@cmccaffe81
I have experienced most everything you have been experiencing. Here is my journey that may tie to yours and some suggestions for things to explore. You must continue to advocate for yourself. Don’t let doctors and their egos make you question yourself and your symptoms. Many doctors will try to make it all about hormones, anxiety/depression, lack of sleep, etc. if you are a woman/mother. Women get discounted in healthcare by both men and women (their symptoms aren’t taken as seriously as men’s).

I have congenital severe cervical and lumbar spinal stenosis, DDD, spondylitis, etc. and have experienced tingling, pain, numbness in arms/legs, hands/feet. I have also had chest pain like a heart attack multiple times. I am a 54 year old female who experienced infertility for a while and after canceling IVF, I got pregnant naturally!

My health decline started after having my son at 40. I had postpartum depression and started to get pain in my right hip/buttock/right leg when my son was 1. I had an epidural for emergency C-section and not sure if that had any affect on my spinal cord/nerve roots (not sure if you had an epidural). I also had increasing symptoms including extreme fatigue and burning/pins and needles in my feet and numbness in my left calf.

Starting in 2017, my health was declining and after many specialists (neurologist, orthopedic doctor, neurosurgeon, rheumatologist, etc.), and a lot of time and money, etc. I was diagnosed with iron deficiency (iron panel needed) due to heavy menstrual cycles. I was also diagnosed with left ear hearing loss (neurosensory), idiopathic small fiber neuropathy (severe nerve damage diagnosed via skin punch biopsy at calf and upper thigh), thyroid autoantibodies, and L5/S1 radiculopathy.

In 2019, I worsened but neurologist wasn’t able to help with anything despite daily headaches, weakness, pain, difficulty walking, etc. I was sent to a spine pain center and was put on Duloxetine for nerve and spine pain plus given lumbar spine injections. My MRI showed cervical spinal cord flattening but the neurologist and spine center never said anything. Fast forward to December 2021 and I went to a new orthopedic spine specialist/surgeon and he immediately diagnosed me with cervical spondylitic myelopathy which was injuring my spinal cord at C5C6 which was affecting my walking (felt like I was wearing cement boots), head/neck pain, weakness and numbness in arms/legs and hands/feet. I was dropping things and my handwriting worsened over time. I also had difficulty controlling my bladder and had bladder urgency/frequency. I had ACDF surgery soon after since spinal cord injury is an urgent matter to address on my C5C6 and it helped with some of the symptoms. I never followed up with a neurologist but will on April 29. I have a new neurologist and I want updated EMGs, nerve conduction studies, MRN to map nerve health, neuropathy blood work panel, tilt table test (neurogenic orthostatic hypotension), a brain MRI (to rule out MS) and spinal tap (to rule out CIDP/MSA). My gallbladder stopped working (biliary dyskinesia) which can be tied to small fiber neuropathy (SFN)/autonomic nervous system. SFN/autonomic dysfunction can impact heart/lung/digestion system.

Having certain viruses in life can impact your nervous system (Epstein Barr tied to mononucleosis, Herpes viruses like cold sores, chickenpox or shingles, COVID, etc.). Many people don’t know they even have certain viruses unless they get tested. COVID vaccines have also affected people neurologically.

You may want to see if you can get a new neurologist who will take you seriously and fully test you for your neurological symptoms to determine if something can be done to preserve nerve health and relieve symptoms. The white spot or area on your MRI may mean you have some compression affecting your spinal cord signaling. It may be certain functions/motions or positions that aggravate your spinal cord/nerve roots. You may need a brain MRI to check if you have any changes. You should also consider asking for a full thyroid panel (TSH, T3, T4, TPO for autoantibodies) since you also had many miscarriages (I am so sorry you had so much loss…that alone is difficult and I’m sure it hurts your soul).

I pray you can get better doctors who validate you, listen and care to get to the bottom of your symptoms to help improve your quality of life. Don’t give up advocating for your health!