Timeline of Symptoms

This is an attempt to put into order a timeline of the health issues that have accumulated over the years and have led me to where I am now.

1979 – present: have HSV II and have outbreaks on face and had ulnar nerve damage from lymph node swelling from lesions on the hand that has since resolved.  No outbreaks other than on my right hand or the left side of my face.

Have had multiple injuries to my back, shoulders, and knees, resulting in a great amount of pain and surgeries, attempts to control the pain, and disability.  

History of PSVT, had an ablation that was partially successful and had pericarditis after the procedure.

Rheumatologic work-up that was negative in the 90's

Multiple episodes of vertigo, the most severe being in
1988
2006
2008

History of cold intolerance.  

2001:  Started having a tingling on the lower right side of abdomen.  It came and went over the years, but has progressed to where it is tingling pain, wrapping around from front to back.  It is too painful to wear underwear or clothes that aren’t loose and have a lot of give.

Also began having wrap-around pain from the middle of my thoracic region, usually from back to front.  It has been recurrent; sometimes one side or the other, sometimes around my whole ribcage.  I cannot wear a supportive bra because of this pain.

Upper right quadrant pain (bottom of ribcage), recurrent.  Multiple tests starting with 1995 ultrasound, to a Nuclear Medicine scan of my gall bladder late 2006, all showing no reason for pain.

February 2007: Exposed to a great deal of the pesticide Deltamethrin, mostly through inhalation after a willfully negligent appilication in my apartment by management.


Since February of this year I have had a series of symptoms that are not like the ones I’ve been battling since your 20's.  It is not like the arthritis or any of the problems I have had previously except the paresthesia on my thigh, the pain and sensitivity around my back and chest, and vertigo.



PRESENT PROBLEMS:
2008, February 6:  Woke up with tremors in my hands and head/neck, and an intense occipital headache.  Over the next couple of days, it had involved my trunk and legs, culminating in a fall on the 11th. Extreme fatigue also was a part of the package of symptoms.  Saw PCP on the 18th, who did a neuro exam, took history, and scheduled brain MRI for the 22nd.  Saw her again on the 25th, and the MRI showed lesions that could possibly be MS.

February 27:  Visited my optometrist, being concerned with the floaters that had showed up with my tremors, after a brief episode of blurred vision. He said that although my vision had worsened a fair amount, he couldn't see any damage, but told me to call if I had any more problems. I got a new eyeglass prescription, with bifocals.

March 12: Scheduled an appointment with a neurologist.   Tremors were not as obvious but still a problem with me.  He dismissed them, disagreed with the neuroradiologist's report, and told me that my brain was atrophied from alcohol consumption during my youth.  He seemed to think the lesions were from microvascular disease, though I made it clear to him that I had no predisposing factors; my BP and cholesterol have been good for years, no diabetes; my glucose is always in low 80s or lower.

March 19 – 21:  Intense pain behind left knee, which spread up the back of my left thigh, which felt very tight and painful.  Putting weight on knee didn’t hurt much, but I could only walk by moving my leg from the hip.  I would swing my leg to the side and then forward in order to take a step.  The pain up lessened by the third day.

April 4: Had an outbreak of herpes virus on my face. I caught it early and doubled my Valtrex, but it still had a crust after a month, though the nerve pain was not as intense as it has been in the past.

April 8:   I had scheduled another appointment with another neurologist; earliest available was two months after onset of symptoms.

April 8:  Started having sharp pains in my bladder, and my normal frequency became more urgent, and I started having a buzzing/tingling sensation between my legs.  One evening the buzzing wrapped around my left thigh and tingled for a few hours.  The bladder symptoms decreased after several days.  I saw my PCP on the 10th, (two days after bladder symptoms started) and she ordered urinalysis and culture, which both came back clear.

April 11:  After my Lumbar puncture I developed a spinal headache that required a blood patch on April 15, which resolved the headaches.  I developed more floaters, including my left eye, after the LP

April 18:   Visited an ophthalmologist, who said my optic nerves looked very healthy, and that the floaters often happened because of the pressure difference after the LP, and they are nothing to worry about, and that my vision was the same.  It seems blurry to me.  Visual Field Test on May 14 was good.

LP and blood work came back essentially normal, though I'm concerned that perhaps more obscure causes for my symptoms may not have been tested for.  I wonder if the patchy areas on my thoracic spine could have been there since my old Judo injury, and are lesions of another sort that cause some of my symptoms.

My PCP ordered other blood tests, and my thyroid levels are good.

Tremors and dizziness continue to be a problem.  I often drop thing or lose my balance.  I often wake up with tremors more active, and then ease up.  They are also worse after I do physical exercise.

May 11: Woke up once again with the intense occipital headache and much increased tremors; my head going back and forth rapidly, and my hands jittery. Having a difficult time walking straight, or keeping my balance.

