New member with so many questions

[dees1977]

Good morning. I am a 46 year old female who for 2 years Ihas been having numbness started on my left leg. Switched to my entire right side and is now on my face and trunk and saddle area. It’s really hard to describe I feel like It’s a lack of sensation. I can’t really feel touch. I stay dizzy and I feel like I have brain fog. I have trouble remembering and people talk to me and it’s like I don’t remember what they say. I stay exhausted my body feels heavy. I miss who I use to be. I had nerve conduction studies they all came back negative for peripheral neuropathy I did have a skin biopsy that came back mild small fiber. I am going to attach my latest brain mri with out contrast. Any suggestions would help. I am scared about the moderate frontal lobe brain atrophy that shows up. I cant see a neurologist until January. Am I getting dementia? I am just scared. Ty for reading this. I attached my results from my mri brain scan below.


There is no intracranial mass.

There is no acute ischemic infarct or acute intracranial hemorrhage.

There is moderate frontal lobe predominant cerebral parenchymal volume loss. There is no hydrocephalus.

The brain parenchyma demonstrates normal signal throughout with maintenance of the gray-white matter differentiation.

The basilar cisterns are patent. The posterior fossa structures are within normal limits.

Mild mucosal thickening is noted in the paranasal sinuses. The mastoid air cells are clear.

The orbits are within normal limits.

No calvarial abnormality is identified.

IMPRESSION:

1. No acute intracranial findings.
2. Moderate frontal lobe atrophy.
3. Mild sinus inflammatory changes.

[agate]

Welcome, dees1977!

I'm sorry you've been having these troublesome symptoms but it sounds as if you've been doing what you can to find out what is going on.

People here at BrainTalk aren't trained in medicine, but so far as I can figure out, dementia turns out to be involved in only 10-15% of the cases of frontal lobe atrophy--so it is rare.

January may seem like a long way off, but you could ask the neurologist's office to let you know if an earlier appointment time becomes available. There are cancellations and other changes, and I've found that most doctors' offices will be willing to do this for you. They want to fill the time slots that suddenly become available, and you just might get lucky.

In the meantime, becoming fearful about what your symptoms might mean is definitely not a good idea and might even make your symptoms worse. If you can possibly keep your fears on a back burner, that would be the very best thing you can do for yourself.

You could prepare for the neurologist's appointment by watching how your symptoms are behaving so you can let him/her know. Does the numbness come and go, or is it always there? If it comes and goes, is there any special pattern to the way it behaves? Does it come on only after certain activities or when you're particularly tired? Maybe keep a log to record when you notice particular symptoms and make a note of how long they last and how severe they are.

Is the dizziness there all of the time, or does it vary? Is it dizziness, or is it vertigo? Many people don't realize that there is a difference, and to a neurologist it's an important difference.

Keeping track of your symptoms will help you to supply information that the doctor will find helpful.

Hope you will let BrainTalk know how things are going for you. Even though we're not medical experts, we're here as a support board for you.

[dees1977]

Thank you agate for taking the time to message me back. I find your words very encouraging. I am on the cancellation list for the neurologists office. Hopefully they will have an opening before January. I think I am letting my mind run wild. It is so hard not to when you just don't feel like yourself at all. But I know anxiety does not help my symptoms at all. My numbness never goes away on my right side. But I will make note of everything for my neurologist. Thank you again for responding.

[agate]

It might not hurt to check in once with the neurologist's office just so they'll know you're still there. We're getting into the season when people's schedules are odd and unpredictable. Patients might be finding that they're so busy with their holiday plans that they decide to put off appointments with neuros.

However, the neuros themselves are also taking time for the holidays. You just never know, though. You might get lucky and get an earlier appointment. I hope so.