Dealing with brain fog, memory loss, tremors, and heart palpitations... help?

What else should we look into?
I really need some suggestions and help here.
For three years now, this person has been struggling with nausea, tremors, and pain in both the heart and shoulder areas.
Basically, they deal with this constant brain fog, dizziness, and head pressure in the mornings—then at night, they can't sleep because of chest pressure, weakness, and occasional shaking.
It comes in waves, too—it’s not necessarily every single day, but these episodes can drag on for weeks at a time.

At first, we were convinced it was a heart issue, so we rushed straight to the ER in a total panic because of the palpitations and that stiff arm sensation.
Since then, we've gone through a mountain of tests, and the final verdict from the doctors was that everything stems from the spine.
We have done just about every standard test you can think of; we're talking full blood panels (all within normal limits), EEG, EKG, a full abdominal ultrasound, scans of the cervical and thoracic spine, spirometry, and even a Doppler ultrasound of the carotid and vertebral arteries...
Every single result came back perfectly fine except for the spine, which is why they were referred to a physiatrist.
They've finished the prescribed exercises and have been keeping up with physical therapy at home, but there hasn't been any improvement whatsoever.
The nausea, the feeling of being lightheaded, and that intense pressure are still very much present.

So, what's the next step🤷?

Melissa Mitchell said:What else should we look into?
I really need some suggestions and help here.
Someone I know has been dealing with nausea, tremors, heart pains, and shoulder issues for three years now.
Basically, mornings are a mess—brain fog, dizziness, pressure in the head—and at night, they can't sleep because of chest pressure, weakness, and occasional shaking.
It comes in waves... it's not necessarily every single day, but these episodes can drag on for weeks at a time.

At first, we thought it was a heart thing, so we rushed straight to the ER in a total panic (heart palpitations, arm stiffness).
Since then, there have been a ton of tests, and the final word from the doctors is that it's all coming from the spine.
They've done a mountain of testing; standard blood work (all normal), >, EKG, full abdominal ultrasound, scans of the cervical and thoracic spine, spirometry, and even a CD of the carotid and vertebral arteries...
Everything came back fine except for the spine, which is why they were sent to a physical therapist.
They did the exercises, kept up with the home therapy, but nothing is actually getting better.
The nausea, that feeling of being faint, and the pressure... it's still right there.

So, what's next🤷?

And what did the neurologist say about the findings?

The bottom line on the results is Everything looks normal within the standard electrophysiological ranges 🤷

Well, here comes Jonathan Morris40 after some time away... dealing with the same issues... only now the symptoms have intensified.

For a while there, I thought I was turning a corner; I cut out all excess alcohol and felt like I was making progress, but I've ultimately realized that alcohol wasn't the culprit at all. My condition has actually deteriorated to the point where things are becoming critical, including moments where I feel like I might lose consciousness... So, I went to see my primary care physician today, walked him through everything I've been experiencing, and he sent me off for the following tests:

1. EKG
2. Medical biochemistry, checking for tachycardia
3. Radiology, X-ray of the cervical spine
4. Cardiovascular diagnostics - Holter monitor
5. Vertigo evaluation - ENT (Otolaryngology)
6. Vertigo - Ophthalmology
7. Ultrasound, carotid Doppler, color Doppler of the neck vessels
8. Complete blood count, including thyroid hormones, lipid panel, and so on...

What should I realistically expect from this, and does the specific combination of these orders suggest the doctor is hunting for something particular? I'm aware of various possibilities, ranging from multiple sclerosis and scoliosis to malignant diseases and other complications...

Furthermore, I can't help but wonder why my GP didn't just refer me to a neurologist in the first place. After reviewing a previous report that came back clear, he simply decided there was no point in pursuing further investigation. Is it truly possible for a doctor to declare a case completely resolved based solely on a single EEG...

In that moment, I told him I felt better, because, truthfully, I *had* been feeling better. But the symptoms haven't entirely vanished...

Sorry you're feeling so rough.

It might be worth listing out all your symptoms—the old ones, the new ones, what triggers them, what helps, what makes things worse... everything.

Might give some expert passing through here a better chance at giving you decent advice.

Hang in there.🙂

crimsongull20 said:I am sorry you are feeling so poorly.

I think it would be beneficial if you listed your entire set of symptoms—both the old ones and the new ones—what triggers them (if you can tell), what offers relief, what makes things worse, and so on...

Doing so might increase the chances that a medical professional browsing this forum can offer some sound advice...

