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Suggest Treatment For Muscle Weakness, Fatigue And Blurred Vision
Question: My husband, 64 years old, has had the following symptoms for the last couple of years and they seem to be gradually progressing: muscle weakness, pain in one foot, occasional shaking in his right hand, occasionally off balance, fatigue, vision occasionally slightly blurry. These symptoms (except for the muscle weakness) come and go so he is not continuously bothered by them. He was an athlete all his life and in great shape but now can't move well enough to even jog. He's reluctant to see a doctor but I finally convinced him to make an appointment with a neurologist who he will see in January. Are these symptoms signs of anything serious or is it okay to wait until January? Also, what could these symptoms possibly be pointing to? Thank you, Anika
Brief Answer:
Muscle weakness and other symptoms
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for your question regarding your husband. My initial reaction based on limited information and of course, no ability to have examined your husband is that if you have an appointment in January in neurologist that he should be able to wait for a few more weeks without experiencing serious other complications. This is entirely based upon your report that all this has come on over the past 2 years as opposed to the last 2 weeks....so for what it's worth.
There could be a number of problems to flush out starting with the tremoring or shaking in the hand that could point to a Parkinsonian type of problem to muscle weakness and pain in a foot which could be a problem with a lumbar radiculopathy or pinched nerve in the back.
You haven't really mentioned anything about his laboratory updates to look at other things other than cholesterol such as thyroid, diabetes, blood counts, and renal as well as hepatic functions (kidney and liver).
Depending upon what the neurologist discovers in his examination he may order either an MRI of the brain or an MRI of the lower back. I'm not sure what to make of the visual blurriness since that seems to be one symptom that doesn't quite fit with the rest but then, again in a 64 year old person....worsening vision is part of the aging process which could be tied up in something metabolic as well such as diabetes, headache syndromes, and retinal artery occlusions, or even an inflammation of blood vessels known as vasculitis. He should probably be seen by an ophthalmologist as well if there are any continued complaints of vision.
BTW, I think it is very important for everyone to be as physically active as possible in order to help virtually all medical conditions improve especially when it comes to reduced or poor conditioning, stamina, and cardiopulmonary performance. He doesn't need to be jogging or on a treadmill in order to experience the benefits of some form of exercise. An example of virtually PAINLESS forms of exercise with a lot of benefits in terms of conditioning, stamina, and ability to range muscles and joints much more than one can do on a treadmill or bicycle would be AQUAEXERCISE SESSIONS. Pain is often relieved when exercises are done in the setting of a pool and the patient is asked to do simple things like walking laps and eventually one of my favorite recommendations WATER JOGGING.
If I've adequately answered your questions could you do me a huge favor by CLOSING THE QUERY and being sure to include some fine words of feedback along with a 5 STAR rating if you feel my suggestions have helped? Again, many thanks for posing your question and please let me know how things turn out.
Do not forget to contact me in the future at: www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi for additional questions, comments, or concerns having to do with this topic or others.
This query has utilized a total of 15 minutes of professional time in research, review, and synthesis for the purpose of formulating a return statement.
Muscle weakness and other symptoms
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for your question regarding your husband. My initial reaction based on limited information and of course, no ability to have examined your husband is that if you have an appointment in January in neurologist that he should be able to wait for a few more weeks without experiencing serious other complications. This is entirely based upon your report that all this has come on over the past 2 years as opposed to the last 2 weeks....so for what it's worth.
There could be a number of problems to flush out starting with the tremoring or shaking in the hand that could point to a Parkinsonian type of problem to muscle weakness and pain in a foot which could be a problem with a lumbar radiculopathy or pinched nerve in the back.
You haven't really mentioned anything about his laboratory updates to look at other things other than cholesterol such as thyroid, diabetes, blood counts, and renal as well as hepatic functions (kidney and liver).
Depending upon what the neurologist discovers in his examination he may order either an MRI of the brain or an MRI of the lower back. I'm not sure what to make of the visual blurriness since that seems to be one symptom that doesn't quite fit with the rest but then, again in a 64 year old person....worsening vision is part of the aging process which could be tied up in something metabolic as well such as diabetes, headache syndromes, and retinal artery occlusions, or even an inflammation of blood vessels known as vasculitis. He should probably be seen by an ophthalmologist as well if there are any continued complaints of vision.
BTW, I think it is very important for everyone to be as physically active as possible in order to help virtually all medical conditions improve especially when it comes to reduced or poor conditioning, stamina, and cardiopulmonary performance. He doesn't need to be jogging or on a treadmill in order to experience the benefits of some form of exercise. An example of virtually PAINLESS forms of exercise with a lot of benefits in terms of conditioning, stamina, and ability to range muscles and joints much more than one can do on a treadmill or bicycle would be AQUAEXERCISE SESSIONS. Pain is often relieved when exercises are done in the setting of a pool and the patient is asked to do simple things like walking laps and eventually one of my favorite recommendations WATER JOGGING.
If I've adequately answered your questions could you do me a huge favor by CLOSING THE QUERY and being sure to include some fine words of feedback along with a 5 STAR rating if you feel my suggestions have helped? Again, many thanks for posing your question and please let me know how things turn out.
Do not forget to contact me in the future at: www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi for additional questions, comments, or concerns having to do with this topic or others.
This query has utilized a total of 15 minutes of professional time in research, review, and synthesis for the purpose of formulating a return statement.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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