingling sensation and a feeling of numbness in both of my hands and feet. At first I didn't think much of it at all. In fact, I brushed it off as just being another one of the many side effects. I first noticed it in my hands and assumed joint pain was the cause but when it progressed to my feet as well, I thought it a little odd. It isn't a constant daily occurrence but it is frequently showing up at random times a couple of times a week and it has got me thinking, what is going on?

Recently I questioned both my G.P and rheumatologist about carpal tunnel syndrome seeing as I have had carpal tunnel before. I had carpal tunnel in my right hand at the age of twelve, young I know. My surgeon said that I was the youngest patient with carpal tunnel that they had ever seen! I'll explain what carpal tunnel syndrome is in a later post for those of you who may not know (for the time being you can google it if you wish). So because of that experience I know that the symptoms that I am experiencing now feel very similar to that of carpal tunnel. So there I was a few months ago thinking that I would be sent off for another nerve conduction study test. There was something missing from my carpal tunnel theory though. Although I have the tingling and numbness associated with carpal tunnel, I don't have the pain of it. There is another thing to take into consideration also. I have the same sensation in my feet; you can't get carpal tunnel syndrome in your feet. There is a similar condition but my G.P said that it would be pretty rare to have both my hands and feet blocked. My rheumatologist informed me that it would be highly unlikely that I would get carpal tunnel in my right hand again but to watch out for signs of it in my left as arthritis can cause it. So my symptoms are not consistent with carpal tunnel syndrome. At least that is one thing ruled out I guess. So what the heck is causing it then?

Aside from the tingling and numbness, I have also noticed other strange things happening. I have lost a noticeable amount of weight all within the sudden period of a month. My mouth is as dry as the Sahara desert, I'm constantly thirsty and I feel as though most of the day is spent being a peeing machine. I have been putting up with these symptoms for the past four months and they aren't getting better and I've had enough.

A few posts ago I mentioned that my acne was clearing up. Was is definitely the word here. After two weeks of using a topical antibiotic (Duac) my skin flared into an absolute mess once again. Although it is only mild acne, it's causing scarring and it is getting me down. Medicated acne treatments, natural acne treatments, following a skincare routine, drinking eight glasses of water daily along with fresh vegetable juice have all failed me. I've never really had problem skin, I've had the odd spot pop up every now and then but they would completely clear up within a few days. Now I seem to wake up every morning with a new spot and they don't seem to heal, leaving unsightly blemishes on my face. I can no longer leave the house without makeup on as I have to disguise the red mess. It is really frustrating.

This week, I realised something. Apart from the tingling sensations, all my other problems like the weight loss, excessive thirst and frequent urination all started at the same time my crystal clear skin turned into looking more like a polluted pond! Okay so maybe that is exaggerating just a little, but you get the picture. Well of course I couldn't help myself wondering if all these problems are all connected somehow. With that realisation, I found myself demanding answers from my G.P this week. Most likely my symptoms aren't caused by one of my medications because I've been taking them for years, so it was off for more blood tests. Sigh. So if tests come back normal its up to my rheumatologist to figure out what is going on and see if there is actually a medication to blame, but which one? I never know what is doing what and causing what anymore. I'm on that many!

Right now I'm a little frustrated and stressed because I hate not knowing what is going on. The unquenchable thirst is becoming unbearable. I feel like I'm going crazy being so insanely thirsty. I'm so fed up. Nothing seems to be a simple fix anymore but I'm really hoping that these symptoms can be sorted, and soon.



Thanks for reading
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