Expert: Dr. Victor Dolan, DC, DACBSP - 9/23/2009

Question
Hi!  

Since I haven't gotten any answers anywhere else I thought I'd ask here.  This started 2 weeks ago.  I started to become numb on the outside of my left leg.  It got worse, traveled up my arm and parts of my face.  Went in to my regular physician and he immediately referred me to a neurologist.  I thought it was a pinched nerve and he said no its MS or Stroke.  Got the results back today and I was told my brain was completely normal.  Then they left me at that.  

I'm trying to figure out what it might be.  I now have numbness in my nose, left side of the top of my head, and I'm very numb in the left leg on the outside, pain shooting down from the middle of my buttox to my foot, and sometimes I"m dragging my foot as it is not cooperating at times.  

Please help!

Answer
Hello Sharon,


I am sorry to hear of your condition.

You have been to your regular family MD, and a neurologist MD.  You say, '...got the results back today and I was told my brain was completely normal.  Then they left me at that...."-
first, they should not 'leave you like that',  other testing, other avenues should be followed; you have diffuse significant symptoms-- what is causing this?, what can be done?; next- there are false positives AND false negatives with any kind of testing.  Upon first glance, my guesses would have been to rule out stroke and/or MS as well.  I assume you had some kind of CT or MR scan.  Go and get your actual films, they may give you films, or now-a-days a CD or DVD to bring to a DIFFERENT doctor; preferably a 'neuro-radiologist' ( a neuro-radiologist is a doctor that
reads Xrays, CT scans, MRI- AND especially looks at examinations of the Brain and nervous system).  Get an opinion on 1) whether the films, the pictures are of good quality, 2) whether they see anything.  Do not even give the new doctor any indication of what the old doctor saw or did not see: get a new pair of eyes to look at the studies taken.  Go to a different group of doctors  so that there is no bias in the reading.  Perhaps a second opinion may see something different, or even recommend running the test(s) again- at a different place.

False positives (telling a patient something is wrong when there is nothing wrong) and False negatives do occur.  Get a second opinion, perhaps a second test.

You state: "....I now have numbness in my nose, left side of the top of my head, and I'm very numb in the left leg on the outside, pain shooting down from the middle of my buttox to my foot, and sometimes I"m dragging my foot as it is not cooperating at times.....", after a second opinion, perhaps that second test (or while you are going about pursuing that),  Looking at your symptoms from a Chiropractic perspective, I would recommend a chiropractic evaluation- particularly of the upper cervical spine.

Many patients, lay people do not realize that Doctors of Chiropractic have different specialties, different credentials  ( see: http://www.acatoday.org/pdf/ApprovedChiropracticSpecialtyPrograms.pdf ).

The Chiropractic Doctor also has many different techniques available to him(her).  Websites I would visit (some with Doctor recommendations) would include:
Upper Cervical Chiropractic:  http://www.nucca.org/ ,  http://www.blairchiropractic.com/ , http://www.erinelster.com/files/jvsr%20ms%20article.pdf , http://orthospinology.org/ .
A site with doctors who take a wholistic neurological approach is:  http://www.lifechangingcare.com/ , I would recommend visiting here and finding a Doctor from it's ranks.

Your symptoms seem to be worsening: continue to pursue an answer.

Your symptoms are more then fatigue or tiredness.

Your symptoms are most likely neurological rather then metabolic or vascular or some other cause.

Another neurologist visit is in order- whether to a neurological MD, or to a neurological DC; this is the evaluation avenue I would recommend.  Depending upon the outcome of that evaluation, a treatment avenue I would recommend is Upper Cervical Chiropractic (see above, & see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxrMnxYQ6nI ).


I  hope this information helps you.


If you need further information, please do not hesitate to re-contact me here at
AllExperts.com
http://allexperts.com/ep/965-100794/Chiropractors/Victor-Dolan-DC-DACBSP.htm

Thank you for the question. good luck in returning to full, Good Health!

Your Staten Island Chiropractic Expert,

Dr. Victor Dolan, DC
Email newsletter: . . . . http://drvictordolan.chiroweb.com