peebee
04-01-2004, 07:16 PM
Hi All,
I'm new here. I was diagnosed with Degenerative Disk Disease in 1998. I experienced right side neck and shoulder pain for perhaps six years before that, which stopped suddenly and was replaced by numbness in my right hand. That attracted more attention than complaints of pain, and x-rays and an MRI led to the DDD diagnosis. Three months of physical therapy, especially cervical traction, helped greatly and the symptoms slowly went away. My neck continued to be stiff and creaky, however, and the numbness would return if I held my head "the wrong way".
In December of 2002 I started having tremors in my right hand. My right bicep started to twitch and would do so for many hours on end. These symptoms grew in intensity over a period of weeks and eventually involved most of my upper body. I couldn't make fine motions with my hands without them wavering and wandering around (like trying to thread a needle, but not being able to hold still long enough to do it). I also experienced leg spasms while sitting, like a sudden raising of the legs. I experienced multiple myoclonal jerks when lying down, and similar jerks while sitting. It was difficult to stand without leaning on something, because it felt as though the ground was moving beneath me. It was not possible to stand on one leg without tipping over. On the very worst days I had difficulty walking because it felt as though I could not tell where my feet were going to land. There was fatigue associated with these bad episodes as well.
These symptoms waxed and waned with a period of perhaps a month, getting worse for a couple of weeks and then slowly getting better. That cycle repeated a few times, and then the symptoms slowly went away, but not completely. Note that I did not experience pain or numbness, just trouble with motion, dizziness and fatigue.
I had a bunch of tests done for things like MS, all of which were negative. I had a nerve conduction test in my leg, which was also negative. It is worth noting that because the symptoms came and went, and a long time was required to schedule the tests, these tests were not performed while I was actually experiencing symptoms. The doctors got tired of hearing me complain while getting negative test results, so they sent me to a psychiatrist who I saw for the first time recently. His take seems to be that I have "unresolved childhood trauma" (psychological, not physical trauma). I don't dispute that necessarily; we all have unresolved trauma to some extent, but neither do I necessarily believe that's what's giving me muscle spasms...
I'm submitting this in the hope that these symptoms will sound familiar to someone with disc disease. I'd be very interested to know of anyone's experience with pain and numbness progressing to symptoms like a movement disorder, especially if a clear diagnosis has been made and a successful course of treatment has been determined.
Thanks to all who took the time to read this...
Phil B.
I'm new here. I was diagnosed with Degenerative Disk Disease in 1998. I experienced right side neck and shoulder pain for perhaps six years before that, which stopped suddenly and was replaced by numbness in my right hand. That attracted more attention than complaints of pain, and x-rays and an MRI led to the DDD diagnosis. Three months of physical therapy, especially cervical traction, helped greatly and the symptoms slowly went away. My neck continued to be stiff and creaky, however, and the numbness would return if I held my head "the wrong way".
In December of 2002 I started having tremors in my right hand. My right bicep started to twitch and would do so for many hours on end. These symptoms grew in intensity over a period of weeks and eventually involved most of my upper body. I couldn't make fine motions with my hands without them wavering and wandering around (like trying to thread a needle, but not being able to hold still long enough to do it). I also experienced leg spasms while sitting, like a sudden raising of the legs. I experienced multiple myoclonal jerks when lying down, and similar jerks while sitting. It was difficult to stand without leaning on something, because it felt as though the ground was moving beneath me. It was not possible to stand on one leg without tipping over. On the very worst days I had difficulty walking because it felt as though I could not tell where my feet were going to land. There was fatigue associated with these bad episodes as well.
These symptoms waxed and waned with a period of perhaps a month, getting worse for a couple of weeks and then slowly getting better. That cycle repeated a few times, and then the symptoms slowly went away, but not completely. Note that I did not experience pain or numbness, just trouble with motion, dizziness and fatigue.
I had a bunch of tests done for things like MS, all of which were negative. I had a nerve conduction test in my leg, which was also negative. It is worth noting that because the symptoms came and went, and a long time was required to schedule the tests, these tests were not performed while I was actually experiencing symptoms. The doctors got tired of hearing me complain while getting negative test results, so they sent me to a psychiatrist who I saw for the first time recently. His take seems to be that I have "unresolved childhood trauma" (psychological, not physical trauma). I don't dispute that necessarily; we all have unresolved trauma to some extent, but neither do I necessarily believe that's what's giving me muscle spasms...
I'm submitting this in the hope that these symptoms will sound familiar to someone with disc disease. I'd be very interested to know of anyone's experience with pain and numbness progressing to symptoms like a movement disorder, especially if a clear diagnosis has been made and a successful course of treatment has been determined.
Thanks to all who took the time to read this...
Phil B.