What the heck is wrong with me? Dizziness, numb/tingling hands

[gemloving]

I posted here twice before but I'm awake at 2am and very sad.

I had my second son 10 months ago and had no issues with my health until January. I have very heavy periods (now been prescribed some sort of acid which will stop the bleeding from being so heavy). My hands started to tingle and it seemed to get worse, saw the GP, full blood count and my iron came back as low, ferritin level was 7 but the rest of my blood count looks good. Thyroid, B12 & folate was checked all levels within normal range. I am taking 200mg iron tablets twice a day and can stomach them ok.

They didn't check for Vit D or any other vitamin related things.

My main symptoms are dizziness, fatigue, brain fog aka can't concentrate as I zone out (it's actually quite relaxing), I feel like I could go to sleep at any time, the tingling in my hands has now almost turned into numbness. I woke up at 1am dizzy and my hands were numb.

I feel like I'm on edge / restless at the same time. Something new that has happened & is new as of this week is that I get jittery if I hadn't eaten in a while, I eat and it's fine. Some people on here suggest that it could by hypoglycaemia. I'm very slim, almost skinny - always been and eat fairly healthy.

I just want to know what's wrong with me as it's starting to take over my life.

this to me sounds like it could be anxiety.

@Lostlostlost3 it's a contributing factor now but I know it isn't or wasn't the cause.

It could still be your thyroid "within levels" isn't always the best

Long COVID?
Any of the Auto immune disorders?

Low ferritin did this to me. I honestly thought I had MS and a heart problem.
How much iron are you taking ? I was on ferrous Fumarate.

Oh, and think about getting a mirena coil to reduce your bleeding.

Before I even clicked on the thread I thought “low ferritin”. I have iron infusions and they are life changing. Go back to GP. I couldn’t tolerate oral iron supplements.

Can you phone your Dr/nurse & check the side effects too of your medication if any?

I used to take something called Tranexamic Acid to help with heavy, frequent periods but if I took it too long (eg, 3 to 5 days rather than just 1 or 2 at the start of the bleeding) I did sometimes feel light headed. Combined with low iron levels you must be feeling exhausted.
Hope you feel better soon

Thanks everyone for your respondes.

@Theunamedcat 1.12mIU/L - normal range ist 0.27-4.20. Im not a doctor so trust what they say.

@MoonminMummy9 I don't even think I ever had covid and wouldn't know about any other autoimmune diseases.

@GeneLovesJezebel I'm trying to take two a day (same as you) but sometimes only manage 1. @Waterfordaston I asked for an iron transfusion but wasn't taken seriously. Level was at 7. They basically said to me that's a bit extreme.

@eenymeenymineymo I haven't even had my period, it's due to start tomorrow. I would hate to think I feel even worse taken the tablets for heavy periods. At the moment, I only take the iron tablets + 1 berroca with one.

Go back and push. I was referred when mine was 3 but now they don’t let it go below 9

Do you eat meat ? If so up your red meat intake too.
Green leafy veg too.

You can get a blood test autoimmune diseases such as ANA and ANCA
and perhaps a Covid Antibody test

This sounds like exactly what happened to me after my second pregnancy. My ferritin was down to 9 but recently just been diagnosed with autonomic dysfunction which apparently can be caused by pregnancy.

I agree with all the above, but can I suggest doing some breathing exercises as well? Ideally breathing through your nose, slowly breathe in for a count of 3, hold for 3, breathe out for 3, hold for 3, then repeat a few times.

It helps me with anxiety and jaw/neck tightness, and sleeping. And apparently research shows that it increases the amount of oxygen your body can utilise, which will help numbness, if lack of oxygen is causing it

I have MS and get numb tingly hands occasionally as I have a lesion on my cervical spine. But could also be many other things.

What’s your B12 level and thyroid levels. Treatment for both of those has been pretty woeful in my experience. I was left feeling absolutely shocking with very low “normal levels” of both. With treatment symptoms of both improved. Ask for the numbers including reference ranges and if the numbers aren’t smack bang in the middle or higher (lower for TSH) then it may be the source of your problem.

I get low blood pressure often (side effect of something else) and it just sounds like that. Obviously this can be the result of a number of things but if it's a bit low normally and you're dehydrated or breast feeding, it could be that simple?

I've had dizziness and numb right leg/foot/arm/hand for the last 14 months. No answers so far which I know isn't helpful. ENT told me to go on balance.lifeguidehealth.org/player/play/balance to see if the exercises helped the dizziness. Again unfortunately this didn't work for me but might for you if your bloods end up ok.

Have you had your blood pressure taken recently? Could it be low blood pressure as these sound like fairly classic symptoms.

Also should've said that I am sure the dizziness is worse leading up to my period? I need to keep a better diary!!

I have rheumatoid arthritis (mid 30s) it runs in our family, but my tingly fingers started 4 months after having our DS, do your fingers swell, feel hot, achey to bend or fewl like on elastic when you bend them?

Sounds like anxiety

I had all this apart from the hands, with low ferritin.

I had this with long Covid. Took months to improve. Can you get an antibody test to see if you've had it?

OP I had the same after second childbirth and was sent for an MRI as dr thought it was MS. It wasn't and in the end I went to the osteopath who said that after second birth I had diastatis recti, where stomach muscles are ruined. It means that when your baby gets heavier and you are carrying them about a lot, you reply on your back muscles too much and it pinches nerves in all kinds of places and causes tingling hands amongst other things. The stress of it made me feel exhausted. I won't want to diagnose but I do think this is a very plausible explanation and one that would very likely be overlooked by a GP who seem to completely ignore the muscular skeletal system altogether. I have no idea why my GP reached for MS when diastatis recti was a far more obvious a cause of my symptoms, but it caused me no end of stress at the time.