Medical mystery
I am in desperate need of some help diagnosing my grandmother. She's had a mysterious condition that started in 2019. I am going to list her symptoms and everything that has happened along with a list of things she has been tested for. Any input and suggestions are highly appreciated.
My grandmother is a 78 year old otherwise healthy old lady, just not physically. Her legs has failed her. She is very short. Approximately 157CM and weighs 47KG If not less. She has lost a lot of weight during the condition but she has always been small.
In 2019 she started to have a sensation in her legs that made it feel like she was walking on pillows. Basically her balance wasn't very good. When you see her walk. You would assume she's blind drunk. In the beginning we all thought she had a drinking issue, but she's not drinking. I can't even explain how terrible it was for her. Even as she stood still her legs were going crazy and was like dancing/stomping and she’d lose her balance.
In 2021 she had 2 small insignificant disc herniations. She has gone to a lot of doctors and gotten a ton of tests but no one was able to find anything wrong with her
Here is a list of things she's been tested for:
Sclerosis
Muscle atrophy
Muscular arthritis
Brain tumor
Blood clot in the brain
Various nerve diseases
The balance nerve
She did get positive for a little bit of spinal stenosis
Nerve inflammation
She's had B12 supplements and didn't work
In the summer of 2025 she got a sudden strong pain that turned out to be two big disc herniations and she lost all the strength in her legs. She has been struggling to even stand as her legs cant hold her. She has walked around with a walker, however, she is stubborn so not always. Even with the loss of strength, she still managed to walk with her dog and do chores around the house every day. March 2026 she got operated for the big disc herniations and was still in pain but she is able to walk but still has 0 strength in her legs. In all of this time she has done exercises and done physical therapy to build strength in her legs but nothing has helped. We dont understand how she could lose all the strength in her legs from one second to another. It makes no sense. She is now hospitalized because her legs failed her and she fell and broke her hip. I am afraid she will never walk again. Its been an enormous pain for me and my family, to watch her suffer for 7 years and now shes hit rock bottom.
I am desperate to find a solution so if you are a doctor or know someone with similar experience, please, tell me your story. Tell me your suggestions and thoughts
ANYTHING is appreciated.