Hello :)

[Alicep]

Hi,

i have been having symptoms for about 8 weeks now. At first my doctor was certain I had rheumatoid arthritis. Blood and X-rays came back fine. As the days went by my body started stiffening up. First my hands then my right arm ( can hardly lift it most days) then my left knee. I have a burning sensation on my upper thighs that won't go away at all. My limbs constantly fall asleep no matter what I do and my neck is so stiff I can hardly move it. I've noticed the pain in my hands is now starting in my feet. They have given me Tylenol 4, a muscle relaxer and lorezapam.

The Tylenol really does not help at all. But I am able to sleep if I take lorezapam with a muscle relaxer at bedtime Almost all night. At night I get muscle spasms in my arms really bad. I have an MRI on Friday but will this tell me anything? I just want to know what's wrong for sure. It's one thing to be told "sounds like ms and it is ms". I have been stretching as best as I can but I worry I may make it worse. Does this sound familiar at all? My main symptoms are pain pain pain and fatigue and I suddenly forget everything.

** 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. **

[Seasha]

Hi Alicep and welcome! So sorry to hear you've been feeling pain, but glad to hear that you don't have RA. Did your doctor mention maybe MS and therefore the MRI? MRI is indeed one of the diagnostic tools for helping gain a dx of MS, but it is also a window to see what else may be going on.

WedMD has this to explain why it's done http://www.webmd.com/brain/magnetic-...ri-of-the-head

As you can see, there are many other conditions to look for. Many times, getting a dx of MS means excluding other conditions before getting a definitive answer. There are so many other "mimics" to add to the confusion and sometimes it can take years before it's certain.

I certainly hope you don't have MS, but if you eventually find that you do, you've come to the right place. Take care

[KoKo]

Hi Alicep ~

Gosh, you sure are getting bombarded with symptoms.

Other disorders besides MS can cause similar symptoms.

The only way to get to the bottom of what's causing the trouble, is to undergo several diagnostic tests.

An MRI could reveal if there are any lesions (spots that shouldn't be there) on your brain.

If interested in how MS is diagnosed, the NMSS (National MS Society) has lots of info on that.
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Symptoms-Diagnosis

For now, there's not much you can do except be patient (I know that's not easy!) until diagnostic tests are done.

Good luck and keep us informed.

Take Care

[Alicep]

Thank you

I am just so tired of not knowing. I guess that part may go on for a while. I'm also on cymbalta 60 mg but Everything just seems to be getting worse everyday not better? I try to Keep on on things but I can't even open a jar anymore yet I don't have arthritis? I haven't talked about it with anyone except my husband. But lately I'm walking with a limp half the time and sleep what I wouldn't do for uninterrupted sleep again..I guess time will tell I am very glad I found these boards as long as my eyes stop going blurry lol! Thanks for the advice

[KoKo]

Alicep

Not knowing what's going on, and waiting for answers, is extremely frustrating (most of us here know all too well about that).

I'm hoping that you have a good Doctor that will get you the necessary tests, in order to find the answers for what is causing your symptoms.

Keep us posted as to what you find out about the MRI results.

(You can vent on these message boards too, if it helps.)

Wishing you a sound, restful sleep tonight.

Take Care

[Myoak]

Hello Alice,

It can be such a relief just knowing what is going on. I'm sure the MRI tomorrow will help your doctors in making a diagnosis and taking appropriate action.

Your symptoms suggest MS is a possibility but that is only one possibility, it could be something else.

It sounds like you may be having an exacerbation; most people simply say flare-up. Commonly in MS flare-ups are treated with a short course of steroids which really helps.

If you have MS it is very likely that the current extreme nature of your symptoms will greatly subside, and soon, as we all hope.

I want you to know that you have our sincere thoughts and prayers for your recovery and prospering health. Thank you for expressing your situation. May any comfort and strength which comes from knowing others do care about you fill you with peace and deeply abide with you during every day and throughout every night.

I believe you will come through this present suffering and get better.
Let your doctors do their jobs, be a good patient.

May God bless you, Alice, and be your closest companion at this time.

[Alicep]

thanks for your kind words My MRI went well. I should have the results by the end of this week.
I ended up in the hospital later that night the pain in my arms felt like explosions were going off inside. I had a nice doctor who gave me a shot of tramacet and a prescription for predinosone.

Within 24 hours my pain went from a 10 to about a 4??!!! Is this normal? I am thrilled! Is predinosone some thing that normally helps? Or perhaps have I just had 2 months of unexplained painful misery? Either way I am so thankful to be feeling better if only for a little while!

[SNOOPY]

Hi Alicep and welcome to MSWorld.

Glad to hear your doing better. Prednisone is an anti-inflammatory and is used for many different reasons, not just MS. So it would be difficult right now to know why the prednisone has helped. Hopefully you will have answers soon.

Take care.

[Myoak]

We are so happy that you are feeling better and trust you will continue to improve. Prednisone is a steroid which is a powerful anti-inflammatory which has had good success in situations as you described.

Do let us know how the MRI turns out, won't you?

Be sure to ask about your Vitamin D level if they checked that when they did your blood work; I can't imagine them not doing so, but you never know. Remember, or write down the number, if you can so you can compare it to what researchers have found to be beneficial levels. I mention it because Vitamin D level is becoming known as extremely important to health.

If you are interested, you can Google, "High Vitamin D Levels Linked to Lower MS Disease Activity"
for up-to-date information. You may have to log in to read the Medscape article with that title; I'll mention just a couple things from it... "results seem to suggest that 50.0 nmol/L are too low".

In Canada they may give your Vitamin D blood test results in nmol/L. In the US, it may be given in ng/ml. But don't let me lose you here! Just know there is a difference.

I quote the study from the Medscape article, "Patients with a Vitamin D level greater than 100.0 nmol/L had a 47% lower rate of new active lesions compared with patients who had serum levels of 50.0 to 74.9 mol/L..."

Hopefully, Alice, you do not have MS. Some believe that an adequate level of Vitamin D may possibly even prevent MS. In any case, your health will improve if you are deficient in D, whether you have MS or not.

Vitamin D3 is what to look for if you want to supplement. Many MSers take 5,000 iu to 10,000 iu per day. It is not water soluble so must be taken with a small amount of oil or fat. There are many possibilities... milk, yogurt, eggs, really so many possibilities according to what you already may be eating and drinking.

Well, hope I didn't go overboard! But simple things can have such a dramatic influence it would be a shame not to mention them.

I really believe you will continue to improve and it isn't a temporary thing. You will get better, Alice. Thank you for letting us know about what you are going through. You help others by your willingness to share. You know we are pulling for you.

[KoKo]

Hi alicep

Thanks for the update.

Glad you're feeling better, and hope you continue to do so.

Take Care