M_Mitchell08
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 138
Based off some research I conducted this weekend and prior experience, I was looking for some help as I start getting a bit in over my head. Hopefully the wiser individuals on the forum can help me out here, or at least point me in the right direction. @TubZy @gbolduev @bruschi11
Disclaimer: this is independent of the original PFS issues, as I only started noticing this around October and mods, feel free to move to the most appropriate thread.
So back in October, about 8 months after I noticed full blow PFS and 3 months after I started to recover, I began to get the sensation that the right side of my face was becoming weak. What I mean by that is that it seemed like the blood flow and muscles from the right side of my neck up into my face, around my eye, and up to the temple were weaker. I also started to notice that my right eye would be jumpy - in the sense that if I looked at something close up, I could feel the eye move inward and couldn't control it - the medical term is nystagmus. Furthermore, I felt like I had brain fog only on the right side because, again, it felt like blood couldn't flow properly. My eyelid on the outside was droopy and the eye was truly sunk in. I know that the last symptom sounds a lot like PFS, but it was different - you just have to believe me. Obviously, this freaked me out and I headed to a neurologist who subsequently sent me to a neuro-opthalmologist. This is actually the same doctor that prescribed me the cortico-steriod that made me hypothyroid-esque. Anyways, the doctor wanted to test me for Horner's syndrome so what he did was placed a couple apraclonidine hydrochloride drops in my eyes and told me that if I had Horner's syndrome there would be some noticeable change in the pupil size. Thankfully, there was not, but what I did experience is a reversal in all my other symptoms. I'm talking clear head, eyelid shifted back up to the normal position, could feel my eye move forward and the muscles felt like they were turning on. Very weird sensation and I wouldn't believe it, if I hadn't experienced it myself.
This unfortunately was short lived and from November to February, I continued to have the same feeling even as the rest of my body was nearly fully recovered from PFS. Here's the kicker, when I tried minoxidil those two times last week, I noticed the same exact response - clear feeling on the right side, the eye moving back into its appropriate position, eyelid revering back up. So I spent all weekend trying to do some research between the two but am still confused as to how these can produce the same results, given that minoxidil is a vasodilator and apraclonidine as a vasoconstrictor, I think I am missing something and was hoping y'all might be able to help me out. My main concern is importantly can something like this be fixed? I have tried to read publications on the two drugs and their effects, where Apraclonidine is a α2 adrenergic receptor agonist and a weak α1 adrenergic receptor agonist. When I spend time looking at what this means, I think it is more related to the α1 adrenergic receptor. Again, it starts getting a bit over my head but I notice that these are found in the smooth muscle cells of the blood vessels and also looks like it affects some of the electrolytes (similar to what I was seeing with Minoxidil). Does anyone have any idea how to further test this theory or solve this issue? I don't even know if it is PFS related because it developed so late in the game. . I'm just frustrated and scared at the same time, but really trying to put this together because if I could figure out the nuerological issues on my right side, I'd be set. I have a hair test coming in next week and hoping this might point to something, but it seems like I have a couple different issues that still need to be worked out.
In no way am I looking to use Minoxidil to fix this, just wanted to be clear!
Thanks in advance and mods, if you need to combine my three different threads to limit the clutter it won't hurt my feelings.
Disclaimer: this is independent of the original PFS issues, as I only started noticing this around October and mods, feel free to move to the most appropriate thread.
So back in October, about 8 months after I noticed full blow PFS and 3 months after I started to recover, I began to get the sensation that the right side of my face was becoming weak. What I mean by that is that it seemed like the blood flow and muscles from the right side of my neck up into my face, around my eye, and up to the temple were weaker. I also started to notice that my right eye would be jumpy - in the sense that if I looked at something close up, I could feel the eye move inward and couldn't control it - the medical term is nystagmus. Furthermore, I felt like I had brain fog only on the right side because, again, it felt like blood couldn't flow properly. My eyelid on the outside was droopy and the eye was truly sunk in. I know that the last symptom sounds a lot like PFS, but it was different - you just have to believe me. Obviously, this freaked me out and I headed to a neurologist who subsequently sent me to a neuro-opthalmologist. This is actually the same doctor that prescribed me the cortico-steriod that made me hypothyroid-esque. Anyways, the doctor wanted to test me for Horner's syndrome so what he did was placed a couple apraclonidine hydrochloride drops in my eyes and told me that if I had Horner's syndrome there would be some noticeable change in the pupil size. Thankfully, there was not, but what I did experience is a reversal in all my other symptoms. I'm talking clear head, eyelid shifted back up to the normal position, could feel my eye move forward and the muscles felt like they were turning on. Very weird sensation and I wouldn't believe it, if I hadn't experienced it myself.
This unfortunately was short lived and from November to February, I continued to have the same feeling even as the rest of my body was nearly fully recovered from PFS. Here's the kicker, when I tried minoxidil those two times last week, I noticed the same exact response - clear feeling on the right side, the eye moving back into its appropriate position, eyelid revering back up. So I spent all weekend trying to do some research between the two but am still confused as to how these can produce the same results, given that minoxidil is a vasodilator and apraclonidine as a vasoconstrictor, I think I am missing something and was hoping y'all might be able to help me out. My main concern is importantly can something like this be fixed? I have tried to read publications on the two drugs and their effects, where Apraclonidine is a α2 adrenergic receptor agonist and a weak α1 adrenergic receptor agonist. When I spend time looking at what this means, I think it is more related to the α1 adrenergic receptor. Again, it starts getting a bit over my head but I notice that these are found in the smooth muscle cells of the blood vessels and also looks like it affects some of the electrolytes (similar to what I was seeing with Minoxidil). Does anyone have any idea how to further test this theory or solve this issue? I don't even know if it is PFS related because it developed so late in the game. . I'm just frustrated and scared at the same time, but really trying to put this together because if I could figure out the nuerological issues on my right side, I'd be set. I have a hair test coming in next week and hoping this might point to something, but it seems like I have a couple different issues that still need to be worked out.
In no way am I looking to use Minoxidil to fix this, just wanted to be clear!
Thanks in advance and mods, if you need to combine my three different threads to limit the clutter it won't hurt my feelings.
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