Hi everyone,
I'm 29 and female and I've been experiencing pins and needles tingling for about a year, on and off, and the neurologist I just saw wants to rule out MS. I am hoping to get some insight on whether or not my symptoms sound like MS. The MRIs she wants me to get are really expensive and lengthy medical testing gives me tons of anxiety, so unless this really, really sounds like MS, I'd rather skip it and look at other causes first.
The tingling started a year ago. I would wake up with it in my feet but as soon as I got out of bed and walked around, it went away. But after a couple months it started to linger. I also started to have problems with my pinky toes going numb if I wore high heels. After switching to a job with a casual dress code, I stopped wearing heels, got acupuncture, and it went away. Problem solved.
Last fall it came back, same way, and again I figured it was my fault for wearing and dancing in heels to a couple of special events (which I did again twice in January). Then it started to show up in my hands and become more constant. It would get worse depending on what position I was in, and especially bad when doing yoga, crossing my legs, standing for too long, sitting at my desk for too long, or wearing heels. Then in February I decided to go from couch potato to workout-aholic and after two weeks of that my tingling got out of control, was there all the time and started to progress to burning at times (similar to the painful part of when a limb is "waking up"). I found that movement helped, but changing positions didn't provide total relief.
While waiting for my neuro appointment, I quit working out, got more acupuncture and I also got a medical massage. The massage therapist was shocked at how tight all of my muscles were and my acupuncturist always says the same thing. The massage gave me incredible relief. Tingling got immensely better and subsided to a mild background thing that I hardly noticed unless lying in bed or sitting funny at work. However, after some intense yoga yesterday, I am finding the tingling a lot more noticeable today and, much like my last foray into exercise, it is nearly constant.
So does this sound consistent with MS tingle? It's completely symmetrical and definitely gets worse with exercise and depending on posture, but depending on how bad it is, changing position doesn't always provide relief. It is just in my hands and feet, as well as a small nickel-size spot on the back of my shoulder that only tingles when I lean forward. For background, I'll list some other problems I've had below. Thanks for your input.
Tendonitis in ankles and wrists; B12 and D deficiency (currently normal with supplements); positive ANA and elevated RNP; thyroid nodules but normal bloodwork; vegetarian; high cholesterol for no reason; trouble losing weight/gain easily; frequent low-grade fever (99.7); episodes of joint pain; episodes of fatigue; dry eyes; multi-day hangovers after large meals (holidays, barbecues, etc.) but normal blood sugar/A1C; heart palpitations; one positive band on lyme test but overall result negative (I had a funny rash years ago after hiking); I get sick all the time; bruise easily and the tiniest scratches take forever to heal.
My mother has a history of neurological/muscle conditions and food sensitivities and they want to test her for autoimmune diseases now. She's been diagnosed on and off with MS/Fibromyalgia/Arthritis/Trigeminal Neuralgia but after stopping medication after ten years, most of her MS-like symptoms went away. I think the mention of this in my family history is what's setting the neurologist off on the MS route. I'd rather not spend thousands of dollars and months testing for something unless it really seems like that's what it is. I have no gait, balance, vision, or bladder issues so I'm doubtful at this point.
Thanks so much!
I'm 29 and female and I've been experiencing pins and needles tingling for about a year, on and off, and the neurologist I just saw wants to rule out MS. I am hoping to get some insight on whether or not my symptoms sound like MS. The MRIs she wants me to get are really expensive and lengthy medical testing gives me tons of anxiety, so unless this really, really sounds like MS, I'd rather skip it and look at other causes first.
The tingling started a year ago. I would wake up with it in my feet but as soon as I got out of bed and walked around, it went away. But after a couple months it started to linger. I also started to have problems with my pinky toes going numb if I wore high heels. After switching to a job with a casual dress code, I stopped wearing heels, got acupuncture, and it went away. Problem solved.
Last fall it came back, same way, and again I figured it was my fault for wearing and dancing in heels to a couple of special events (which I did again twice in January). Then it started to show up in my hands and become more constant. It would get worse depending on what position I was in, and especially bad when doing yoga, crossing my legs, standing for too long, sitting at my desk for too long, or wearing heels. Then in February I decided to go from couch potato to workout-aholic and after two weeks of that my tingling got out of control, was there all the time and started to progress to burning at times (similar to the painful part of when a limb is "waking up"). I found that movement helped, but changing positions didn't provide total relief.
While waiting for my neuro appointment, I quit working out, got more acupuncture and I also got a medical massage. The massage therapist was shocked at how tight all of my muscles were and my acupuncturist always says the same thing. The massage gave me incredible relief. Tingling got immensely better and subsided to a mild background thing that I hardly noticed unless lying in bed or sitting funny at work. However, after some intense yoga yesterday, I am finding the tingling a lot more noticeable today and, much like my last foray into exercise, it is nearly constant.
So does this sound consistent with MS tingle? It's completely symmetrical and definitely gets worse with exercise and depending on posture, but depending on how bad it is, changing position doesn't always provide relief. It is just in my hands and feet, as well as a small nickel-size spot on the back of my shoulder that only tingles when I lean forward. For background, I'll list some other problems I've had below. Thanks for your input.
Tendonitis in ankles and wrists; B12 and D deficiency (currently normal with supplements); positive ANA and elevated RNP; thyroid nodules but normal bloodwork; vegetarian; high cholesterol for no reason; trouble losing weight/gain easily; frequent low-grade fever (99.7); episodes of joint pain; episodes of fatigue; dry eyes; multi-day hangovers after large meals (holidays, barbecues, etc.) but normal blood sugar/A1C; heart palpitations; one positive band on lyme test but overall result negative (I had a funny rash years ago after hiking); I get sick all the time; bruise easily and the tiniest scratches take forever to heal.
My mother has a history of neurological/muscle conditions and food sensitivities and they want to test her for autoimmune diseases now. She's been diagnosed on and off with MS/Fibromyalgia/Arthritis/
Thanks so much!
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