Symptoms Revealed

I have completely overdone it for the last several days. My son was sick and I lifted him…yes I realize that he weighs over 40 pounds and I should not be straining. Apparently, I did not think about that when he was crying. My motherly instinct overrides my SM reflexes. My shoulders are hurting and I have the residual pain in my shoulder blade area now. Luckily my son feels better and I won’t have to lift him any longer.

I’ve had a few episodes of fainting lately. I’ve been thinking maybe it was the Texas heat or maybe it was the neurological medication. Apparently, it’s the Syringomyelia. Again with me it is one of the “rare” symptoms that always seem to appear from out of nowhere. Below are the symptoms that are associated with Syringomyelia (SM). If you pay attention to the very bottom section regarding autonomic symptoms, you’ll see that this is one of the rare symptoms. I do have many of these symptoms but not all, thankfully. If you are interested in finding out what all of my symtoms are you are welcome to send me a message to ask. Otherwise, let’s pray that I continue to keep from having them all!

I found these symptoms at http://www.csfinfo.org/sites/default/files/cm_sm_handbook.pdf which has provided me a lot of information regarding my diagnosis. If you get a chance check it out because it will show you a clear depiction of what I have.

SYMPTOMS RELATED TO SYRINGOMYELIA

1. Motor

a. Muscle weakness and atrophy, particularly in hands and arms

b. Increased muscle tone (stiffness or spasticity) in arms and/or legs

c. Abnormal curvature of the spine (scoliosis)

2. Sensory

a. Decreased feeling in hands and arms. Depending on extent and level of syrinx cavity, legs may also be affected. Sensation involved may be pain perception, temperature perception or position sense.

b. Exaggerated sensation (hypersensitivity) in limbs, particularly arms

3. Pain

a. Midline pain over the spine, particularly the thoracic area

b. Burning pain in arms, over trunk and rarely, legs

c. Joint pain, particularly in shoulders

4. Sphincter Problems

a. Urinary incontinence, sometimes with spasticity of bladder

b. Fecal incontinence

c. Male impotence

5. Autonomic symptoms

a. Dysreflexia: wide swings in blood pressure, often accompanied by profuse upper body sweating

b. Drooping of one eyelid

c. Syncope (fainting or near-fainting), which is relatively rare it is not uncommon for some of these