May 15:  Follow-up with neuro; significant exam findings:  “she has a head, vocal, upper body tremor.  It is variable frequency and fluctuates during the interview from not being present to being more obvious”.  “Today she has a distractible Romberg”.  She put her hand on my chest and then my back, stopping my swaying, as soon as I began to sway while tapping my thumb and forefinger together, after about 10 seconds each time.

May 17:  While watching a live basketball game, my vision became very jittery; I couldn’t focus, my whole field of vision was jumpy for several minutes.  I then became so tired that it was hard to sit up, to hold my head up.  The fatigue continued for about two days.

Balance issues continue to be a problem.  Vision seems jittery when I’m tired, and often is blurry.

May 22:  Saw PCP; she though May 17 event was a seizure, scheduled EEG.

May 27:  EEG results came back normal.

June 1:  While laughing and talking with my roommate while in the bathroom, lost my balance. Fell face-first into the half-wall between the tub/toilet area and the sink/vanity area of the bathroom.  Got paint on the lens of my glasses, bruised my left eyebrow, cheekbone, even my gums hurt.

June 17;  Follow-up brain MRI w/wo contrast.  Appeared unchanged, no abnormal contrast enhancement.  Once again noted “appearance is far-and-away most consistent with multiple sclerosis”.  

June 23:  Saw ophthalmologist again, regarding May 17th visual event and often blurry and jittery vision.  Vision has worsened slightly since February, optic nerves still look healthy, and color vision is fine.  He suggested that I may have had an ophthalmic migraine on May 17.  He scheduled me for another VFT on July 8, and suggested I see my MS specialist as soon as possible.  I didn’t follow up with another VFT.

Dizziness continues to be an issue, as well as fatigue.

July 8 – 18:  Had a sharp burning pain under the front right side of my ribs.  Over the next few hours, the pain wrapped around my back and then around the front left side just up under my ribs.  Within 24 hours, the pain had moved more up into my entire ribcage area, with the pain most intense where my ribs meet in the front and the back.  Taking a deep breath was painful, as was riding in a car, wearing a bra, etc.  

July 18:  Had a bi-level lumbar epidural, which aggravated the nerve pain down my right leg into my foot, like electrical jolts running up and down. Only the numbing medication helped the radiculopathy.

July 25:  While watering plants on sunny day, lost my balance, and fell against the corner of the garage, scraping my right forearm and deeply bruising my upper arm.

July 29: Once again lost my balance, falling against the alarm keypad and scraped/bruised my upper arm by my shoulder.

August 11:  Visit with MS Specialist.  Suggested small vessel ischemic disease.  Had thyroid antibodies test; low.  Will be scheduled with urologist to see if sympoms are neurogenic, and sent for MRA of head and throat.  Concern that my symptoms would not be from small vessel ischemic disease.

MRA of head and throat normal.

September 4 - 10:  Buzzing tingling started on front of left thigh.  Continued buzz pause buzz for several hours, then more intermittently.  After first day, buzz/tingle happened different locations on same thigh.

Bladder symptoms worsening; more frequency, urgency, leakage.  PCP suspects sx are neurogenic.

September 10 – Present:  Finished course of Keflex for bacterial infection in oil gland as well as  sinus infection, and developed symptoms of vaginal yeast infection.  Urinary symptoms increased painfully.  Treated yeast symptoms with acidophilus, yogurt, three-day course of miconazole, then tried product called Yeast Fighters.  Yeast symptoms lessened, but bladder symptoms continue.

September 24:  New patient appointment with uro-gynecologist.  Given Premarin cream and Vesicare to try for symptoms, will return in 6 weeks for further testing.

September 29 – Present:  Extreme increase in fatigue even after 9 hour of sleep. Body shaky, fine motor skills decreased; dropping, spilling, and knocking items over.  Muscles fatigue quickly with use; blow drying hair, sweeping, slicing tomato, sitting upright.  Dizziness and lack of balance, difficulty walking.  Symptoms increased for three days, then leveled out and finally have started to decrease.

October 6:  Woke at 2 am to urinate, urine flow started as I started to get out of bed, and I couldn’t stop it, no matter how hard I tried to Kegel.  Urinated all the way into bathroom, and on toilet seat.

October 8:  Saw MS specialist while experiencing neurological symptoms; will follow up November 12.

November 7 – 11:  Bladder spasms first day.  Fatigue after 9 – 10 hrs sleep; one day took 2.5 hr. nap, also.  Dizziness, tremors more pronounced, lose balance when turning corner.  Vision blurry, left eye small stabbing pains, both eyes excessively dry.  Pain right side neck, right arm.  Difficulty holding on to things, typing, etc.  

November 5:  Follow-up with urogynecologist; urodynamic testing scheduled for November 21.