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I just found this site. I hope I can get some help here. My right leg starting at my hip is numb. It stays numb, going down the leg my thigh has feeling in it and then below the knee it is numb again. It stays numb all the time, no pins and needles in that leg, just stays numb. I have been experiencing fatigue as well. It used to come on in the late afternoon, but now I am still exhausted when I get out of bed in the morning and I stay tired all the time. I have to force myself to do things as I don't have the energy to do anything. I have been drooling as well. It is getting bothersome having spit running out of my mouth. My face goes numb especially around my mouth and chin area but then the feeling comes back. My arms and hands go numb with the pins and needles feeling too. My right knee will go out from under me sometimes as I walk and I have to catch myself to keep from falling. I do experience some anxiety and some depressed feelings at times too. I can't get in to see my PCP for two more weeks. These symptoms are driving me nuts. Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated.

mkf72 wrote:I just found this site. I hope I can get some help here. My right leg starting at my hip is numb. It stays numb, going down the leg my thigh has feeling in it and then below the knee it is numb again. It stays numb all the time, no pins and needles in that leg, just stays numb. I have been experiencing fatigue as well. It used to come on in the late afternoon, but now I am still exhausted when I get out of bed in the morning and I stay tired all the time. I have to force myself to do things as I don't have the energy to do anything. I have been drooling as well. It is getting bothersome having spit running out of my mouth. My face goes numb especially around my mouth and chin area but then the feeling comes back. My arms and hands go numb with the pins and needles feeling too. My right knee will go out from under me sometimes as I walk and I have to catch myself to keep from falling. I do experience some anxiety and some depressed feelings at times too. I can't get in to see my PCP for two more weeks. These symptoms are driving me nuts. Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome to ThisIsMS, mkf72.

Numbness/tingling in the arms, hands, legs, and feet is the definition of peripheral neuropathy. In the list of blood tests recommended by the University of Chicago, testing for a vitamin B12 deficiency is listed first:


http://peripheralneuropathycenter.uchic ... #bloodtest

Blood tests

Blood tests are commonly employed to check for vitamin deficiencies, toxic elements and evidence of an abnormal immune response.

Depending on your individual situation, your doctor may request certain laboratory tests to identify potentially treatable causes for neuropathy. These include tests for:
Vitamin B12 and folate levels
Thyroid, liver and kidney functions
Vasculitis evaluation
Oral glucose tolerance test
Antibodies to nerve components (e.g., anti-MAG antibody)
Antibodies related to celiac disease
Lyme disease
HIV/AIDS
Hepatitis C and B

Fatigue is a common symptom for many conditions tested above.

You may find information in the following video interesting: "Everything You Want Your Doctor to Know about Vitamin B12"



I highly recommend this 50-minute documentary featuring Sally Pacholok, RN, BSN & her husband Jeffrey Stuart, D.O. (authors of the book, Could It Be B12? An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses); Lawrence Solomon, M.D., hematologist with Yale Medical School; Ralph Green, M.D., hematologist at UC Davis; and Donald Jacobsen, PhD, at the Cleveland Clinic (Homocysteine Research Lab).

@1:23 "The neurological manifestations well precede the hematological manifestations."

@1:46 "In 1948 scientists isolated a red crystalline pigment and named it vitamin B12. It is a primordial molecule responsible for the health of all the DNA in all our cells. The Framingham Offspring Study suggests 40% of Americans have suboptimal B12.

Your PCP can begin to order the tests listed above (Request a copy of your blood test results to keep in your own file at home.) In these two weeks before you can see your PCP, compose a list of all your symptoms to take to your appointment – it will help you in your initial discussion. Start with testing for the possibility of a vitamin B12 deficiency. If this is the cause of your symptoms, it is easily and inexpensively treated.… All the best to you!

Thank you for the helpful information. I will do some research on what you provided and discuss this with my PCP. Thanks again!