Three months ago I started having a slight pain in both sides of my neck along with a tingling feeling and also numbness and tingling in my arms. I saw my doctor and he did not seem to worried but after 6 weeks he scheduled a MRI which showed nothing. Next step is to see a neurologist the end of June. However, lately the symptoms have changed and under my jaw constantly feels strange, like in the area where you would feel swollen lymph glands when you are sick. There is pain, nothing major and seems a little numb and tingling still and my one arm still feels funny. My head just doesn't seem the same, strange pains unlike a headache and sudden pain in my ear every once in awhile. Had a couple blood tests last week, nothing unusual. A vitamin B12 level scheduled for next week.

Question, I am curious if anyone had any of these strange symptoms? I feel like a hypochondriac but want to find the answer. Just after these symptoms started I had a tooth pulled and there was a big cyst under it that had actually ate away at the bone there. I just wonder if there was infection if it is still there and causing issues. The doctor say no connection.

Thanks for any input!!

The arm and tingling sounds neurological, also have you had your heart checked?

How old are you?

Which side?

Age 54 and pretty good health. Other than listening to my heart that is all that has been done. The pain and strange sensations are on both sides. I would let it go and not worry but for something to come on overnight and not let up for 3 months seems like there should be a definite cause.

The pain almost sounds like something at the bottom of your jaw. Seeing as you are scheduled to visit a few places to track this down, perhaps a visit to the dentist is in order? This could be referred pain from something going on with your teeth or mouth. While you are there - make sure they do an oral cancer screening!

Donna

Wondering,

This could be a myriad of different conditions in the head and neck...however...just for peace of mind get an appointment with an Ear Nose and Throat Surgeon and ask for a scope of your Oropharynx area, specifically your base of tongue & tonsils.

Understand that your cranial nerves are 12 paired nerves in the head and neck area, and are very closely tied together. Your tongue is actually innervated by 5 of these cranial nerves, but most associated with the CN-IX nerve, also known as the Glossalpharyngeal nerve. A tumor in the base of the tongue could cause the issues you are describing, even the nerve sensations and would be difficult to catch with an MRI.

The reason I even point this out is that the fastest growing subset of oral cancers are HPV related and will present in either the tonsils or base of tongue, and as we on these forums know all to well, 80% of the population will have contact with at least one form of HPV by the time they are 50, so it's plausible, if only a long shot, that you may have a tumor presenting in this area.

Get it checked out, even bring my write up to your ENT and have him or her contact the Oral Cancer Foundation for more information on this, but be your own advocate and continue to look for answers.

I hope this helps, but just remember....you DON'T have cancer unless a biopsy says you do as biopsies are the only way to tell if you have cancer, imaging won't.

Eric

Thanks for the input. I just wish I would have one day without any strange symptoms. The last couple days the pain is more in the middle under my chin/neck area. Also feels like a sore throat but not like an usual sore throat on the inside. More like the muscles or something. I went to the dentist right after all this started and then to the oral surgeon and both said nothing with my teeth could be causing these problems. I have an appointment on the 22 with a local ENT. Don't know if I'll be brave enough to suggest this seems like it could be something serious. Doctors don't deal well with patients who try to self diagnosis.

Well I was brave and tried getting an appointment with a ENT at a CCC and no luck. After listening to my symptoms I was transferred to a triage nurse who again listened to my symptoms and said there was nothing the ENT department could do and that I should wait to see a neurologist the end of June.

I guess I'll have to wait and hope it is not anything otherwise I'll regret not doing something sooner but I tried my best. Even suggested something serious but they didn't seem worried.

Still wondering with no answers and the strange and varied symptoms keep appearing. I did see a local ENT about 8 weeks ago and unfortunately he was very brief in his examine, no scope and like all the other doctors have said "see what the neurologist thinks" the end of June. That day at the ENT I thought the side of my neck felt strange and by evening I had an extreme burning pain, like where my carotid artery is. Rather than drive home an hour away not knowing what was going on I went to the ER with my blood pressure up to 179, very high for me. They monitored me for 2 hours and found nothing so sent me home to wait for the magical appointment with the neurologist.

My appointment with the Neurologist was disappointing. He did an EMG and a MRI of my head and concluded I have carpal tunnel in one arm and damage in the C-6 or 7 that accounts for the tingling and numbness and pain in both arms. I asked about the issues with my neck/throat and he said it may be thyroid disease and left it at that. Told my primary doctor that and he says "no" so no one is trying to get that figured out. Unfortunately he is leaving this month and the sleep study guy is taking over and I was told to come back in 2-3 months.

4 weeks ago I had another strange thing, my equalibriam was off, seemed like I had vertigo but it only lasted 36 hours. Now my latest is a white spot on one tonsil, sore throat, and I noticed when I look in my mouth my tongue at the back of my mouth is very uneven, looks low on one side and high on the other. (Was tested for strep and that was negative, also negative for Lymes and thyroid is ok) They checked my arteries on the sides of my neck with an ultrasound and that was good, no plaque.) The sides of my neck still feel like I have swollen glands at times, last night one side was burning. Have a pretty regular tingling and numbness in my chin and under my jar and up into my face at times.

Thankfully I was able to get a referral to a the U so have appointments in 2 weeks for an ENT and a neurologist.

I still don't believe that I could have 3 separate issues come on overnight and they are being diagnosed with separate causes. I really think they are all linked together and have something to do with my neck/throat area.

Any ideas what I should ask them to check next or what this could be.

Thanks so much. You are a great group of informed people!!!

PS After re-reading my post I would think I sound like a hypercondriac but for someone who has never had much in the way of medical issues I really think it is my body trying to tell me something is not right. I don't smoke or drink and am not overweight so I think that is the reason my doctor doesn't take me serious. He actually warned me that often people with these type of symptoms will have their friends and relatives questions whether it is all in their head so then they will get more symptoms. Well, I don't want any more symptoms I just want them gone so I can enjoy life. Running to the doctor so much has taken too much time already.

Hi, I don't know what treatment you had but the symptoms that you mention sound familiar (from my dad's case). I suspect that you might be experiencing Neuralgia.

You have mentioned Vertigo but you may have experienced Syncope. You need to urgently consult a team of Cardiologist and Neurologist. What you might be experiencing is initial stages of Neurocardiogenic Syncope induced by Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia.

In advanced stages you may experience recurring attacks of severe pain in the back of the throat, the area near the tonsils, the back of the tongue, and part of the ear.