Surprising Diagnosis for Woman’s Mysterious Symptoms
A 56-year-old woman was admitted to a hospital with an array of alarming symptoms that were only getting worse. For eight weeks, she had a painful “pins and needles” feeling that started in both of her feet and then began working its way up her legs. By the time she arrived at the hospital, she was unable to feel her feet on the ground. She frequently stumbled and clutched at walls to stay up. But the tingling numbness was moving into her hands, too. Then came neurological symptoms. She told her doctors about short-term memory problems and difficulty concentrating. She was irritable and had no appetite. She was experiencing heart palpitations, too.
Doctors noticed that the patient had been switched to a stronger dose of medication for her hypothyroidism four weeks earlier, but this didn’t immediately raise any red flags. She also had a history of hip problems. Twenty years before, she had a hip replacement that had started failing after 19 years.
