My mother 59 years old has been having BPPV for the last 6 years but the ENT doctor is not able to diagnose the the root cause of her issue (he does suspect Parkinsons). Along with this she also has the following symptoms (not sure if this could point towards multiple sclerosis):
a) Shaking, swaying sensation on her left side
b) Intermittent Tremors (internal sensation)
c) Dizziness and disoriented feeling on the left side
d) Severe pain in the leg (feels as though her legs are very heavy - like stone)
e) Feels hot (intolerance to heat)
f) Profuse sweating from her legs
g) Extreme weakness and fatigue - her hands ache when she is eating
h) Difficulty in swallowing at times
I) Nausea feeling during the nights
She also has a high sugar and recently on medication for the same.
Can you please share if you have had your dear ones suffering from the above as unable to get to the root cause of her problem.
Thanks and take care....
Many things need evaluated, before coming to conclusion.
No, I don't think it sounds like MS.
But it can't be ruled out without proper MS testing.
Insurers may require a spinal tap to do that--those are cheaper than MRI, and some argue more definitive--but those are painfully invasive.
Before doing that, how about checking OTHER, less drastic, less costly tests, for potential causes of this list of symptoms?
Like:
==Check Serum Ferritin, Vit D , B12 , & Potassium levels.
Also, check B-Vitamins overall, if they will-----Malnutrition, either from poor diet, malabsorption, or too few good gut Flora, can cause ALL the neuro-symptoms you listed.
==Check Red Blood Cell Magnesium levels [NOT serum].
==Check for Lupus & other auto-immune ills.
==Check for SubClinical HYPOTHYROID
[[NOTE: labs can read "normal" but symptoms still point to hypothyroid---might benefit by using Natural Desiccated Thyroid [NDT], like WP [WestThroid Pure], for instance]].
==Check MRI &/or FMRI.
==Check for pinched nerves in spine--particularly the neck? Might need Chiropractor?
==Does she get at least 30 minutes bright daylight daily?
[[or use a very bright "Happy Light"?]]
==What's her dietary intake like? Loaded with sugar or foods that turn into sugar?
==Bad fats or good fats? How much daily?
==Getting enough protein?
==Swellings? [[wearing rings on fingers, might help gauge swelling against a fixed-size item]]
==Bluish, gray, purple discoloration of fingers or toes -sometimes-, but not others?
==Mottled or blotchy color of hands &/or feet?
==Pale fingernails?
==Ridges on finger or toenails?
==Is there a history of stroke or TIA's?
==What other signs & symptoms exist [head-to-toe evaluation--including mental/emotional history]
==Family history of MS or other neuro problems?
==Molds or dusts in home or work environ? Other toxins in those places?
==Exposures to pesticides [skin contact or breathing fumes][these are neuro-toxic]?
==Live close to a busy Freeway? [exhaust fumes can be neuro-toxic]
==Check all medications for drug interactions and adverse reactions.
[You can do this online]
Any PCP Doc should be willing to look at these things--and more.
To make sure they include these, take a list of tests you are concerned about, with you when going to the Doc, to make sure those get checked
---some might refuse, balk, or otherwise try to prevent patients getting proper tests--others are great with it. Sometimes it's insurance that blockades getting proper tests done.
When it comes to checking for HypoThyroid, some Docs still think low-thyroid = goiter--that's false!
A few Docs think NDT's are "harsh" but refuse to explain how--mostly because the industry wants to get rid of NDT's, and force everyone to use man-made thyroid replacements [[NDT's are cheap, not patented anymore= no real profit to be made on them]].
Current lab tests miss about 40% of people suffering low thyroid, who would greatly benefit by taking NDT's. [[NDT, because it contains both natural T4 AND T3]].
Once you have lab results, you can take copies of those with you to other Practitioners, if you think there has been incomplete evaluations or treatments.
Alternative practitioners may be considered, if you can find good ones in your area--some are great, others not so much. Sometimes it's hard to tell.
You can call ahead to ask questions, like:
Does this Doc ever prescribe NDT's even when labs say the person is normal, IF they still have symptoms of low thyroid?
Does this Doc have hospital privileges? Where? Or, would this Doc be willing to work with hospital Docs, if I have to be in hospital?
DON'T let anyone tell her she has Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue,
UNLESS at least these have been checked, and the whole "rule-out" list has been checked definitively.
Neuro symptoms feel scary, & can cause emotional imbalance as part of the symptoms----but it feels far more scary when we don't really know what's causing them.
Please get lab tests done--start with the lower cost ones like ones listed---it helps to have more data, more knowledge---sometimes the Shadow is far larger/scarier than the critter creating it!
Try to find a geriatric pharmacist who can tell you the interactions between drugs and also the different effects they can have on the elderly.
Do you think seeing a neurologist, rheumatologist, infectious disease specialist...etc might solve the mystery. May be you could tell the PCP you want an answer and he/she needs to pursue it more rigorously. It took my daughter about a year and seeing many different kinds of doctors to find out who could help her. For me acupuncture has helped.
She should see a neurologist ASAP for an MRI or CT of the brain to rule out stroke.