Someone on Yahoo! Answers suggested I may have MS. Could it be?

[Elizabeth7]

Hello all. During one of my increasingly frequent depressive moments, I posted a question on Yahoo! Answers detailing my symptoms, and someone said it sounds like I have MS. I have considered it in the past, but the thing that always tells me, "Couldn't be." is the fact that I have this stabbing pain on one very specific spot on the back of my head all of the time. Anyway, I'm just going to copy and paste my question below.

"How do I go about breaking the news to people in my life that I'm, well, a moron?

A lot of people in my life think I'm a really smart person because I made As in almost every single class I ever took while in school and am, according to some people at least, fairly well spoken.

Thing is, though, I've actually done probably the stupidest thing for the past about 8 years of my life. I've been getting progressively sicker and haven't seen a doctor for it out of fear and haven't really told anyone...I mean, I've told people I get dizzy and headaches a lot, but that's just about 2% of all of the problems I've developed, and no one really took me seriously after a while because the complaints were so frequent.

I think I have a brain tumor or an aneurysm. Obviously I can't be certain, but honestly, there aren't too many other conditions that could explain all of the neurological issues I have. I have this one spot on the back of my head that hurts REALLY REALLY bad all of the time. Sometimes the pain is worse than other times, but it pretty much hurts every second that I'm awake. I have serious difficulties concentrating on anything. Sometimes I have these episodes where it feels like all of the blood is draining from my brain and I'm about to black out. I get dizzy randomly. I have no balance...I feel like I'm about to fall half of the time. I have serious trouble remembering words...there are so many times when I sit there going, "...oh, what's that thing called?" about basic things, like, I couldn't remember the name of an elliptical the other day. Recently, I've had this 24/7 ringing sound in my ear that will not let up. It often feels as though there's liquid swooshing around in my skull. Sometimes I start feeling like all of my senses are dulled and almost like I'm not really in my body b/c I can barely feel anything. Sometimes my skull goes numb. It's really, really difficult to explain. I just know that my body feels like a torture chamber.

It's gotten so bad to the point that I'm afraid to go out in public b/c sometimes my mind just goes blank and I get really disoriented feeling. I just sit in my bedroom all day long; it's so depressing. I pretty much just sit here, cry, and feel like a waste of a human being all day long. I told people I developed a social anxiety disorder and that's why I don't go out anymore, but it's a lie. My dad doesn't understand why I'm afraid to go apply for jobs, and I can't just sit in my room forever.

I'm so afraid I'm going to just drop dead one day because sometimes it really feels like I'm dying. I'm pretty sure that whatever is wrong with my brain is REALLY bad, and I'm terrified of having surgery done on my brain, so I keep putting off telling people what's going on. I don't know what to do/ I hate my life and myself. I feel so stuck and hopeless."

I'm really sorry that this is so long, but I do hope someone can read it and give me some much-needed input.

[Mynamegoeshere1]

Life

The sooner you get help, the sooner you can get better is the good news. Go to a neurologist. It could be some other neurological problem, but it def sounds like you need to at least have an MRI done of your brain and spine to check for what might be causing these issues. It's scary as heck. My drs for ten years attributed all of my symptoms to depression, clumsiness and a car accident I had when I was 17 saying it caused chronic inflammatory poly neuropathy from glass chunks getting stuck in my skull.

You exhibit some ms symptoms, but I'm no expert as I'm newly diagnosed as of October. Just know if you are, that you found a large support group and that there are medications to help you through this and slow this diseases progression. I went to the er 5 times before the drs took me serious enough to realize something was really wrong with me and my Nuero got me diagnosed quickly.

Research good drs in your area and keep a journal of your symptoms and questions to bring with you to your first appt and take notes. If your memory is like mine, you will have to. Lots of luck to you. I hope you keep us posted. Don't procrastinate. The sooner you go, the better!

[Sequoia]

Hi Elizabeth,

I'm very sorry you're in so much pain and fear.

I'm not a medical professional by any stretch of the imagination, but your symptoms do not sound like MS to me. There is another condition, called Chiari Malformation Type I, that is sometimes mistaken for MS until a full diagnostic workup is done. And there are other conditions you could have as well.

The bottom line is that you really need to get yourself to a doctor. Please talk to your father &/or other people with whom you're close. You need the support and encouragement of real-life human beings! All you have to do is take the first step; other steps will follow, leading to effective treatment and a much better life than what you're experiencing now.

All good wishes to you, my dear.

[Thinkimjob]

Having had a burst aneurysm, got to a doctor. Go today. It may be nothing. It may not.

[KatieDidNOT]

I don't want to come off as being flip, but here it is. When one posts a question on Yahoo....one usually gets a response from a "Yahoo!" You can not be diagnosing yourself on the Internet, 1) it will drive you crazy, 2) you will become a hypochondriac because you will find 'yourself" with every disease known to man-kind, and 3) you forgo going to the doctor because you are scared.

I would like to address a few of your issues though. This seems to be going on now for 8-years? If you had/have an aneurysm, you would most likely be dead. Take it from someone who witnessed someone die right in front of them from an aneurysm. And to go 8-years with a brain tumor...I won't even go into that. But bottomline is, we can not diagnose you.

You ask, "How do I go about breaking the news to people in my life that I'm, well, a moron?" You don't. Because you honestly don't know what you are dealing with.

You need to make an appointment with your Primary Care Doctor today and get seen and work this out. You are going to ruin your life by doing what you are doing. I am sensing you live with your Dad...I am surprised he has not picked up on this and intervened. But he is right, you can not sit in your room forever.

