Kamden...went to neuro........ - Brain & Nervous System Disorders Message Board

PinkBlazerNY · 11-06-2002, 06:15 AM

Hi again. Well I went to my neuro appt. yesterday. I left there alittle confused. All he did was check reflexes, took blood pressure in both arms then again while my head was turned to the left until it shook (like I was telling you about) and looked into my eyes with that bright little light thing. Afterwards all he said was..I have to agree with your family Dr...it's stress and anxiety. He never felt my neck or anything. I asked him how he could be sure and all he said was..it's stress. I asked him to order an mri..he told the receptionist to set me up an appt. to have MRI of my brain and also my cervical spine area. I don't go there until next Monday. When I first got there it was a bunch of questions...how long have I had this problem...what are the symptoms....am I healthly..(he asked me that 3 times) I told him how the chiro had me scared to death by what she had told me..he said, I know what she thought you might have, but you don't have that. How does he know I don't have that vertebral artery thing unless I have the MRI first??? I told him about my swaying, off balance feelings, about how the floor seems to move while standing still and I have to grab onto the counter, how my blood feels as if its being shut off when I turn my head to the left when laying down etc...he just didn't seem concerned about it. he didn't tell me what I could do to relieve the symptoms or anything. He is supposed to be the best neur around here. Shouldn't he have done some other tests while I was there? Well anyway, back to being nervous while I wait to have MRI appt. and the results. Any insights from anyone would be appreciated.

Kamden · 11-06-2002, 10:25 AM

Stress and anxiety cause the muscles to tighten up, putting pressure on the blood vessels supplying the oxygen to the brain. You mentioned a problem with your neck before, stiff, and aching, this is what causes your head to shake when turned to the side. If the MRI shows nothing wrong, you could try to get a referral to physical therapy, and tell them your symptoms, they would be able to find the problem areas right away. And since the neuro. didn't order one and you had to ask, there is a good chance nothing will be found wrong. An MRI will not show muscle problems. I had to tell my doctor that I wanted to be referred to PT for these symptoms, it never occurred to him that my symptoms could be coming from my neck. It seems to be very commonly overlooked. If you have had neck problems anyway, stiffness, aching, and the shaking when turning to the side, I would try a few sessions of PT. Remember, this is soft tissue work they do on you, where they knead the knots out and it was very painfull for me, yet nothing else worked. It is not just exercises. Let me know what you find out after your MRI please. Kamden

PinkBlazerNY · 11-06-2002, 12:32 PM

Thanks for replying (again) Kamden.

Yep..I had to ask for the MRI's. He said he didn't think I needed them but it was up to me. I had my husband try rubbing my neck muscles but I couldn't stand it. He said they felt hard as rocks. My daughter reminded me of when I went to the hair salon this summer and I couldn't stand holding my neck up over the rim of the sink. I had to tell the girl she had to hurry it up cause it was killing my neck. My daughter says maybe that is when all of this started. I'm not really sure but its a thought. Maybe that strained my muscles and along with always on putor etc...Do you think I should believe that neuro I went to??? I guess I will be more relaxed after the MRI results. The neuro even gave me a presciption for 3-2mg of valium to take 30 minutes before my tests. I am supposed to take all 3. He said he could tell how nervous I was just being in his office and thought the valium would relax me better then the xanax. Thanks again for taking the time to always respond.

Kamden · 11-06-2002, 02:22 PM

The neuro. may very well be right, and with your neck being that painfull just from being rubbed, that is pure tension. It can either be caused by the position you are holding yourself in ( computer ) or stress, or both. Your neck should not be that hard, so i would not hesitate to try physical therapy. Also, I hope you have good insurance, because MRI's can be pretty expensive, and insurance companies will only pay for it if they think it is medically necessary, did you check on this before hand? Anyway, that is how my neck was also, hard as a rock, but what is surprising is that the deep down trigger points that are usually the cause of this, are in the upper back located by the shoulder blades. They can be hard for the lay person to find, I only know where they are because mine were worked on so much. But the really good news is the doctor didn't find anything seriously wrong with you and I am happy for you for that! Keep writing, would like to know how you do if you go to physical therapy. You could even call and make sure you are going to a place that knows how to check for this and work on it. Good luck, Kamden

LarryGCline · 11-06-2002, 10:01 PM

I am a junior contributor on the neuropathy board. As far as your neurological exam, most of these arrogant professional think they can make elaborate diagnosis from two small taps with their stethescope or mallet. Tendon jerks I've been told are remarkable and every muscle has a reflex. I feel slighted and quite cheated @ every level of neurology for over 4 years of misery. Armed with a cemented list of complaints, at a possitive Dx for small fiber Neuropathy I felt like I was begging for help from a hie, hurried and obviously disinterested Neuro @ Cleveland Clinic. Only action from the resident was the option of amyloid neuropathy brought up. MRI's MRA's CT scans, spinals, mylograms, NCS/NVS, SEP's, SSERs, byopsys, and Autonomics are all forms of testing required for a complete work up. Anyone have any evidence that arteiosclerosis may have any correlation with periphral and other neuropathies? Good luck on finding an empathetic professional, remembering that neuropathies are difficult to understand and most have no clear ediology.