Small nerve fiber neuropathy, severe head pressure and blurry vision

@rnlorena
Have you had a MRI of your brain done by a neurologist? If not, that would be good. You may also want to see a cardiologist/vascular specialist to make sure your circulation is okay.

Do you know exactly what your cervical spine MRI showed in detail? Does it show central spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, bone spurs/osteophytes, disc bulges/herniations, hypertrophy, vertebrae slipping over others (spondylolisthesis), etc.? Did you have your MRI with and without contrast?

You mention you have an issue with C3 level. Is it only the vertebrae in the wrong position? What is happening at the C2 and C4 levels and with the discs in between?

I have cervical (and lumbar) spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease and myelopathy spinal cord compression injury at C5-C6 level and had surgery at that level. I need surgery next on C6-C7 level.

Do you have neck and shoulder pain or tightness/knots between shoulder blades? Do you get headaches? Do you notice weakness or numbness/tingling in your shoulders/arms/hands and fingers? Do you notice a worsening in your handwriting (more sloppy than usual)? Do you drop things more lately? Do you have bladder control issues or problems with walking (heaviness in legs)? If so, an neurologist/orthopedic spine specialist needs to look at your MRI again, listen to all of your symptoms, and due a full clinical exam (testing reflexes, testing senses, watching you walk, etc.).

Have you ever had a EMG/nerve conduction study done by a neurologist?

Pressure at C1-3 can cause blurry vision and headache. We sometimes hold our necks at odd position when talking on the phone, especially if holding the phone in place with the neck muscles. You were so wise to go to emergency after thinking "am I fixing to go down." If it happens again you should do the same.

mlorena, your NP is much more likely to be right than I am. I sure hope they'll find resolution for you.

@gently I greatly appreciate everyone who chips in with information. I am a retired nurse and I am appalled at what healthcare has become. I retired from nursing after Covid hit. It was the first week in March of 2021. I woke up two days later and had pin pricks from head to toes and in my eyes. Going off constantly they were. The first question that I asked the neurologist was How many of your patients experienced what I did. He said none it’s rare. In May I was diagnosed with Small Nerve Fiber neuropathy non length dependent and idiopathic. After 20 tubes of blood and nothing showed up that was it. I’d had the skin biopsy. I do take Alpha Lipoic acid and it helped a lot but I still get pin pricks and some of them are more stubborn then others. So I am guessing my small nerve fiber is deciding now it wants to do other things. We will see. This site is a good place for people to come and ask questions. I find it friendly and helpful. No one in my family had any type of issue like this. I got two Covid shots in January and I was in the time range to have a reaction. It will be years in the making if they find that out. You are right about the neck and different positions. I will sit in my easy chair and fall asleep with my head bent over. That’s bad. I tell my husband to keep his eye on that. I do have arthritis in my neck along with disc issues. Trying to get answers from Doctors is like pulling teeth. I am gonna do some more reading about neuropathy. I saw the ARNP because they said my Neurologist didn’t have an opening for four months. The head pressure was one thing for sure but when I happened to be sitting in the Neurology office and I noticed the feelings that I was having that was weird. One came on my ear lobe. One on my left arm and one on my right arm. I noticed awhile back I had some tiny twinges in my cheek. I had that again tonight. I did wondered when I had it if it was a part of small nerve fiber. I know it has nothing to do with my teeth. I have dealt with the pinpricks but the head pressure has totally unnerved me. I go to bed and lay there and I am not sleeping well. I most certainly will be seeking answers for sure. I am 69 years old but I walk like I mean it. I most certainly am not giving up either. I will seek answers.

@gently I greatly appreciate everyone who chips in with information. I am a retired nurse and I am appalled at what healthcare has become. I retired from nursing after Covid hit. It was the first week in March of 2021. I woke up two days later and had pin pricks from head to toes and in my eyes. Going off constantly they were. The first question that I asked the neurologist was How many of your patients experienced what I did. He said none it’s rare. In May I was diagnosed with Small Nerve Fiber neuropathy non length dependent and idiopathic. After 20 tubes of blood and nothing showed up that was it. I’d had the skin biopsy. I do take Alpha Lipoic acid and it helped a lot but I still get pin pricks and some of them are more stubborn then others. So I am guessing my small nerve fiber is deciding now it wants to do other things. We will see. This site is a good place for people to come and ask questions. I find it friendly and helpful. No one in my family had any type of issue like this. I got two Covid shots in January and I was in the time range to have a reaction. It will be years in the making if they find that out. You are right about the neck and different positions. I will sit in my easy chair and fall asleep with my head bent over. That’s bad. I tell my husband to keep his eye on that. I do have arthritis in my neck along with disc issues. Trying to get answers from Doctors is like pulling teeth. I am gonna do some more reading about neuropathy. I saw the ARNP because they said my Neurologist didn’t have an opening for four months. The head pressure was one thing for sure but when I happened to be sitting in the Neurology office and I noticed the feelings that I was having that was weird. One came on my ear lobe. One on my left arm and one on my right arm. I noticed awhile back I had some tiny twinges in my cheek. I had that again tonight. I did wondered when I had it if it was a part of small nerve fiber. I know it has nothing to do with my teeth. I have dealt with the pinpricks but the head pressure has totally unnerved me. I go to bed and lay there and I am not sleeping well. I most certainly will be seeking answers for sure. I am 69 years old but I walk like I mean it. I most certainly am not giving up either. I will seek answers.

I have ALS, I know totally different. I too, wonder if the two covid shots affected me somehow. I have headaches when I lay on my left side at night, laying awake for many hours. I also have restless leg syndrome and leg cramps adding to little sleep. My dr suggested gabapentin. I could not take the first suggested dose, so now experimenting with lesser amounts. I am 112 lbs. so any suggested dose? Not too much so all I want to do is sleep, but enough to stop rls. I recently read about a medication for ALS, seems it's been on market a while that was never mentioned Radicava supposed to slow progress 33%! Anyone ever hear of it!???