So, be that smart person that you are, and make that appointment today and be responsible. Because what you are doing right now is very irrational and irresponsible. It might be scary at first, but in the long run you will probably be relieved. Also, get your Dad involved...don't let him sit in the dark. He will probably be a lot more supportive and proactive than you think.

If it is MS come back here and join us...having MS is not the end of the World.

Katie

[Elizabeth7]

To clarify, when I say 8 years, I don't mean ALL of this has been going on for 8 years. The first problem I had began when I was 14 and noticed that I had no sense of taste...I put my lunch in my mouth one day, and it tasted like plastic. Then when I was 17, I started getting dizzy and/or nauseous at random times and started experiencing blurred vision. Then during my first year of college, the head pain began, and all of the other problems began more rapidly introducing themselves over the following 5 years. For the first about 3 years of this, I really did think I just had blood sugar issues or something.

Anyway, thanks for the responses.

[jsage]

Elizabeth,

Wow, I am so sorry you're going through this

Like others have told you, please make an appointment with your primary care doctor as soon as possible. I understand the need to find out, and the Internet is a great information tool. But it's a poor diagnostic tool.

I know about the head pain - I went through it when I was a teen. It ended up being a benign "sub-arachnoid cyst" - a growth in the back part of my skull rooted in the folds of my brain tissue. The first neurologist I saw in 1980 said it was common for teens to have headaches, and sent me back to my primary care doctor. My doctor was not convinced by the neuro's opinion and found the problem a few weeks later.

The problem you'll face using the Internet to diagnose your symptoms is this - many of the symptoms related to neurological problems are common across a whole range of diseases / syndromes / conditions. Just like a sneeze is common between cold, flu, West Nile Virus or Ebola.

A good doctor will consider the symptoms you have, the pattern in which they are manifested and (importantly) the symptoms you don't have. With this information he can narrow down the list of suspects, and through observations and tests and hopefully get to a firm diagnosis.

With a diagnosis in hand you can get the treatment needed. And with that, some relief from all the things you're going through right now.

Please, please go see the doctor. Then come back here and tell us what he said. We'll be thinking about you!

Take care,
- john

[Elizabeth7]

Thank you for your response, John. Yes, I know the only way I'm going to know for sure is to go to a doctor; I may have severe issues with concentration, but I'm not that stupid. I just wanted people's opinions on if it sounded anything like MS. I'm more than terrified of going to a doctor. Plus, as weird as it sounds, I feel like my body's "dirty" right now and I need to clean it out by eating clean for a few weeks before I go to a doctor. I know it makes no sense, but I feel like they're going to look at me and be like, "What the heck. Every possible thing that could be out of whack with your body is right now" because my cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, everything will be screwed up from eating bad foods.

[jsage]

Elizabeth,

I'm glad you've decided to go see your doctor. Make the appointment for two weeks from now so you can finish your purge. Lots of dark green / leafy vegetables, whole wheat bread, fresh fruit, and chicken or fish will be good for you.

I hope your appointment goes well; in the meantime hang on. Feel free to ask questions here.

Have a great day,
- john

[Elizabeth7]

I haven't made the decision, but thank you

[FL_Jhawk]

Get in as soon as you can. Why "purge" yourself? You want to be seen in the state that you have been in all this time. I mean, go on and change your diet now, but don't use that as an excuse to delay your appointment.

I don't know how serious an issue you have (life threatening or not), but I have known people who put things off and that delay killed them, literally. Just going in a month earlier would have save them.

I put off seeing a doc for a while, almost thinking the not knowing was better than knowing, but it really isn't. If you don't know, you are scared and don't know what to do. If you know, well, you are scared but at least have a better idea of what to do.

[KatieDidNOT]

Elizabeth-

I am glad you are going to a doctor. That is the right decision. And it is really an important one.

I knew you were a young adult when I responded this morning, I was estimating somewhere between 18-24, so you probably, and I am guessing here have never been to a doc for a comprehensive work-up.

Well, let me tell you...please stop worrying. Because your stress is making it worse. Stress alone can cause a lot of your symptoms. But do this in the meantime, write down all your symptoms on a note card and give that note card to the doctor. Because otherwise you are going to forget.

I think you are quite possibly going to be relieved to go to the doctor. I think the Internet has upset you and you are dreading the worst. Bite the bullet and go. You are too young not to be out enjoying life with your friends.

BTW...eating bad foods is not good for you, but that in itself will not mask something more serious such as MS. So just bite the bullet, let the doc see you as you are, and they will know what to do.

And for what it is worth I am just the right age to be your mama, and if I was, I would have already figured out something is wrong and you would be in the docs office tomorrow. I simply would not give you the choice. There are two young gentlemen out there that would back me up on that!

Katie

[Elizabeth7]

Yeah, honestly, part of me thinks not knowing is better. At least I can pretend I'm normal during the times when I feel somewhat normal this way.

And I don't eat bad food b/c I want to. I eat what my dad buys...mostly frozen junk...because I'm scared to go to the grocery store and buy my own food most of the time.

Anyway, I know I'm just frustrating people and beating a dead horse, so I'll shut up now. Thank you for all of your responses again.

[KatieDidNOT]

O.K. This is my last comment.

No...knowing what is wrong is better and it probably is something minor or treatable. You will at least get piece of mind. You are depressed right now and not thinking right.

Once you get peace of mind, you can get a job, have fun with your friends, maybe get your own place and eat your own food (of your own choosing)...plan out some goals that you can look forward to.

It will give you freedom. Something I think most young adults want.

Katie