Clear MRI but worsening numbness, weakness and fatigue, any similar experiences?

[Extremefatigue24]

Hi everyone,
Hoping someone on here might have experienced something similar or can share any advice, as just at a loss.

Over the last few years I've battled with various symptoms and fatigue but in the the last few months I’ve been dealing with a massive list of weird symptoms that have suddenly gone into overdrive the last two weeks. I do have hypothyroidism already but my levels were steady in Apr-26 when this started kicking off.

My main symptoms:

• Spreading numbness & weakness: Mainly down my right leg and right arm, making me feel really unsteady walking.
• Tingling & weird sensations: Pins and needles in my right leg and right hand (ring/pinky fingers), deep vibrating/buzzing in my right leg, crawling skin and prickling sensation.
• Rib tightness: A tight "hugging" or squeezing sensation around my ribs/torso.
• Twitching & joints: Twitching in my face, eyes, thighs and arms. Stiff, swollen thumb/finger joints.
• Pain: Deep right-sided flank, stomach, and pelvic pain. Stabbing pressure above one eye, sensitive scalp, and right jaw/neck pain (I was also diagnosed with vestibular migraines)
• Other bits: Severe fatigue, brain fog, lightheadedness, bowel issues with needing to go loo but not going or just trickle.

I am lucky that my GP has been great and I've had a full brain and neck MRI very recently (21st July) and everything came back completely clear. I’ve also had earlier scans of my lower back showing nothing major.

My B12 is fine, but Vit D and Folate are borderline and Ferritin is high. Basic autoimmune bloods a year ago were normal, but my symptoms weren't anywhere near this intense then.

I’m speaking to my GP to see what next steps are since MRI is clear but wondered if anyone else has experienced this myriad of symptoms and what it ended up being.

Thanks in advance and I think I covered everything!

P.S. I am also on pregablin to help with the nerve pain at the moment.

Have you had bloods done? I had this with low vitamin D. Also have you had iron levels checked?

Do you know if you have high B6 as this can mimic neurological conditions? It's not routinely tested but if you have low ALP in a liver function/bone profile test it can be a red flag for high B6 (not always). I started to think I might be dying at one point until my bloods showed what was wrong.

This sounds neurological to me but other than that I can't really say.

I hope you get an answer soon.

My DD had various symptoms- unexplained shooting pain in her shoulders radiating down her arm, migraines (could be a coincidence as her father had them), fatigue, regular fainting, vertigo… all were investigated and two MRIs, general clumsiness (I used to tease her she couldn’t walk from one room to another without bumping in to something). I think she learned to live with a certain level of pain. Then walking to school one day she went numb on her right side and pins and needles. Went to A&E and long story short another MRI, high contrast, and this time clear lesions on her brain and spine. After a lumbar puncture she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at 17.
Were your MRIs high contrast? Because my DD had two clear ones, but her diagnosis explained so much of what she had been experiencing since she was 13. She’s now 21 and at Durham University, currently spending the summer in Columbia on an education and leadership internship - I mean she has this terrible affliction but so far has led a normal exciting young life (not least the earthquake today which almost shook her out of her bed)! But knowing means she is getting treated.
It’s just one thing to consider.

It sounds like MS but if the scans are clear, that is unlikely.

@Blodyneighbour Yes I've been a pincushion the last few years on the NHS. I get regular basic checks done privately as I have hypothyroidism and Vit D was 50 but I have started taking supplements
My iron levels are really good so not anaemic. Thanks for reply I appreciate it :)

@DrCoconut I don't know my B6 but my ALP (had a private general check done at end of March 2026) was 76 which according to the report is optimal.

I hope that you are now feeling better! It's awful when you feel so rough and nothing seems to be saying what it is.

@mondaytosunday
Your DD sounds a lot like me. I do wonder what 'strength' the MRI was as was in a portacabin. Not sure how to tell from the report if it was high contrast or not.

How far between your daughters' clear MRIs and the high contrast one?

I'm so glad that your daughter is living a full life, MS is no longer the sentence it once was but by no means an easy disease to live with.

It would explain so many of my symptoms but not sure where to go from here. I'm going to try and get an emergency appt with the doc, especially since the numbness is spreading up my leg and my foot is always numb now. I will see what they say the next steps are.

Thanks for responding!