Constant pins & needles!

[Ninspeedles]

Posting in AIBU mainly for traffic but also AIBU to wait another 2 weeks?

I've been having increasing pins needles the last 2-3 weeks. Started in feet and has spread to lower limbs arms and sometimes in the hands/fingers. It's been quite painful at times. It also feels like my legs go dead more quickly, very low tolerance for sitting down without legs quickly feeling odd

Called GP who asked if I had signs of infection ( I don't) or swelling( I don't) and that I should call back in 2 weeks if not resolved. Feels like I always get that response no matter what!

Should I be worried or just wait it out another fortnight?

My friend had these symptoms. She was actually diagnosed with MS and believed she had it for 3 years. They then reassessed her and realised she didn't have MS! All her symptoms were vascular.

Just hopping on the end, not read all posts, but I had pins and needles and it turned out to be low ferritin.

No Tulips, surely not peri menopause😢 I did wonder if it could be that. Will come back with my blood results. Hope you get an answer OP.

I had this, eventually it increased to becoming painful and the sensitivity was so extreme. I have Long Covid for ages but was eventually diagnosed as a B12 deficiency. Unfortunately I really struggled to get the GP to listen and it is possible it might be permanent. I have had lots of B12 injections and it is better but not completely gone. Good luck OP!

Ask your GP to consider guillain barre syndrome if it doesn't go away or your mobility becomes affected.

GBS info on NHS site.

Thank you! A lot of people seem to be saying the same with the B12 deficiency!

This thread sums up why this these type of symptoms are so difficult to diagnose! It could be all sorts of things and it could be a combination of all sorts of things.
I struggle so much with trying to explain my aches and pains. I want to give the most accurate discription possible but it always sounds so vague. Lots of answers are 'sometimes' 'sort ofs' and 'well, it depends' I also hate the use of the pain scale. It doesn't seem that useful sometimes.

Mine started about day 8 after testing positive for COVID - don't know if that is what caused it but it's interesting. I was checked out for Guillain Barre at hospital who said all my bloods were normal, but it's spreading (slowly) so I'm waiting for a neurology referral. @Vispa thanks for the link, gives me something to explore.

@UnaOfStormhold

I had GBS.
Pins and needles for ages, mobility got worse until a rapid decline over a fortnight leaving me struggling to walk at all...my reflexes were gone. Only diagnosed by a neurologist. GP and assessment unit and hospital didn't have it on their radar. The consultants kept asking if I'd had covid as it's an autoimmune condition.

I hope you get better quickly!

do u drink much alcohol OP? It is a common effect, a neuropathy. A B12 deficiency would also cause it, but then the question is why have you a B12 deficiency. Hypothyroidism does not cause pins and needles as suggested above.

I have this, numbness and tingling but it's around my mouth and chin and it comes and goes. Every time I ring the doctor there's a voicemail saying they have a shortage of doctors and it's urgent appointments only - this has been months so I doubt I'll ever get to the bottom of it.

@twilightcustard

I drink approx 1-2 glasses of wine a week, often to weeks without any though so a low alcohol intake

@DressingGownofDoom that's bad! I think a phone triage does have its place, but I admit I was surprised my GP didn't want to see me first. 2.5 years ago he would have taken blood pressure and looked at my feet and legs as a matter of routine I think

@DressingGownofDoom often due to low calcium.

@DressingGownofDoom I think you need to treat it as an emergency. If you phone 111 I am sure they would tell you to see a GP asap. Because it could be a symptom of something really serious. Mine did not question me at all for asking for an urgent appointment.

Hi OP. Are your symptoms still there or resolving? My blood results came back showing high rheumatoid factor. But no raised inflammation markers, and Vit B12, ferritin and everything else all normal. Not sure what to make of this but I am having more autoimmune antibody blood tests done.

Interesting that you're having antibody tests @100PerCentMe - I suspect I may need those. I have a private neurology appointment in 4 weeks (NHS would have been November) but no other treatment or tests at the moment so I'm feeling a bit in limbo. It's become more painful - burning rather than pins and needles so the appointment can't come soon enough for me.

Una my autoimmune antibody tests came back fine/ negative, so just the rheumatoid factor is positive, which I'm sure now must be just an anomaly 😳. Like you though, I've also had burning and also painful, itchy outer toes/ feet for a very long time. I hope you get an answer to what's going on.

Hi OP,
I just wanted to say if you are having blood tests to screen for deficiencies I don't think it is advisable to take a multivitamin as it could alter the results but because nerve damage might be more likely to be permanent the longer it is left I would call back and say you are worried about waiting with these symptoms and would like blood screening tests ASAP.

Maybe a nurse can take the bloods so the wait might not be as long? Your symptoms sounds serious enough to not want to ignore them for weeks to me.

Just wondered how pp were getting on and hoping for some good news about symptoms subsiding! Still having problems here, counting the days (17) until my neurology appointment.

The perimenopause can apparently also cause pins and needles in the legs. If you have heavy periods, which can happen once you get to 40, then you could also be deficient in iron. It seems like there's so many causes. I would push for full bloods at this stage. There's no reason why that can't be done at least.

Well the pins and needles have stopped being constant which is nice but i still getting them frequently and my feet are constantly cold and often numb, so I'm sure it must be something to do with circulation!

I've not gone back yet to the GP but I will!

I have some other things going on ( related or not I'm unsure) but memory is becoming worse but I've heard that is the case as you get older! But it feels like I can't recall a lot of words or forget words half way through sentences!

Is this ageing? Oh to be 25 again

My iron levels are good and, while I'm in peri, I'm on HRT which is managing my other symptoms so I don't think it's peri related in my case, more likely to be post-Covid in my case. Sigh. Hope you continue to improve @Ninspeedles