Should I be concerned?

[Kez86]

Hi all Just have a few quick questions... My dr thinks I have MS ( not something I expected) so just awaiting to see a neurologist...

I was very scepticle at first and put my symptoms down to stress and tiredness but now I'm having another flare up and I'm getting a little concerned... I know everyone's symptoms are different but I was wondering if I should prepare myself for bad news or keep up my optimism that this is just something that will pass! Can someone please help me head in the right direction and tell me if this sounds like ms...

My symptoms first started when it was 17 with intermittent tingling on my nose... Annoying but not significant... Things have slowly worsened and after I had my children (3) new areas of numbness and tingling would developed... At present I have tingling in my lower back, r shoulder, face, r foot, left knee, r breast, fingers and random spots all over. My right foot is heavy and partially numb, my right hand is clumsy and partly numb and it shakes if I try to do fine movements. I get brain fog some days worse than others and some days I can't talk properly and get words mixed up, can't pronounce things clearly coz it feels like my tongue and lips have gone out on strike. I get muscle twitches really badly in my L thigh and random other spots. I get sharp pains in my eye and occasionally when I close my eyes it feels like they're flashing from side to side... ( very weird sensation)

I also have days where I don't feel quiet with it.. Almost like I'm only half all there :/ ( hard to explain) Does this sound like anyone's experience? I'm still adiment that it will all turn out ok but it seems like I'm having fewer good days and the flare ups are lasting longer ( on average 3-4 months) with hardly a break in between... I've had about a month or two where ive felt normal and now it's all come back with vengeance Can anyone give me some reassuranceion and tell me if this sounds like ms or if I shouldn't worry??


[COLOR= Navy]. ** Moderator's note - Post broken into paragraphs for easier reading. Many people with MS have visual difficulties that prevent them from reading large blocks of print. **[/COLOR]

[Justsayyes]

I'd love to tell you the answers you are looking for, but of course I can't. You have enough symptoms to go further and consult with the neurologist when you can get in. The numbness is typical with MS, but can be from other reasons as well. The stress of wondering what is wrong is enough in itself to trigger some symptoms. I hope you don't have MS, but if you do, there are more ways to treat it than ever before with more on the way. Best of luck as you continue to work with your doctors to see what is going on with you!

[Mamabug]

I agree. It's time to check things out and get a dx. If it's MS, you'll want to know that, and not bury your head in the sand, in order that you can begin to take DMD meds, which can delay your progression, among other things.

It it's not MS, there may also be meds to treat the illness, and, most likely, meds to treat the symptoms (whether it is, or isn't).

Sounds like you have an appointment to see a neurologist. That's an important first step.

[Perennialz]

I really hope it's not MS, but if it is, Please don't feel like there's no hope. There are more drugs now than 20 yrs ago to help keep ms in check.
I've had tingling on one side of my upper thoracic area for a long time along with feeling very dizzy in hot temperatures. I also experienced my left leg feeling like it had a ball and chain attached to it as well.

I have been ignoring my symptoms which came and went until I got blindsided with optic neuritis this past fall. The color red looked like it was "outside the lines" in my vision. That's when I got my MRI which confirmed lesions in my brain and spinal cord confirming MS.

An MRI helped me out. I only wish I had done it sooner. The sooner they know, the quicker you and your doctor can make proactive move against demyelination.

[Kez86]

Thanks everyone
i have a neurologist appointment in early April ( getting into a specialist where I live takes a few months) so until then I'm definitely in limbo land...

My one good points is that even though I have terrible vision ( always worn glasses) I've never had loss of vision or bowels/ bladder problems so I'm hanging onto those absent symptoms as my hope that what I do have is just stress or posture related.

like everyone has been saying though, I now know Ms isn't the sentence it used to be so I've just got to relax a little (hard when you get daily reminders that something isn't quiet right)

thanks for for the reassurance and support!! Much appreciated

[22cyclist]

When you go to the MS specialist, bring a list of your symptoms with you. One with dates that they happened, how long they lasted, when they resolved, if they resolved, and what if anything made them better or worse. This will help them determine time and space with exacerbations, something they will need for diagnosis in addition to MRI or spinal tap.

It could be as simple as a vitamin deficiency and I hope that it is, but if not, we are all here for you.

Take Care
Lisa

[Mamabug]

Kez; the bowel/bladder problems could be caused by a gluten intolerance, whether you have MS or not. MS seems to make gluten sensitivities more common, but wouldn't, for sure, indicate MS or other chronic illness.

For my gluten sensitivities, I've found that it's really a combination of gluten plus yeast that causes bowel symptoms. I've also found that taking a gluten enzyme supplement, prior to consuming products with gluten and yeast helps immensely and actually avoids symptoms. I use caplets that I buy online, but, often, health food stores carry them too.
http://www.amazon.com/Foods-Gluten-D...rds=gluten+now

For urinary fx, I take 2 Cal/Mag supplements per day along with 2 Uva Ursa supplements and 2 cranberry pills and I, have a rx to Oxybutrin (I require four per day). Your symptoms may not be as advanced as mine, and you may not need so much. 2 Cal/Mag tablets per day used to be enough for me.