Anon, first, let me say that you deserve a big pat on the back for working so hard to find answers for yourself. It's discouraging to know absolutely that something's going on with your body and to not be able to figure it out. I'm glad you found Empowher; let's see if we can provide any ideas for you.
May I ask you a few questions?
Have you had back problems in the past, perhaps anything like a herniated disc or compressed vertabrae?
When you say your limbs go numb, is it always both legs and both arms? Or is it just one or some of them depending on what you're doing?
Does the numbness mostly happen when you are sitting? Or also when you are standing?
Was the thumb with the cramp in it also on your left hand?
How long has the blurry vision been happening? How long does it take to clear up when you have had an episode? (And after you go blurry, your sight returns to normal on its own after a while, correct?)
You mention that you are in pain, but the only specific pain you mentioned was that of your left pointer finger. Can you be more specific about the pain?
When you carry your child, how do you do it? Is there anything about the way you hold her/him that would cause extra weakness on your left side?
Have any of your doctors considered that while yes, the pains and problems may be unrelated to one another, each might be caused by something different? For instance, perhaps your thumb and finger are the result of a repetitive stress injury (do you work on the computer a lot? Or something similar?), perhaps the numbness is caused by a disc under pressure in the spinal cord, and perhaps the blurry vision is caused by something else?
In the meantime, let's see what we can find.
On the pain and cramps in your finger/thumb:
There are many kinds of Repetitive Stress/Strain Injuries (RSI). They include such things as tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome, and are usually treated with anti-inflammatory medicine, rest and physical therapy. This could be one explanation. (Poor posture can contribute to the problem as well).
Here's an overview of RSI injuries, and some ways to figure out if it may be what you are dealing with:
http://www.stat.rice.edu/~cscott/rsi.html
On the numbness:
Numbness and lack of sensation in the limbs can be caused by numerous things as well, but most are linked to circulation, the nerves and the spinal cord.
A herniated disk, for instance, puts pressure on the spinal nerves. Injury to a nerve -- for example, a neck injury -- may cause you to feel numbness anywhere along your arm or hand, while a low back injury can cause numbness or tingling down the back of your leg. Poor circulation might mostly affect your legs when you have been sitting or staying in the same position for long periods of time.
Have your doctors taken a regular X-ray of your spinal cord to see if they see any possible problems there? Have you ever had a neck or back injury?
Here's some information on nerves, the spinal cord and disks:
Is this a constant thing -- coming and going all the time, all day, every day? Or does it happen mostly at certain times, for instance in certain light conditions or when you are doing specific things? And is it always in both eyes?
Have you seen an opthalmologist about your vision? Has anyone tested you for dry eyes? Are you near-sighted or far-sighted? Is it possible that you are diabetic?
Here's our Empowher page on Eye conditions, followed by a page that discusses different causes of blurred vision:
I'm so glad you have a new specialist who is trying to help you figure out the answers to these difficult symptoms. Does any of the above information seem helpful? Can you get back to us with the answers of some of these questions so we can research it a little further for you?
Comment Reply
Anon, first, let me say that you deserve a big pat on the back for working so hard to find answers for yourself. It's discouraging to know absolutely that something's going on with your body and to not be able to figure it out. I'm glad you found Empowher; let's see if we can provide any ideas for you.
May I ask you a few questions?
Have you had back problems in the past, perhaps anything like a herniated disc or compressed vertabrae?
When you say your limbs go numb, is it always both legs and both arms? Or is it just one or some of them depending on what you're doing?
Does the numbness mostly happen when you are sitting? Or also when you are standing?
Was the thumb with the cramp in it also on your left hand?
How long has the blurry vision been happening? How long does it take to clear up when you have had an episode? (And after you go blurry, your sight returns to normal on its own after a while, correct?)
You mention that you are in pain, but the only specific pain you mentioned was that of your left pointer finger. Can you be more specific about the pain?
When you carry your child, how do you do it? Is there anything about the way you hold her/him that would cause extra weakness on your left side?
Have any of your doctors considered that while yes, the pains and problems may be unrelated to one another, each might be caused by something different? For instance, perhaps your thumb and finger are the result of a repetitive stress injury (do you work on the computer a lot? Or something similar?), perhaps the numbness is caused by a disc under pressure in the spinal cord, and perhaps the blurry vision is caused by something else?
In the meantime, let's see what we can find.
On the pain and cramps in your finger/thumb:
There are many kinds of Repetitive Stress/Strain Injuries (RSI). They include such things as tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome, and are usually treated with anti-inflammatory medicine, rest and physical therapy. This could be one explanation. (Poor posture can contribute to the problem as well).
Here's an overview of RSI injuries, and some ways to figure out if it may be what you are dealing with:
http://www.stat.rice.edu/~cscott/rsi.html
On the numbness:
Numbness and lack of sensation in the limbs can be caused by numerous things as well, but most are linked to circulation, the nerves and the spinal cord.
A herniated disk, for instance, puts pressure on the spinal nerves. Injury to a nerve -- for example, a neck injury -- may cause you to feel numbness anywhere along your arm or hand, while a low back injury can cause numbness or tingling down the back of your leg. Poor circulation might mostly affect your legs when you have been sitting or staying in the same position for long periods of time.
Have your doctors taken a regular X-ray of your spinal cord to see if they see any possible problems there? Have you ever had a neck or back injury?
Here's some information on nerves, the spinal cord and disks:
https://www.empowher.com/media/reference/herniated-disc
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003206.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/numbness-in-hands/AN01070
and on the blurry vision:
Is this a constant thing -- coming and going all the time, all day, every day? Or does it happen mostly at certain times, for instance in certain light conditions or when you are doing specific things? And is it always in both eyes?
Have you seen an opthalmologist about your vision? Has anyone tested you for dry eyes? Are you near-sighted or far-sighted? Is it possible that you are diabetic?
Here's our Empowher page on Eye conditions, followed by a page that discusses different causes of blurred vision:
https://www.empowher.com/condition/eye-conditions
http://www.cureresearch.com/sym/blurred_vision.htm#possible
There are also certain medications that can cause blurred vision:
http://www.cureresearch.com/causes/blurred_vision.htm
I'm so glad you have a new specialist who is trying to help you figure out the answers to these difficult symptoms. Does any of the above information seem helpful? Can you get back to us with the answers of some of these questions so we can research it a little further for you?
March 30, 2009 - 9:49amThis Comment
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