Hi, I'm 33 years old and very active. I've done a marathon, 1/2 marathons, figure competition, etc but have been plagued with "strange" symptoms since I was a teenager. I have been tested for MS since I was about 20.
I've had multiple MRIs (spinal and brain) along with 3T MRIs. I've had a spinal tap, EEGs, etc. All came back normal. After spending a week in the hospital and in a wheelchair and using a walker for short distances (this is when most of the tests occurred) I was diagnosed with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) which is a disorder where your autonomic nervous system doesn't control things like heart rate, blood pressure, body temp, etc. So it causes a lot of fatigue and muscle aches and dizziness.
However in the last 8 months things have gotten so much worse. I have notice that I am having a more difficult time urinating (I have trouble starting to go), I am much more irritable than usual, the week before my period is the worst for pain, fatigue and irritability (much worse than it's ever been).
My left thigh has been numb for about 6 months or so, my lower back is hurting terribly. 2 nights ago I stood up to take my daughter back to bed and took 1 step and dropped to the ground, my right leg was so weak it couldn't support me.
I've been having a hard time getting a deep breath (which is common with POTS) but this last couple weeks it's been much more difficult. The last two weeks I feel like my body is just shutting down on me where my neck aches terribly, my lower back is causing me a TON of pain, the numbness in my left thigh has spread higher up and tingles and sometimes causes my left calve and foot to tingle and my right leg feels wobbly and in the last month or so my left wrist and forearm ache so badly when I type (I'm a computer programmer) that I have to stop a lot and move it around to stop the pain.
I called my doctor to make an apt and I was told to go to Urgent care and now they are sending me for an MRI asap. It is the week before my period so the pain is much worse, like usual and the fatigue is to where I almost can't do anything at night and I just want to go to bed. I have no idea what's going on with me right now, could I have MS this whole time and not have any lesions or positive tests? I'm confused, Doctors keep doing MRIs to look for it but they always come back normal.
** 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. **
I've had multiple MRIs (spinal and brain) along with 3T MRIs. I've had a spinal tap, EEGs, etc. All came back normal. After spending a week in the hospital and in a wheelchair and using a walker for short distances (this is when most of the tests occurred) I was diagnosed with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) which is a disorder where your autonomic nervous system doesn't control things like heart rate, blood pressure, body temp, etc. So it causes a lot of fatigue and muscle aches and dizziness.
However in the last 8 months things have gotten so much worse. I have notice that I am having a more difficult time urinating (I have trouble starting to go), I am much more irritable than usual, the week before my period is the worst for pain, fatigue and irritability (much worse than it's ever been).
My left thigh has been numb for about 6 months or so, my lower back is hurting terribly. 2 nights ago I stood up to take my daughter back to bed and took 1 step and dropped to the ground, my right leg was so weak it couldn't support me.
I've been having a hard time getting a deep breath (which is common with POTS) but this last couple weeks it's been much more difficult. The last two weeks I feel like my body is just shutting down on me where my neck aches terribly, my lower back is causing me a TON of pain, the numbness in my left thigh has spread higher up and tingles and sometimes causes my left calve and foot to tingle and my right leg feels wobbly and in the last month or so my left wrist and forearm ache so badly when I type (I'm a computer programmer) that I have to stop a lot and move it around to stop the pain.
I called my doctor to make an apt and I was told to go to Urgent care and now they are sending me for an MRI asap. It is the week before my period so the pain is much worse, like usual and the fatigue is to where I almost can't do anything at night and I just want to go to bed. I have no idea what's going on with me right now, could I have MS this whole time and not have any lesions or positive tests? I'm confused, Doctors keep doing MRIs to look for it but they always come back normal.
** 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. **
I really don't know anything about POTS, but I have heard that one could have positive tests and still have MS. 
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