Numbness/tingling left arm and hand quandary.

Brian K · medicine forum beginner Joined: 25 May 2005 Posts: 20

First off let me say, that I am seeing a board certified cardiologist
tomorrow 6/02/05 for fairly recent on going periods of tachycardia.

However, I have also been having chronic numbness and tingling in my
left arm for several days now. But, I don't know whether to attribute
this to an old traumatic injury I received to my left shoulder, or as a
symptom of heart trouble.
I will say that my left arm often over the years has bothered me this
way if I say sleep on my left side too long the wrong way for instance.
Now a few days ago, I did lug several heavy grocery bags out of my
trunk in one grab with my left hand and up the stairs and then onto the
dining table (keeping my right hand free for closing trunk, unlocking
door etc.) My bicep was tender for a couple of days and my shoulder
feels achy and hurts when I move it certain ways. So, I'm in a bit of
a quandary; is the numbness and tingling in my left arm (most of the
tingling, which is mild, is mainly in my pinky and ring finger) due to
aggravating an old injury ( a diagnosis of nerve damage and bursitis
etc. from an orthopedist wouldn't surprise me) or is it that dreaded
signal of an impending heart attack? Nice situation eh? All I can
really do for now, I guess, is to keep taking an aspirin a day...
*sigh*

[Due to my tachycardia I've been to the ER three times now. The first
time 10/30/04 they did ECG's, blood work, x-ray and a treadmill
stress test (Cardiolite I think). Everything checked out normal. I was
diagnosed as having long term hypertension by my newly established GP.
He had me undergo an echocardiogram which showed a slight enlargement
to a left ventricle (but everything else was normal) and he put me on
Avilide 300/12.5 hoping to reverse the enlargement within a year. This
seemed to be taking care of the problem; low BP and normal heart rate,
up until 5/23/05, when I suddenly had a bad enough tachycardia episode
to send me to the ER and another on 5/30/05 to send me back again. All
tests this time; ECG's, blood work, and x-ray were positive. On the
5/23 ER visit I was discharged after about 5 hrs. On the 5/30 ER visit
I was let go after 1 hr.]

Thanks for reading,
Thanks even more for any input ;)

Brian

Bill · medicine forum Guru Joined: 06 May 2005 Posts: 849

"Brian K" <bluestucco@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1117650495.171512.179340@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

Juhana Harju · medicine forum Guru Joined: 06 May 2005 Posts: 1056

Bill wrote:
:: "Brian K" <bluestucco@hotmail.com> wrote in message
:: news:1117650495.171512.179340@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
::: First off let me say, that I am seeing a board certified
::: cardiologist tomorrow 6/02/05 for fairly recent on going periods of
::: tachycardia.
:::
::: However, I have also been having chronic numbness and tingling in my
::: left arm for several days now. But, I don't know whether to
::: attribute this to an old traumatic injury I received to my left
::: shoulder, or as a symptom of heart trouble.
::
:: It could be any one of a number of things and can not be diagnosed
:: over the internet. For example, it could be diabetes or a pinched
:: nerve. If your Dr. rules out heart problems ask him what, if
:: anything, you should do next. And if it is to see a Dr. ask for
:: names.
::

I agree. It could also be a symptom of impaired endothelial function which
would mean that there is a need to improve the endothelial function by
arginine rich diet, omega-3 fats, vitamin B's, phytochemicals, supplements
(L-arginine) and exercise. Just one guess.

--
Juhana

Brian K · medicine forum beginner Joined: 25 May 2005 Posts: 20

"Bill" wrote:

"It could be any one of a number of things and can not be diagnosed
over the
internet. For example, it could be diabetes or a pinched nerve. If your
Dr.
rules out heart problems ask him what, if anything, you should do next.
And if
it is to see a Dr. ask for names."

I would tend to think that with all the extensive bloodwork that I've
had done, diabetes probably would have shown up by now.
If the tingling isn't heart related, then it seems obviously related to
an old traumatic shoulder injury, which I must have aggravated by
lifting too much weight (grocery bags full of bottles of juice and
water) the wrong way. The former possibility concerns me, the latter
probability isn't much to worry about. I was told back in '83 when
the injury occurred that I'd most likely need surgery for it
eventually.

Brian K · medicine forum beginner Joined: 25 May 2005 Posts: 20

"Juhana Harju" wrote:

"I agree. It could also be a symptom of impaired endothelial function
which
would mean that there is a need to improve the endothelial function by
arginine rich diet, omega-3 fats, vitamin B's, phytochemicals,
supplements
(L-arginine) and exercise. Just one guess."
----

What about the traumatic injury I suffered to my left shoulder? In '83
I took a spill on a motorcycle with a passenger and took the full
impact to my left shoulder. My clavicle was pretty badly fractured, but
I had neither insurance or money back then to get any further
treatment beyond wearing the harness they strapped on me in the ER for
a few weeks. One doctor who examined one of my resent chest x-rays
laughed and said, "That collar bone didn't knit worth beans!"
At the time of the injury the attending ER doc said, "You're probably
going to need surgery for this".

Google