Hi I Have An 83 Year Old Female Who Had

Posted on Tue, 6 Aug 2019

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 6 Aug 2019 Answered on

Last reviewed on

Question : Hi I have an 83 year old female who had a pneumonia in the winter,was on antibiotics and had major reaction to them. She had sores and her stomach was not in good shape for a couple of months. But lately, she has been experiencing weakness and jelly like
feelings in legs and upset stomach. She has been on remuron at night for years but Lexipro was added last month. Also she has Ativan prn. Her doctor took her off the lexipro and she started to feel better. But, now it has been a week since she stopped that med and the same feelings are happening. She also noticed bright yellow on her tissue paper after her bowel movement.
Do you think at this time she may need and in depth evaluation to look for something more insidious?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Antoneta Zotaj (5 hours later)

Brief Answer:
It is safer to have her checked and rule out possible underlying conditions

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to "Ask a doctor" service,

The change in sensation, that she is experiencing, is called paresthesia in medical terms. It is important for the patient to be investigated because sometimes it may indicate an underlying condition.
Possible causes may be vitamin deficiencies (especially vitamin B12 and folic acid- vitamin B12 sometimes may be difficult to absorb in some patients if they take it orally and may result in deficiency).
Other possible causes of changes in sensation are diabetes, thyroid problems, electrolyte problems, problems with the circulation in the limbs, immune conditions and neurologic diseases.

Having a thorough physical examination will lead to the needed tests for diagnosis. Very likely she will need blood tests for Vitamin B12 and folic acid levels in the blood, TSH, FT4 to check the thyroid, fasting glucose levels, electrolytes in the blood, and a good neurological exam and examination of the blood circulation in her limbs.
An endoscopy of the stomach may be indicated as well due to her stomach upset.

I hope this answers your query. I remain at your disposal in case further medical assistance is needed.

Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj,
General and Family Physician

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T