Is this neuropathy ...? (update: seems more likely a pinched nerve)

so for the last week or so i have had a mysterious pain running from my left shoulder all the way down my arm to my wrist - its a dull ache that increases in strength when i am immobile and seems less bothersome when i am moving around - worst at night when lying in bed

certain movements - like putting my arms above my head seem to aggravate it momentarily - but not like a pulled muscle or joint injury at all. i do not think i physically injured it in any way.

it has not got worse or better in the last week - so again not like a physical injury or strain which would typically gradually improve

its not extreme - but its enough to bother me all day and keep me awake at night - this is a problem as my days are far worse if i do not sleep well and in fact i only make forward progress in my treatment when my sleep is good.

i have had other odd mysterious pains over the past few years - often when treating - or stepping up a dose of something antimicrobial - this occurs both with herbs and pharma antibiotics - but these are usually mild and typically resolve or fade to background level over time after a step in dose.
these are typically somewhat similar aching in the limbs - but always before this has been both sides - eg both arms and both lower legs at the same time - never one limb only

i did make a step in methylene blue recently of around 20% to 60mg x2 per day - so am wondering if this could be some kind of neuropathy triggered by this - but as i say i have never has something so strong and in only one limb before
i did back off the methylene blue - back to the previous dose for a few days just in case - but no change in the pain in my arm
or
is it just another one of the random pain type things that lyme/bart throws up every once in a while and it will go as quickly and mysteriously as it came

does this sound like a neuropathy type thing?

can that happen on one side only ?

of so is there anything you can do to help it resolve ?

so far i have just tried a "deep heat" type muscle rub - which might possibly have helped a little

thank you in advance for your thoughts

Post Edited (Garzie) : 5/6/2022 3:25:22 AM (GMT-6)

This is very odd. I'm not sure what to make of it. It doesnt sound like any neuropathy that I've experienced.

Rainy makes a good point that when it radiates down the arm, often neuropathy. Neuropathy pain is quite different than normal pain tho. Normally there's some sort of "strange sensory sensation" that feels nothing like any mechanical pain you've ever had...burning, tingling, numbness, sunburn feeling, crawling, etc

Keep us posted if it improves or changes

saraeli's point is a good one. Something pressing on a nerve that may be able to be taken care of with chiropractic care or inflammation going down. With Lyme causing so many odd things, this is a possibility or you did something that torqued the arm a bit without knowing it.

Many of us with Lyme should have regular chiropractic adjustments. Lyme for some reason effects our alignments and need frequent adjustments.

I'm overdue for a visit myself. Look for a Brimhall (sp?) certified chiro who uses a more subtle technique.

Post Edited (tickbite666) : 5/5/2022 9:27:04 AM (GMT-6)

just an update

it does seem to be gradually easing - its still bothering me during the day - last night i slept through for the first time in over a week without it waking me up

i have found some exercises that are suggested by physio's for easing the condition of pinched nerves where they exit the spine in the neck

-seated chin tucks
-standing W's against a wall with chin tucked
-rolling the head back while supporting the base of the neck with a tensioned towel roll

all of these hurt to some degree - so taking it steady with them - and also trying muscle rub cream, ibuprofen gel, and massaging it a couple of times a day.

i still don't really get how these things happen - the physios suggest its usually a posture driven thing - but i struggle to see how that would cause it unless extreme -

its sometimes even caused by bony growths impinging on the nerve root( a bit concerning as bart is known to cause bony growths)

in my case i have changed nothing in my routine that you would think could trigger it, and i had not noticed any sudden pain or motion that hurt that area at all while working out or doing jobs - so a bit mysterious

it did occur to me that it could simply be radiculitis - which is inflammation of these same nerve roots due to infection - which is a known common symptom of lyme and maybe bart - but usually in the early stages of the disease - eg as per Bannwarth's syndrome.

my partner had this radiculitis to an extreme degree in first one arm and then the other - this was in the time between being bitten by a bunch of horse flies ( which i now think caused our illness) - and getting full blown lyme disease symptoms around 6 months later

i guess this would explain why it might just pop up spontaneously in Lyme - Bells palsy is the same thing - just a different nerve

i did have a pretty severe muscle spasm in my neck that i woke up with a couple of weeks before this nerve thing started - but that was definitely a muscular thing - where you can feel a distinct lump of a spasmed muscle in the trapezius area - and that had mostly resolved when this nerve thing popped up - again overnight - don't know if the one can cause the other

will keep working on it and hopefully it will continue to gradually improve

just thought i would update here in case anyone else finds themselves in similar position - will update the tittle as well to help with search.

thanks astro -

i'm pretty sure the issue is in my neck as the tilt and turn head thing - and all the other exercises for that cause the pain to radiate down from neck through to wrist

not sure of exactly the cause - really don't think i have done anything to injure it as such - suspect its just a spontaneous lyme / bart thing - as both are known to cause inflammation of these nerves - typically in the early stages of illness - but with something that can relapse and remit these rules are never cast in stone - eg a person can have bulls eye rashes at any point in the illness

would love to try Solomon seal - but i am guessing this thing will likely have gone again by the time i get or make some