Numbness and tinglying in my legs IS NOT CAUSED BY MS WOW!!

[mommyto3angels]

SO for the last 5 years my nuero and primary Dr's have said my numbness and the tingling and pins and needle feelings I have in my legs and feet are from the MS and from reading up on sympyoms It is very common from us Ms'ers to have these symptoms. My pain managment Dr tho said he wanted to rule out all other possibilities instead of just assuming it from the Ms So he did a MRI of my spine

It turns out I have severe arthritis and deginertive disc desease which is what is causing the majority of the proplems with my legs. I'm doing a series of 3 sets of steriods shots into my spine to help and had my first one already done, second one will be tomorow. I can already tell you tho just from the first one it has helped.

I'm having very mixed emotions about this. I'm upset about there being another problem with me but at the same time excited that the MS wasn't causing more problems... So hopefully it isn't progressing as fast as I thought it was ya know. Also theres things to do to help with my back and legs now which wern't available to me when all the problems were thought to be from MS.


Anyways back to point of my post, if other out there are having as much problems with your legs as I was/am it might be a good idea to get a mri of your spine. My nuero and primairy Dr never thought to do this. I'm only 31 and my legs were completly affecting every aspect of my life. I was/am at times in horrible pain. My movement gets limited by spasms. The pins and needles and Numbness is torture. And the fact I lived with it for 5 years when I didn't have to is enough to piss me off. I know theres others who have lived with it longer and I hope it's not for the same reasons I did.

[rdmc]

Well glad you found out and glad they can do something about it.

I've noticed that not on do we blame a lot on our aches, pains, health issues on MS, once you mention MS to some doctors, they tend to blame MS too.

Had you never had an MRI of your spine with your normal MRIs for MS? Or did they find this with a lumbar MRI?

[MarkLavelle]

mommyto3angels: Bravo for you and the pain management doc! Now you just need a referral to a physiatrist. If you need one in the San Jose / San Francisco area I know just the guy.

My back problems came first, so for any new lower back & leg sx I see my physiatrist first. After all, he's the one who first sent me to a neuro, which eventually led to my MS dx...

[mommyto3angels]

Well glad you found out and glad they can do something about it.

I've noticed that not on do we blame a lot on our aches, pains, health issues on MS, once you mention MS to some doctors, they tend to blame MS too.

Had you never had an MRI of your spine with your normal MRIs for MS? Or did they find this with a lumbar MRI?

When I have the MRI's for the nuero looking for lesions he does the MRI of my brian and the part of spine he looks at I believe is called the "c something" Sorry I have a hard time remembering what things are called lol I've only had 1 lumbar and that was when I was first diagnosed when they did it to get the fluid out to test and it came back positive for some band he was looking for

The Pain Manangment Dr just did a MRI of my whole spine and thats when the results came back for moderate to severe arthritis and degeneritive disc diesease which no other Dr has ever mentioned or looked for. He explained the inflamtion in the cardalidge causes it to compress on the nerves and that causes the signals to send out the pins and needles and numbness and pains in my legs and when the cardiledge rubs together it breaks off and causes pain in my back. There was alot more to it but he had a lil plastic spine with the nerves and bones and everything there when he explained it to me, I have a hard time explaining it since I can't seem to put the words together right or remember them the way he explained.

[mjan]

Sorry you are having such pain and discomfort.
I too have both MS spasticity in my legs and back up to my neck along with lumbar spinal stenosis (lumbar is lower back) and "C" is cervical or neck area. I have had discs issues for many years in my spine but now feel it more in my legs. Sometimes it is a trick figuring out which is which. I take meds for both.

So good for this doc to MRI your whole back. Also had the epidurals which is what you said you are having. They worked for awhile, but didn't last for me. I am on a combo that helps RX Diclofenac (anti inflammatory.. a good med, along with 2 meds to spasticity: Bacflofen and Skelaxin).

Hope you get relief. A good chiropractor who does not manipulate the vertebrae helps a lot too. More than you'll know, they can do wonders.

Good luck, let us know how you are doing

Hugs, Jan

[alishape]

Congrats!

Sounds like a load off your mind. What can they do to help you, fusion or something like that? I never thought I'd say something like this, but it's always nice to go to the doctor and end up talking about something other than MS!

[JerryD]

I have always had back problems ( some of it is probably from MS ) and this past September I had 'serious' pain.
I had to have spine surgery and I have been feeling good since then. I also lost about 15 lbs.
I don't ever want anyone to have the pain that I had. My friend sought out a spine 'decompression' procedure and is very happy with the results. Good luck

[emily06]

unfortunately for me when I find out I have other big medical problems, I automatically get mad thinking isn't having MS enough! It's not fair I'm going to have to live with all these other bad pains and problems too.
I'm glad to hear you are having a healthier attitude.

[gomer]

Sad to say it happens, and I think more often than it should or we think.

For be my MS sx was blamed on my diabetes for decades!

My kidney function has been in a decline and been to kidney docs. Thy just assume its from being diabetic and REFUSE to check for any other possible cause. My endo (diabetes) even think it could be due to some other cause, my diabetes is and has been in great control.

Gomer Sir Falls-a-lot