Question
Dear Barbara,
Thanks so much for writing back to me!!  Oh yes...please do forward my problem to someone else who might be able to help, by all means!  It means the world to me that you want to help and that you care.  Thanks so much!

--April
-------------------------
Followup To
Question -
Greetings!  I have been experiencing an unknown problem with my body and have gone to numerous doctors, neurologists, rheumatologists, but am left without an answer.  I am desperatly hoping that you will be able to suggest what my problem might be.  I am not looking for a diagnosis, but simply ideas to point me in the right course of treatment, etc.  
First of all, I am a 27 yr. old caucasion female in graduate school.  I am 5'10", and weigh 140lbs.  I exercise regularly and eat a good diet.  I have never broken any bones, and have never been hospitalized. I am psychologically stable and in very good overall health.  
My problem is concerning the right side of my body.  I have had this problem for five (5) years, and it has increased in intensity over time.  I have had several cat scans and MRIs, which come back as normal with a little arthritus in my neck.  The pain runs from the base of the right side of my neck, to the right muscles in my jaw, to my throat area, to my shoulder/arm, to the muscles in my right side abdominals, to my hip, and down to my calf and into my foot.  The pain is not in my joints, but seems to be localized only in my muscles.  The pain is most intense in my right shoulder blade area.  I can describe the pain as continual; I feel it to some degree all the time.  At minimal, it is a nagging pain...almost like an itch in my muscles.  At maximum, it feels like someone is pulling me on a string from the top of the right side of my body down to my right foot...almost like my muscles are so tense they will tear.  I get frequent debilitating migraine headaches again at the right side of my body localized in my head only on the right side, which seems to be somewhat related to the right sided pain.
The curious thing is that it is only on my right side.  My right foot and hand are frequently tingly and get considerably warmer and redder than my left.  My right arm at times goes very warm then numb.  My right eye at times gets very red.  Massage therapy feels unbelieveably good at the time, but seems to worsen the condition several hours later. Exercise and strength training improves the problem if done consistently over time.
I am desperatly looking for any possibley answer to this problem and am open to ANY suggestions of what it might be...maybe even a blocked artery, nerve problems, spinal cord issues, etc., nutritional info., etc.  I am weary of seeing countless neurologists who have no answer or idea of what it might be, as my MRIs and xrays and cat scans are all very normal, only with a little arthritus in my neck.  Please please tell me all the information you may know of what this problem could be.  I am desperate for answers.  Thank you for any information you can give to me.  

--April
Answer -
April,

This is outside my area of expertise, but I would like to forward your question to someone who may be able to talk with you further.  May I have your permission to put you in touch with someone else?

-Barb

Answer
I sent your question to Mike Uggen, LMP.  Mike is a licensed massage therapist in Seattle, WA.  He can be reached at [email protected].  His response is:

> Hard to tell from just the write up but a couple of
> possibilities come to mind.
>
> One is a severe, right side only, fascial restriction.
>
> The other is an energetic blockage in one of the
> meridians.
>
> Because of the range of symptoms, my recommendation
> would be to see someonewell versed in Traditional
> Chinese Medicine, a Certified Jin Shin Do Acupressure
> Practitioner or a Licensed Acupuncturist.