Numbness in arm and leg - worried

[annieq]

Over the past few weeks I've suddenly had numbness in my right arm, and then a week ago my right leg has gone numb. The numbness will last for a few hours at a time. I went to my primary care doctor, and she has referred me to a neurologist. I'm scared of what this could be. I thought maybe a pinched nerve, but I'm not sure why I would suddenly develop 2 pinched nerves in my back.


I also have fatigue, but not really any of the other symptoms that I see listed for MS. Has anyone's MS started initially with numbness in the limbs? I also read on-line about a possible connection with the Epstein-Barr virus, which I did have as a teenager.

Does numbness with MS come and go every few hours? Or is it a constant numbness that last for days on end?

[SNOOPY]

Hello annieq,

I have had numbness from the waist down and yes, that includes the girlie parts.

MS symptoms can come and go or stay for a short durantion or long term. This is different for all of us.

Best wishes

[dontstopbelieving]

Hi annie!

I am 19 years old and last year my first year of college I developed numbness in my right leg from the knee down, it started as a patch and over the course of weeks grew down to my foot. This is what first alarmed me I went to the doctor and he said maybe it was a pinched nerve. My numbness never went away and lasted for about 3 months when I woke up one morning it was gone. I brushed it off and about a month later woke up and both of my hands were numb, this is what made me go to the doctor yet again and the question of MS was brought up and I got an MRI which showed lesions in my brain and ultimately the neuro diagnosed me.
My only symptoms ive ever had have been numbness, fatigue, and sometimes when im stressed one or both of my eyes will be sensitive to light.
I know this must be a hard time for you its very stressful trying to find a diagnosis, I wish you the best be positive and everything will figure itself out, keep us updated the site can be very helpful

[Alicious]

For me, it lasted days and probably would have gone on for considerably longer than the few weeks it did on massive amounts of steroids. My numbness definitely wasn't on and off.

that being said, your primary is doing the right thing by sending you to a neurologist. Waiting is hard, and I hope you jsut have some pinched nerves.

[annieq]

Thank you all for your replies. It is very hard to sit and wait, and wonder...I'm only 29 years old and I have a young child to care for.

The numbness definitely comes and goes. It's the worst when I'm sitting at my computer all day at work. It drives me crazy. It usually gets better once I get up and walk around.

I did go to the chiropractor when it was just my arm...after the 2nd visit, my leg started going numb. So perhaps it made things worse - uggh!

My neurologist appt is next week. I keep thinking of other weird symptoms I've had - for example, I've periodically had dizzy spells for the past 10 years or so, and I have long felt that my memory hasn't seemed as sharp. I'm probably just being paranoid now, but it's hard not to be!