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    Symptoms, No diagnosis

    Hello all! Glad to see such a supportive community here. I am not diagnosed with MS, but have a range of symptoms. My doctor had me go through PT for some arm numbness and tingling before my insurance would approve an MRI of the cervical spine. That is currently being scheduled since PT did not improve my symptoms.
    I do not know if MS will end up being my diagnosis, but most of my personal searches have led me to these sites as I am trying to find explanations for some of what I have been going through.
    Most of my symptoms have "just enough" of a plausible explanation that I dismissed them for years. However, taken together, they paint a different picture. I'm hoping for a safe place and support as I continue through potential tests. Should I be wrong about the potential of MS, I thank you all for your support during this process.
    Some of my symptoms over the past 10 years:
    • Right arm tingling, numbness
      • Can be positional, but has been fairly consistent since beginning of October 2019

    • My limbs (arms, legs, feet) fall to sleep very easily
    • Can have random tingling in the bottoms of my feet


    • Left hand – vibrations and when tap fingertips, jolt of pain/volt (isolated occurrence/one evening)


    • Headaches


    • Trouble finding words/slurring/stuttering (not constant; occurs in pockets – may be linked to migraines???)


    • Dizziness (some moments of imbalance and episodes of vertigo)


    • Extreme leg pain (went to ER): One time instance, lasted about 3 days with pain lessening each day. On worst day, could not walk and pain came in waves but always constant. Like a contraction in my legs. Knees would give out when walking.


    • Fatigue
      • Can be extreme. Depression??
        • Since I was a teenager (was anemic at one point, but got tested for lupus and other auto-immune and sugar issues due to its pervasiveness)

      • Walking up a flight of stairs leaves me wanting to sit down some days before continuing on.
      • Get more tired working out, though know I am also out of shape and working back into it
      • Have been to the doctor multiple times for fatigue but always goes away and I dismiss it as hormonal, etc. Then comes back and feels pervasive again.



    • Fizzing sound/feeling in back right of head/top of neck. (compare to pop rocks. Lasts about 2-5 seconds)


    • Some nights, vision is flashing and like a kaleidoscope (similar to ocular migraine)


    • Restless legs (occasionally, maybe once a month)


    • Frequent muscle cramps (feet, neck/throat, back, ribs) -- my neck is currently the worst. My entire neck will seize up in a muscle cramp. Can happen when yawning or chewing, but also happens seemingly untriggered.


    • TMJ (more muscle cramping than jaw pain alone)


    • Occasional chest tightness (anxiety linked maybe)


    • Intense itching of hands and feet (may be allergic reactions?)


    • Ice pick headaches


    • Lower back pain


    • *After ankle surgery in 2010(2011?), started having random severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis or just short of anaphylaxis). Ended up being diagnosed in 2013 with exercise induced anaphylaxis.

    • In 2016, started having episodes that I thought were allergic reactions. Face would go numb, difficulty swallowing, itchy hands. Went to the ER for one episode and after tests, they treated it like a panic attack. I was in a period of high anxiety and depression, so even though I didn’t think that’s what it was, I accepted it as plausible.
    • Still have random attacks of severe itching in the hands and some coughing/sneezing that doesn’t ever go any further.

    #2
    Welcome to MSWorld, dainty.

    It sounds like you've had symptoms for many years. I'm glad that you are on a journey for an explanation and a diagnosis. I hope that the MRI will bring you closer to that. Limbo is a hard place to be.
    ~ Faith
    MSWorld Volunteer -- Moderator since JUN2012
    (now a Mimibug)

    Symptoms began in JAN02
    - Dx with RRMS in OCT03, following 21 months of limbo, ruling out lots of other dx, and some "probable stroke" and "probable CNS" dx for awhile.
    - In 2008, I was back in limbo briefly, then re-dx w/ MS: JUL08
    .

    - Betaseron NOV03-AUG08; Copaxone20 SEPT08-APR15; Copaxone40 APR15-present
    - Began receiving SSDI / LTD NOV08. Not employed. I volunteer in my church and community.

    Comment


      #3
      Welcome dainty. You definitely have had alot going on. Glad you were able to get an MRI scheduled. It is never easy waiting for tests and some type of diagnosis/explanation. Try to do things that help relax you while you wait. Hang in there.
      Kathy
      DX 01/06, currently on Tysabri

      Comment


        #4
        Hi dainty

        Good luck with the MRI and other tests.

        Feel free to share your questions, concerns, and whatever you may find out along the path of testing.

        Wishing you all the best!

        Take Care
        PPMS for 26 years (dx 1998)
        ~ Worrying will not take away tomorrow's troubles ~ But it will take away today's peace. ~

        Comment


          #5
          Thanks for support

          Thanks everyone for the kind words. I got word yesterday that my MRI is scheduled for Friday. Hopefully, regardless, it will bring some answers and not just more questions!

          Comment


            #6
            Buzzing feet

            Just curious if any one has ever experienced "buzzing" in the feet. For the past 2 nights and then during the day today, I have an off and on buzzing in my right foot. When I look it up, it is called pallesthesia and is not necessarily linked to MS. Most MS sensations say tingling or burning. I was just curious as this is a new one for me, but search results seem to imply it is not uncommon in general.
            To describe, it feels like a quick vibration in my left foot, maybe 2-3 seconds, and then it goes away for 5-10 seconds. Almost like a cell phone vibration or like the electrical pulse of those stimulation pads for muscles if they were on super low.

