Can nerve pain have no specific cause? Are my symptoms characteristic of something?

[samrose86]

Hey guys, I have a few questions that maybe some of you can answer for me. I am 25 and new to having neuro symptoms. Last Sept. I had some one sided numbness & hair loss (not sure whether that was associated to something neuro or not). I also developed crazy anxiety due to the hair loss, which actually came on a few months before the numbness. So initially I thought the numbness was a result of the anxiety. Anyway, was referred to a neurologist who did an MRI to check for MS. It came back clear, with some minor arthritis showing in my neck. So between my internist, dermatologist and neurologist they said "stress & anxiety" and I went on my way. By November I was feeling good again and by February 2012 my hair loss stopped.

Now...after months of feeling great and "normal" I woke one morning with an electric shock type of pain in my inner calf. Hurt SO bad!! It lasted on and off all day. I haven't felt it severely like that since then, but every day I get lighter versions of it that are still painful but I can carry on with my day. Slowly I've been developing other symptoms too...hair loss is back, pin prick sensations all over, some muscle twitches, occasional pinky numbness, neck pain, and sharp pains behind eye (rare, but they happen).

My question is, can symptoms like these pop up without a definite cause? Like, can someone get nerve pain or sensations without a disease or disorder? I've been tested recently for deficiencies (except b12) and everything was fine. I'm living in constant fear and anxiety over this that it could be something like MS, even though my neuro who is one of the best in my state said I didn't have it. He is having me do a Lumbar MRI this week to check for the shock pain. I didn't have the other symptoms I noted until AFTER my appointment with him so he doesn't know about the rest.

Also, can anyone tell me exactly what a muscle spasm feels like? I often wonder if the nerve pain I'm feeling is a muscle spasm, but it doesn't really feel like a muscle...to me a muscle spasm would feel like a tightening charlie horse type of pain.

[ginnie]

It is good you are getting evaluated by a neurologist. Sharp pain can be so many different things. Hair loss can be an auto immune problem, and you should see a dermatologist specialist to rule out alopecia areata. This is a form of hair loss. Sometimes you feel pricking sensations on scalp with this. This isn't caused by anxiety. Some hair loss however can happen with stress, where you thin out all over. Alopecia usually presents with small round spots on head that are bald. Hope you can resolve all the issues you have and get some relief. ginnie

[samrose86]

Well my hair loss is diffuse, so it's all over, and it's come on both times I've had "flares" of nerve problems. I've never heard of MS causing hair loss but that's what I was tested for last year because of the symptoms involving my nervous system. I just think it's odd that they keep recurring together. I keep thinking lupus but my blood tests don't suggest that.

[Dr. Smith]

Hi Sam,

There's always a cause, but when they don't know it, or can't find it, they often term it as "idiopathic". Unfortunately, medicine doesn't know everything, or even as much as most of us would think or like that it know. Sorry that's not very reassuring, but it's the way it is.

A muscle cramp can manifest in different ways depending on where it is (what muscle, and what part of the muscle). Some pains (muscle and nerve) are telegraphed, which is why your doc is looking at your back for a cause of pain in your leg.

Diagnosis is a fancy word for an educated guess, and it can take some time. It's important that you build a network of doctors (eventually) in whom you have confidence, trust, and rapport (2-way communication).

There are some sites (Google: symptom checker) where you can plug-in your symptoms, and get a list of things to discuss with your doctor about checking into or ruling out. If you try some of these sites, don't panic at the results or drive yourself nuts looking up every condition and psyching yourself into believing that's what you've got. It's good to read & learn, but work with your doctor(s) and try to help them help you.

Doc

[samrose86]

Originally Posted by Dr. Smith

Hi Sam,

There's always a cause, but when they don't know it, or can't find it, they often term it as "idiopathic". Unfortunately, medicine doesn't know everything, or even as much as most of us would think or like that it know. Sorry that's not very reassuring, but it's the way it is.

A muscle cramp can manifest in different ways depending on where it is (what muscle, and what part of the muscle). Some pains (muscle and nerve) are telegraphed, which is why your doc is looking at your back for a cause of pain in your leg.

Diagnosis is a fancy word for an educated guess, and it can take some time. It's important that you build a network of doctors (eventually) in whom you have confidence, trust, and rapport (2-way communication).

There are some sites (Google: symptom checker) where you can plug-in your symptoms, and get a list of things to discuss with your doctor about checking into or ruling out. If you try some of these sites, don't panic at the results or drive yourself nuts looking up every condition and psyching yourself into believing that's what you've got. It's good to read & learn, but work with your doctor(s) and try to help them help you.

Doc

Well I do suffer from anxiety and hypochondria and a lot of people on a forum i'm on for that believe that a lot of neurological symptoms can be due to anxiety and hypochondria. I guess that's just really what I'm hoping for because i'm only 25 and I want to be able to picture my future and see happiness and marriage and babies, and not pain and illness and loneliness. I'm just really terrified I'll have to live with this and I won't be able to get out of my depression because of it.

[Dr. Smith]

Originally Posted by samrose86

I'm just really terrified I'll have to live with this and I won't be able to get out of my depression because of it.

This is one area where I believe each of us has a choice, because I've made that choice three times in my life.

Chronic illness and depression go hand in hand in what is well-known and documented as a "vicious cycle".
Google: vicious cycle pain depression

Oddly, this phenomenon is unique to human beings -- the species endowed with the highest intelligence and freedom of choice. I was locked into such a vicious cycle when I happened to catch the movie G.I Jane on cable, and first heard (I'm a late bloomer) the poem...

Self-Pity

I never saw a wild thing
sorry for itself.
A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough
without ever having felt sorry for itself.

~D. H. Lawrence

That affected me profoundly.

Depression is anger turned inward, and anger can be a powerful motivator. Once I realized this, I learned to deal with it; I've learned to use it to my (and others') advantage (when I recognize what's happening and make the choice). I can focus/channel it in positive ways to do things constructive for myself and/or others.

I can't -- and won't -- tell anyone that what works for me will work for everyone, much less anyone else. But I do believe that by using our intelligence to overcome depression (like using it to overcome other negative emotions) -- whatever that takes -- we have the ability to turn things around, and we have the choice to do that. We may or may not be able to do it alone; we all need support networks that include loved ones, friends, doctors (professionals) and other resources (internet?) the world has to offer. I also won't BS you that it's easy or anything, because it's not. It's hard work, but hard work reaps rewards.

I don't know what will work for you; working with your doctors to find the right mix of antidepressants, counseling, self-determination & distraction, or any of the other tools people use. Knowledge is power. I can tell from your posts that you're intelligent; use that gift, and make the choice. It will have to start with/come from within yourself, but once you make the choice and your determination known, help along the path is out t/here. (That's why I encourage people to help their doctors help them.)

Doc

[pabb]

PLEASE! Insist on celiac testing.