What Causes Numbness In Right Hand And Lips?

Brief Answer:
Need examination

Detailed Answer:
Good afternoon....and can you send us some warmer temps from where you're at to XXXXXXX OHIO? Please??....I'll exchange one good answer or one bad joke for every 10 degrees you are willing to sacrifice from your temperatures to give to us! HAHA!

Well, let's see....you're obviously putting a lot of confidence in my GUESSING abilities by just providing a right hand and pair of lips which are numb. I see you are male and 51 years of age. I would need to ask you many more questions....or you would need to give me more specific information such as, is this the first time this happened? What other conditions do you have or have been treated for? I see you haven't visited a doctor for this....do you suffer from headaches? Are you feeling like you're going to get a headache, maybe you already have one by now?

Do you use illicit substances? Hmmm...maybe that's a silly question since you're in Oregon! HAHA!

Aren't you guys able to use like, EVERYTHING these days? Or is that Washington?? LOL.

Perhaps, you can describe what you were doing or what you're situation was when these symptoms came on....was there a progression from one part of the body to the other or did both areas hit at the same time? What duration did the symptoms last? Did they change in any way? Anything else happen such as a headache, feeling nauseous, loopy, spinning, unbalanced?

When's the last time you had labs done for things such as B12, Vit. D, liver and kidney function tests, etc.? When's the last time you saw a doctor?

Do you smoke, drink, or have family members with similar problems of numbness over different body parts? Or any type of chronic medical problems?

If you can answer any of these questions I'll be happy to continue to put the story together.

So anyways, things that can include what you're talking about can include things like migraine headaches, multiple sclerosis, nutritional deficiencies, PROBABLY NOT STROKES just because it sounds like the numbness is around the LIPS in their entirety. That's not the way stroke operates.....half the mouth yes....but not the whole mouth at the same time.... Same argument could be made as to why your presentation would NOT LIKELY BE seizures or epilepsy.

And there are probably another 500 diseases that can cause what you've got but I'm forgetting a few! LOL!

So there you have several possibilities without any real way for me to narrow the field down so you've challenged me with the minimum amount of information I've seen yet today in answering these questions! :) But hey, it's a fun trying think out of the box.....In fact, for a few moments....I sat very still and just imagined what you might be going through and then, trying to think, "If this were me, where would I first want to start looking for the answer....so I guess the best response would be what I said in the TITLE of this response.....

You would need a full examination to include solid history and then, neurological check of all systems to see what if anything else may be going on without you being aware even.....

I'd appreciate the favor of your providing a STAR RATING and some brief written feedback if your question has been satisfactorily answered. In addition, CLOSING THE QUERY on your end will also be most helpful if you'd simply like to go with what I just said and run to your doctor's office for a physical....which I wouldn't blame you for.....in fact, it's still early there, right? About 3p? You could probably get in to the office if you called right now, no?

Now, if these symptoms PROGRESS or MARCH ON to include more territory, or it becomes more intense or other symptoms other than numbness start happening....then, YE SHOULD GET THEE TO EMERGENCEE--- Don't STOP...Don't PASS GO--- just head on out....in fact, you should probably call 911 and chew on an aspirin to boot.

Don't forget that my webpage to keep me abreast as to how you're doing is:

bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi

All the Best

This query has required a total of 23 minutes of physician specific time to read, research, and compile the return envoy to the patient.

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Brief Answer:
Thanks for answering some of those questions

Detailed Answer:
Good morning. I take it things are pretty back to normal in terms of numbness. When looking at the answers to the other questions I asked I believe the 2 most likely explanations would be aura to some type of atypical migraine headache without the actual HEAD PAIN. Those are referred to as acephalgic migraines and they occur more frequently than people can imagine. Having said that, I do admit that 51 years of age is a bit late in life to start having any type of headache without a more immediate cause (such as tumor, aneurysm, etc.) and it certainly seems unlikely that you've have a mass inside the head WITHOUT headache. Nevertheless, that's a possibility.

Second less likely possibility would be that of a SENSORY TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack). I think that's a little less likely for the reasons I stated yesterday when you reported your symptoms of the lips it sounded as if the entire circumference of the lips was involved...not just one side such as the right or left. In stroke, circumferential numbness of the mouth is exquisitely rare and difficult to get...especially as a pure sensory symptom. However, if this were to happen a 2nd time then, the recommendation should be for you to get to an ER room (and especially if the symptoms are lasting for 90 minutes or greater..) you will then, get an imaging study of the head. If you go to an academic institution they should do an MRI with diffusion/perfusion weighted imaging at that time in order to tell whether you are having vascular issues in the brain. If it's negative then, you know it's definitely NOT a stroke.

Along with strokes people talk about seizures. I think it unlikely this was a seizure due to the entire lack of changes in your mental status and again the lack of true laterality to the situation over such a small portion of the brain is so remotely unlikely that I do not believe this was any form of a seizure.

CT of the brain will not be sensitive enough for something like this....you need the MRI.

Lastly (which I really didn't mention as #3 on the short list of possibilities) would be tension and stress which can cause symptoms in the face and extremities although again, the idea of just the right hand as opposed to the fingertips or the toes on both sides makes me a little less convinced that this was due to some form of stress. The numbness about the mouth could be...but the hand...ehhhh......probably not.....so there you have it.

I know you said you had just been getting over a flu like illness but I doubt this was related due to the neurological tie ins which shouldn't be dependent at all upon some minor viral issue which could not have penetrated the brain and caused such unusual problems for a mere 90 minutes of time.

At this point if the symptoms are resolved I would not pursue it any further unless you are intrerested in simply seeing your general doctor for a check up to some initial blood work done such as electrolytes, thyroid hormones, Vit. D levels, Vit. B12 levels, folate levels, Mg. levels, check for anemia, etc. Just a quick once over sort of like checking the car's fluids. Once you know everything's "topped off" then, if the doctor wants to send you to a neurologist (such as myself) or just get a quick set of imaging studies of your brain or send you for some other work that would be their decision.

But if this happens again, I would recommend calling 911 since that's your quickest way into any emergency room and the quickest way for you to get the MRI study I was talking about. I would also strive to get to an academic institution as opposed to a community hospital since they are really not as sensitive or geared to take something like this and work up quickly. They'd rather someone else do it in case it turns out to be something that needs thrombolytic therapy, anticoagulation, or some other acute intervention for stroke, etc.

Once again if I've sufficiently answered your questions I'd appreciate the favor of your providing a STAR RATING and some brief written feedback as well as CLOSING THE QUERY on your end which will be most helpful for me to be able to file this transaction (especially since we are at the end of the month!)

Don't forget that my webpage to keep me abreast as to how you're doing is:

bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi

GO CAVS.....now, I didn't watch the end of that XXXXXXX game last night....who won?

This query has required a total of 56 minutes of physician specific time to read, research, and compile the return envoy to the patient.

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