I have noticed for while after and before being diagnosed with heart failure and before having a heart attack that i often wake up or as im drifting off asleep that my fingers on one or both hands can go numb. It mostly wakes me up. My heart seems to be beating regular at its controlled slower pace. Is this just a symptom of heart failure?
I have on small occasions felt this type of numbness appear at the top of my head, and sometimes down full arms. One or the other. All seems to resolve when i wake up and ebcome aware of it. I dont even have to move around much like if it was say like a dead leg where i have been laid on it funny. Strange
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It could be well something other than heart, but a friend of mine who had a heart attack had pins and needles in his fingers as he was having it. He was also sweating a lot at the time which you haven't mentioned, so hopefully it isn't a heart problem in your case. If you don't already have them, I would recommend that all hearties get hold of a decent pulse oximeter and blood pressure monitor so that you can check your blood saturation, heart rate and blood pressure at the time that you have any new symptoms and if you get any high or low readings from them, you can then report this to your doctor or nurse. Beware that some of the cheapest kit doesn't work, so I would get an Omron device for blood pressure and just avoid the cheapest pulse oximeters out there because they are likely to be the ones that don't work.
Occasionally at night I am awoken by a numb little finger and ring finger in one or both hands. I find that by raising the corresponding shoulder off the bed, the sensation returns to normal in under a minute.
I've looked onto this and it sounds like thoracic outlet syndrome resulting in nerves or the blood supply to certain nerves being pinched.
I'm no doctor though, so it might be best to see your GP and see what they think.
Talk to your GP . Your symptoms are synonymous with a possible onset of carpal tunnel syndrome, which affects the median nerve and thence the outer fingers and is most likely to be first noticeable at night . I had it progressively in both hands and eventually it was cured by a simple release procedure. You could try wrist splints at night, they helped me for while.
I have carpal tunnel and have had cortosteroid injections. Is the release procedure you speak of "the operation"? That is my next step if the injections don't work....be interested to know what the release procedure you had done is
I had increasing discomfort in my arms and hands (both sides) over a period of time. I was given steroid injections and they worked initially but after about four or five months I was back to square one. I had wrist splints at night but even they were of little use in the end. So I had the carpal release procedure done on both wrists, and opted for both at the same time which was very inconvenient initially for at least a month but was best in the long run. The procedure is done under local anaesthetic and takes about 20-25 minutes each wrist. I I had the the procedure done in 2015 and I have no signs of the problems returning.
Thanks for that. Been wondering what it involves. I've got two young children so I'll have to decide if it would be best to get them done at the same time or not. So far the injections are working but I'm on my second lot so hoping they will do the trick but it's not guaranteed.
Over my lifetime, as well as wrists, I have also had steroid injection for heel (plantar fasciitis), shoulder (rotator cuff) plus a toe joint. The results have always been the same, it works for a while then the symptoms return. Anyway if you find that your injections don't work again, I can definitely recommend the release procedure based on my experience, although in your case one wrist at a time might be the best approach, since you are really quite incapacitated for at least three or four weeks and heavy lifts are out of the question for longer if I recall, but the short term inconvenience is more than offset by the long term benefits.
Yes that is the two fingers it happens to. I did have a neck injury years ago and do have neck paim here and there but nothing major. Thinking about it now that it maybe something to do with that. Thank you
I've had this problem for 50 years, and I'm still here (Just). 4th and little finger of the left hand in particular, and cramp in my fingers. Had to give up bell ringing as I couldn't grasp the rope.
I have this frequently, little fingers snd next finger too. My gp advised me it’s to do with the arthritis in my neck, pressure on the nerve when lying down causing it. Hope you soon have answers and reassurance. Take care 🦊xx
I do experience this and am told I am suffering from some diabetic neuropathy. I also get this in my feet. It is definitely worth getting this checked out
I have experienced something similar ever since my heart attack 7 months ago. I get pins and needles/tingling in one or both arms and hands/fingers. I often wake up with it or feel it when I lie down, especially if I have my elbow bent, so I try to go to sleep with my arms straight next to me if it starts. A few times I've even woken with a completely numb arm, but that's rare. I get the tingling if I lean on my elbow or hold my phone for awhile with a bent arm too. I've had tests to rule out carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel and although I also have chronic neck problems, I don't believe it's that as I've had that for years and a scan showed no change there.
I also developed peripheral neuropathy in both hands following the heart attack. So my fingers are less sensitive to sensory input, like feeling sharp and hot/cold things. My grip strength decreased as well.
These pins and needles and the neuropathy started exactly after the heart attack, so I know it's somehow related, either to some sort of interruption to oxygen supply to the nerves at the time, or something to do with reduced blood flow/slower heart rate (40s-50s) /lower blood pressure now (90-100/50-60) with all the meds.
I've asked GP, cardiologist and physios and no one can really explain it. It's good to rule out any other cause, but in the end, mine must be somehow caused by my heart problems, although there is no concrete explanation. Sometimes science just can't explain everything I guess. Given how long it's been going on now, I'm starting to think it's permanent. It hasn't gotten any worse, just stayed the same, so I guess that's something.
At this stage, I have to say I'm tired of asking medical people, when there seems to be no answer and it gets me down a bit, because some people do dismiss it or say its not to do with the heart, because they haven't heard of it before, but I know mine is. I'm trying to come to terms with it as something out of the ordinary that happened when I had the heart attack. It's weird, unusual, rare and somewhat frustrating and annoying at times (especially when I just want to lean on my elbows or sleep with my arms curled up!)
I did a post a few months back, if you want to look at peoples responses there as well.
I was getting this and bad and read the labels on two of the tablets entresto & eplerenone. Stopped the eplerenone after reading it could cause these problems& low and behold they have both stopped since and feel alot better in myself. Heartfailure team want me try half a tablet but I'm not so sure. My gp says it sounds like the tablet that causing it.
Do you have this problem was getting neck pain pins and needles in fingers an feet and bad diarrhea stopped eplerenone and it stopped or seems to tried it again after not taking it 4 days and back they came. So stopped taking it. Still taking entresto max dose.
Yes all of the above. Also loe back pain was a thing up until recently. Entresto sides were bad but it seems i have got used to them. Bad tummy occasionally but not so bad now. I think the dapa may have helped. Neck pain still a thing and pin needles
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