I was jogging along, happy as can be, when I got a pain in my right leg and my foot started to tingle. OK. Nothing new there. It was just like my shin splints that I'd had a week before. I kept jogging.
Then my right arm had a pain in it, and my hand started to tingle. That was new! I stopped jogging and walked the rest of the way back to the car. The pain and the tingling disappeared on my way.
When I got home, I e-mailed my father in law (a family doctor) to see what he thought about it. While waiting for his reply, I set up an appointment with my doctor and went on with my day. Not long after, my hand started tingling again, and it didn't stop. The pins and needles spread up my arm as well, and occasionally it was back in my foot too. Nothing too painful, just annoying.
My father in law thought that it was just over use type injuries. I hadn't told him about the persistent tingling. I thought I would just sleep on it and see if it went away. Other then the pins and needles, I felt perfectly fine. It even subsided during the night.
Tuesday morning, I decided to go swimming. I wasn't likely to have any over-use symptoms there. I've been swimming for years, after all. Well, turns out the elevation in my heart rate set the pins and needles going stronger.
I was getting worried. I called up my doctor's office to see if I could get an earlier appointment. When the receptionist found out why, she put me on the line with a nurse. When the nurse found out that my Mom had heart surgery at a "young age", she told me to go to the ER, and not to drive myself.
Panic attack! When I was done crying, Seth and I took our kids over to a friend's house and went to the hospital. They checked me for a heart attack. None. Pregnancy? None. Stroke? None. My physical came out all clear. They couldn't find out what was wrong with me, so I got to go home and was told to come back if it got worse.
Things seemed to be getting better, but Wednesday night I figured my father in law ought to be told what was happening. His response, go see a neurologist. My doctor concurred. So, now I get to go in for an MRI, have more blood work done, and talk to a neurologist to see if they can figure it all out. It will take about a month to go through all of these steps. Hopefully, it's just a one time trauma.
When I got home, I e-mailed my father in law (a family doctor) to see what he thought about it. While waiting for his reply, I set up an appointment with my doctor and went on with my day. Not long after, my hand started tingling again, and it didn't stop. The pins and needles spread up my arm as well, and occasionally it was back in my foot too. Nothing too painful, just annoying.
My father in law thought that it was just over use type injuries. I hadn't told him about the persistent tingling. I thought I would just sleep on it and see if it went away. Other then the pins and needles, I felt perfectly fine. It even subsided during the night.
Tuesday morning, I decided to go swimming. I wasn't likely to have any over-use symptoms there. I've been swimming for years, after all. Well, turns out the elevation in my heart rate set the pins and needles going stronger.
I was getting worried. I called up my doctor's office to see if I could get an earlier appointment. When the receptionist found out why, she put me on the line with a nurse. When the nurse found out that my Mom had heart surgery at a "young age", she told me to go to the ER, and not to drive myself.
Panic attack! When I was done crying, Seth and I took our kids over to a friend's house and went to the hospital. They checked me for a heart attack. None. Pregnancy? None. Stroke? None. My physical came out all clear. They couldn't find out what was wrong with me, so I got to go home and was told to come back if it got worse.
Things seemed to be getting better, but Wednesday night I figured my father in law ought to be told what was happening. His response, go see a neurologist. My doctor concurred. So, now I get to go in for an MRI, have more blood work done, and talk to a neurologist to see if they can figure it all out. It will take about a month to go through all of these steps. Hopefully, it's just a one time trauma.
In the mean time, I still have homeschooling with my kids, something that's not easy to do when I'm stressing out. Sierra knows something is going on that's making me stressed, and it stresses her, sending her into unnecessary panic attacks. We both had a total melt down yesterday. Bailey only finished half of her school work before I called it quits. Sierra, bless her, stuck it out and finished her morning work while I cried my eyes out in my room.
I'm slowly feeling better though. I've been taking it "easy" for the last few days, and my symptoms are almost unnoticeable now. Today we took off of school, and we cleaned up the house. Cleaning always makes me feel better. I should be able to cope with school by Monday, and then we leave for vacation on Friday. Life will go on.
But, I'm afraid to go running again. I don't want to cause another episode. I'm even leery of biking because I've put my foot to sleep while peddling and have even tweaked my wrist before. So much for my Triathlon Training! I've decided to pull out of the competition. I only had a little over a month to finish getting ready, and it will be a few weeks before I have any firm idea as to what's going on. The worry would stress me out too much. I'm getting close to my limit.
All is not lost, however. Walking and swimming I'm OK with. I've been doing those for years, and the ER doctor told me to keep exercising. I just need to keep it low key for now. One step at a time.
6 comments:
I wish you good health but I agree with the ER doctor, you can run just not as fast. You can run for a minute walk for a minute deal and go from there. If you had somehting wrong with your heart and stopped everything suddely that would cause more problems. I think it is a over usage, muscle spasum thing. How is your hydration and potacium intake? I was having problems simular but massive cramps in my legs, stomach, every muscle when I was trainning. It ended up being lack of those two thing in the high altitdue. I am just a EMT nothing like a doctor. Just listen to your body while you wait. I know it is stressfull but you are strong and no matter what you will pull through stronger!
None of the doctors seem to think that all of this has anything to do with my running, though it's not ruled out.
Honestly, I don't think that running will do anything to me, and I don't plan on quitting in the long run. I'll get over the emotional fears soon enough-I enjoy cross training too much. :) I just want everything to be figured out before I start pushing again, especially since my symptoms increase whenever I elevate my heart rate. I'm planning on getting on my bike soon too, but I'll be staying close to home when I do.
As far as the triathlon, the training was already creating physical stress. It wasn't enough to make me call it off, but now, I need to relieve stress, and that's the easiest place to do so. I haven't given up on it. I'm just postponing it for now.
Thanks for your support Amy. It means a lot.
My thoughts are with you!
You seemed to be taking it all in stride the other day at the park; I had no idea things got worse. Feel free to call in some favors!
Thanks Laura. I'll remember that.
Further updates: my father in law thinks that I should back off of training for now too. He also doesn't think that an MRI is really necessary before talking to the neurologist. My doctor wants me screened for MS (Multiple Sclerosis), but my father in law thinks the neurologist should be the one to decide on that, being the specialist and all.
As for me, I've calmed down a lot, though I don't like being left alone with my mind wandering. I've been trying to keep my head busy. I hate not knowing what's going on, and dwelling on what it might be gives me anxiety and stress.
As for the symptoms, well, they're getting really weird. Right now, my right hip feels cold (it's been doing that off and on all day). Earlier today, my scalp had pins and needles. That was the strangest sensation I've ever had! Yesterday, the top of my foot felt cold while my toes were tingling. My arm and hand are fine though, and my foot rarely tingles now. Weird. Really weird. And fascinating.
I've been finding myself moving from being "fascinated and having a grand old time" to "feeling ill about the whole thing" and back again. Sigh.
Hang in there girl, hopefully they will give you some answers. When do you go back to the doctor. I think I would want the MS test, if it is that better to know now then later. There are pills to help slow it. I think about you daily. keep us in touch with that is going on.
misty, check out this blog site for some cool craft idea's. http://www.filthwizardry.blogspot.com/
Also how is your health anything new, did you do your tri?
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