            Comment


              #7
              We'll look forward to hearing your results after Friday.

              About your buzzing feet - no; I haven't experienced that.
              ~ Faith
              MSWorld Volunteer -- Moderator since JUN2012
              (now a Mimibug)

              Symptoms began in JAN02
              - Dx with RRMS in OCT03, following 21 months of limbo, ruling out lots of other dx, and some "probable stroke" and "probable CNS" dx for awhile.
              - In 2008, I was back in limbo briefly, then re-dx w/ MS: JUL08
              .

              - Betaseron NOV03-AUG08; Copaxone20 SEPT08-APR15; Copaxone40 APR15-present
              - Began receiving SSDI / LTD NOV08. Not employed. I volunteer in my church and community.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by dainty33 View Post
                Just curious if any one has ever experienced "buzzing" in the feet. For the past 2 nights and then during the day today, I have an off and on buzzing in my right foot. When I look it up, it is called pallesthesia and is not necessarily linked to MS. Most MS sensations say tingling or burning. I was just curious as this is a new one for me, but search results seem to imply it is not uncommon in general.
                To describe, it feels like a quick vibration in my left foot, maybe 2-3 seconds, and then it goes away for 5-10 seconds. Almost like a cell phone vibration or like the electrical pulse of those stimulation pads for muscles if they were on super low.
                Yes, I have experienced 'buzzing' type sensations on my foot and leg.

                Paresthesia is definitely a symptom that many persons with MS experience, at one time or another.

                From the MSAA (Multiple Sclerosis Association of America):

                A very common symptom of MS is numbness, often in the limbs or across the body in a band-like fashion. Numbness is divided into four categories:

                • Paresthesia – feelings of pins and needles, tingling, buzzing, or crawling sensation

                • Dysesthesia – a burning sensation along a nerve; changes in perceptions of touch or pressure; nonpainful contact becomes painful

                • Hyperpathia – increased sensitivity to pain

                • Anesthesia – complete loss of any sensation, including touch, pain, or temperature


                https://mymsaa.org/ms-information/symptoms/numbness/

                Take Care
                PPMS for 26 years (dx 1998)
                ~ Worrying will not take away tomorrow's troubles ~ But it will take away today's peace. ~

                Comment


                  #9
                  Hello dainty and welcome.

                  Yes I have experience buzzing in my feet and on my body. Right now I have burning on the bottoms of my feet and when the burning easies up when I sit down they will buzz for a while.

                  I'm sorry for all the sx's you have been going thru and I hope you get answers from you mri.
                  God Bless Us All

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Update from Dainty33

                    Hello all,

                    Thanks for the responses. So my MRI revealed a VERY large herniation in my cervical spine. I am having an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion in March. My surgeon does not think that it is causing my leg symptoms, just the arm numbness and pain. My neurologist thinks it could be. So for the time being, I am going to fix one thing at a time and see what is still going on after I recover from this spinal surgery. Thank you for all the well wishes.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by dainty33 View Post
                      Hello all,

                      Thanks for the responses. So my MRI revealed a VERY large herniation in my cervical spine. I am having an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion in March. My surgeon does not think that it is causing my leg symptoms, just the arm numbness and pain. My neurologist thinks it could be. So for the time being, I am going to fix one thing at a time and see what is still going on after I recover from this spinal surgery. Thank you for all the well wishes.
                      Thanks for the update, dainty.

                      Best wishes for a successful surgery. Be sure to let us know how everything goes.

                      I think your 'one thing at a time' attitude is best.

                      Take Care
                      PPMS for 26 years (dx 1998)
                      ~ Worrying will not take away tomorrow's troubles ~ But it will take away today's peace. ~

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Wishing you all the best dainty
                        God Bless Us All

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Thanks for the update. Lots of luck with your surgery and recovery.
                          Kathy
                          DX 01/06, currently on Tysabri

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Good luck, and whatever you do, keep track of your symptoms and their history and/or progression. I think I would have had a much quicker diagnosis if I'd forced the doctors to look at the big picture instead of letting them treat whatever my current issue was.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by dainty33 View Post
                              So for the time being, I am going to fix one thing at a time and see what is still going on after I recover from this spinal surgery.
                              Thanks for the update. Please let us know how it goes.
                              ~ Faith
                              MSWorld Volunteer -- Moderator since JUN2012
                              (now a Mimibug)

                              Symptoms began in JAN02
                              - Dx with RRMS in OCT03, following 21 months of limbo, ruling out lots of other dx, and some "probable stroke" and "probable CNS" dx for awhile.
                              - In 2008, I was back in limbo briefly, then re-dx w/ MS: JUL08
                              .

                              - Betaseron NOV03-AUG08; Copaxone20 SEPT08-APR15; Copaxone40 APR15-present
                              - Began receiving SSDI / LTD NOV08. Not employed. I volunteer in my church and community.

                              Comment

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