Hang in there. 🙂

I know, of course...

loss of balance
dizziness
pressure in the lower back of my head
moments where I lose all sense of time and space (for instance, today I intended to walk to the refrigerator, but suddenly came to my senses only to realize I had wandered out onto the patio)
disorientation
memory loss; when the symptoms hit hard, I can't recall certain parts of the day...
restlessness when I get exhausted while trying to sleep (sometimes I can't drift off for hours)...
fear of passing out (I occasionally get this sensation that I'm about to faint, my heart starts racing so violently that it creates pressure in my chest and I lose my breath)
distorted perception of space...
lately, I have been dealing with quite a bit of back pain, mostly from desk work, though my neck doesn't hurt...
sensitivity to many different types of light (streetlights, neon signs—it causes a sudden surge in disorientation and a disruption of my balance)
irregular heartbeat

What helps is sleep; I feel somewhat better in the morning, the disorientation is less intense and my balance is slightly improved, but after an hour or two of activity, it all begins to return...

As for what makes it worse... I'm not sure. Everything feels overwhelming. Even basic human interaction... the symptoms tend to spike right after I eat lunch (usually, after eating, I start feeling sleepy, and the symptoms are much more pronounced when I am fatigued)

I was given B-complex vitamins, and they also prescribed andol 100 (honestly, I have no idea why I was told to take andol once a day); could someone explain the reasoning behind the andol?

I didn't mention severe headaches because I don't actually have those; rather, I have this strange sensation in the back of my head, a sort of pressure, and if I press on it with my hand, there is a slight moment of relief before it returns, persisting throughout the day...

Thank you for the support... 🙂

Jonathan Morris40 said:thanks for the support 🙂

Don't mention it. I wish I could be more helpful, but I don't know anything about potential diagnoses for those specific symptoms.

Just speaking off the cuff... if you haven't had one yet, I'd probably push for an emergency brain MRI.

crimsongull20 said:Don't mention it. I really wish I could be more helpful, but I honestly don't know anything about potential diagnoses for that specific cluster of symptoms.

Just speaking as a layperson here, if I were in your shoes, I would be pushing for an urgent brain MRI if one hasn't been performed yet...

I asked my doctor about getting a CT scan, but she told me that once she reviews all the imaging results I've already received, she'll decide if there's actually any clinical reason to proceed with a CT or an MRI... I went in specifically hoping she would refer me for one, but clearly, based on her assessment, she doesn't think it's necessary right now. 🤷

Jonathan Morris40 said:I asked my doctor about getting a CT scan, and she said once she reviews all the imaging I’ve already had, she’ll decide if there's any reason for a CT or an MRI... I went in hoping for a referral, but apparently, according to her, it's unnecessary. 🤷

Maybe do some digging yourself to see if you actually need it. Those symptoms sound pretty heavy... honestly, if I were you, I'd just book a private appointment with the best neurologist in town immediately and get a second opinion.

I spent two years effectively disabled because I blindly followed my primary care physician's orders on a diagnosis that was actually quite simple and easily fixed with surgery. I'd still be struggling today if I hadn't started investigating things myself. Part of that process involved swapping stories with people who went through the exact same thing... and let's just say there are plenty of us.

I don't trust our general practitioners at all anymore. I'm definitely not leaving a new diagnosis up to them and just waiting to see what happens.

Good luck.

Last night, I started noticing this sensation at the base of my skull—it feels like liquid swirling around combined with this strange crackling... I tried turning my head and stretching to work out the tension, but all I heard was this awful crunching sound, almost as if fluid were surging through some kind of internal channels. It’s been happening more frequently lately, though I only really focused on it last night because it's reached a level of intensity I've never experienced before...

Is there any chance this could be related to blood flow reaching the brain?

Jonathan Morris40 said:Last night, I noticed this sensation at the base of my skull—like liquid sloshing and popping. Tried turning my head and stretching, just heard awful cracking and felt like fluid moving through channels. It's been happening more lately, but I only really focused on it last night since it’s never been this intense before.

Could this be related to blood flow in the brain?

No clue. Just write it down and make sure you bring it up with your neurologist.

I’ve started looking into some things, though I'm still waiting on a few more results, so I figured I’d share what I have so far...

I had a Doppler ultrasound done, and they said my blood vessels look fine, essentially giving me a clean bill of health there.

As for the blood work, most of it falls within the standard ranges, though my cholesterol is quite high. I'm fully aware of that—fast food, a hectic job, zero free time, the usual suspects. Honestly, I doubt it's playing a major role in the symptoms I'm experiencing, but perhaps I'm mistaken...

My red blood cell count came back elevated at 5.96, when the upper limit is usually 5.72. Does anyone here have a better grasp on what that actually implies?

My glucose is also slightly up; it's sitting at 6.5, while the threshold is 6.0.

On top of that, I just received my cervical spine X-ray report, which states: "imaging reveals osteophytosis in the proximal half."

From what I gather, that's some kind of misalignment or bone growth? I'm certainly no expert, so I can't say for sure...

I'm also unsure how much this might be contributing to how I'm feeling right now.Can anyone make sense of these findings?

Personally, my condition fluctuates; some days are better than others, but overall, things aren't nearly as good as they should be...