Could this possibly be MS??

[cprince25]

I am a 34 yr old female who has been experiencing many symptoms that are very bothersome to me. I have written out a list of my symptoms and cried as I wrote them out as it is very scary to have these things happen to you w/o an explaination.

Here is my list of symptoms that I feel are pointing towards MS.

1. Constant pain in my legs, lower back, arms, shoulders, neck.
2. Headaches/migraines that last for days with no relief.
3. Numbness/tingling in m legs and arms.
4. Pain/ringing/fluttering in my ears but more so in the right ear.
5. Weakness of my arms and legs.
6. Pain / blurred / doubled vision in my right eye.
7. Jaw pain.
8.  Memory issues especially short term.
9. Concentration problems.
10. Jumbling up on my spoken words.
11. Difficulty with spelling on easy words.
12. Frequent urination at night.
13. Bladder incontinence issues. No urge to urinate but have leakage.
14. Bad balance.
15. Constant fatigue.
16. Involuntary leg twitching at night.
17. Sudden dizziness.
18. Depression
19. Mood swings.
20. Nausea
21. Hot flashes
22. Anxiety
23. Decreased attention span
24. Forgetfulness on time / place and direction.

I seen an eye doctor due to migraines and loss of vision in right eye and that same day was sent to a neuro who examined me and noticed that my left side was weaker then my left and that I had balance issues and also vision was weaker in my right eye. I asked him could I possibly have MS and he said he does not think that it could be that at this time but also said he was not ruling it out. He put me on pills to treat migraines. But the amount he had me on was making me sick. I went back to the eye doctor and he said he was making another call the neuro to call me but still waiting on that. I have an apt with my GP in 3 weeks and I am hoping she can get me back to the neuro quicker for an MRI..
I am really scared of what all these symptoms could be..if ANYONe could shed some light on this for me I would really appreciate it!

Thanks so much,
Take care a god bless.
Carol

[jossiee]

I read your post and just wanted to tell you that I have the same things but I do not get migraines.  I was diagnose with LUPUS in '96, the ANA test confirm this so Plaquenil is the drug I am taking and the joint pain is a lot better. Then I was diagnose with IBS, for this I just need to be careful with my diet and the pain is hardly there. MS, the spinal tab is the only test that can confirm this disease and the Betaseron injections are suppose to make things better (10 years and no new lessions so I guess is working)  I also have Raynauds Phenomena and my black fingers and toes during cold weather confirm this and this one does not have any medicine and this one is the one one that bothers me the most during winter.   Hope you find the help needed  

[cprince25]

Thanks so much for your post!!  I have had some blood work done to test my sugars, A1C levels ( sugar) and my B12 and Iron and Thyroid and they call came back just fine...So now I have a Neuro appointment on the 6th of April.. from that an MRI.
My vision is doubled at times when I look from right to left and my GP is very concerned about this and all of my other symptoms. When in for my visit with her and after she read the list I prepared of the symptoms and she done a simple eye function test she then asked if anyone in my family had any neurological issues or MS. I then got scared. I was hoping that something would show in my bloodwork and it would be sinple.. but now it's not looking like its something simple and have to look forward to a another neuro appt...
I have not seen a Rheumatologist..but will keep that in mind..

Thanks again and hope all is well,

Carol

[StormyRenee]

Hi,
I am sorry that your going through all this....
I saw that you suffer from migraines.Do you know what kind?
The reason I ask is because I the majority of your symptoms. I have had them in varing degress for over a year .I have about 15 spots/lesions in my brain. I have been diagnosed with Migraine Varients specifically Hemiplegic and Acephalgic.I get brutal aura that mimics stroke and actually causes motor weakness.I have prolonged aura that can lasts for weeks.Acephalgic cause aura but not actual headache.They can be brief and happen numerous times through out the day.  The varients are really weird and they are not a typical migraine. You might want to talk to your neurologists ....
I ended up actually have vision issues and astgmatism in my right eye.(right eye was the one with all the problems. I got glasses and it has helped alot.

As far as the bladder and some of the other issues you have please do not automatically assume that its MS.Like I said my syptoms are vary MS like but after a miriad of tests my neuro determined I only have about a 5% chance of actually developing MS. There are so many things that can cause migraines/ neurological issues.....

I have other issues aswell.Dry mouth,eyes,nose and everything else. I am going back to the Rheumy next month for Sjogren's testing...
Have you seen a Rheumatologists?

Please Take Care,Theresa

[karajo]

Another thought would be a tick born illness or chronic fatigue.
All of which are MS mimics too.

Lhrlovesmar thanks for you personal input.  We value that here on MedHelp.  I didn't know that about Antiphospholipid Syndrome.  

[cprince25]

Thanks for your reply...

I suffer from Vertigo quite alot..and it i very bothersome to me in the run of a day where I try to do the normal things I am used to but I find it harder and harder everyday to be normal, Things are slowly slowing down for me and I don't know why. It's so frusterating even sitting here typing is frusterating, I used to be able to type 60+ words a min and now I am down to maybe 30 if I am lucky. I have to stop in the middle of words to think about what letter is supposed to come next. Makes me want to cry most times.

Anyway as far as what you state in regards to if I have MS , you say the only way it can be determined is by a " Neuro-opthamologist and not any other way? I was under the understanding that an MRI could detect it.

Thanks for the advice...I will be sure to check into that.

Take care,
Carol

[cprince25]

Thank you for your message.. I can honestly say that I have never heard of APS before...kinda sounds exaclty the same as what I have.. but there are so many illnesses that mimic other ones and makes it so hard to make a diagnosis. I have had bloodwork done but don't know if she checked that one off or not. Is it a certain type of test or is it done through only bloodowork?

I do not have any trouble saying numbers as you do, I just have difficulty sometimes in saying easy words or sentances. Doesn't happen all the time but it does happen and is very easily picked up on by me and others. It is quite embarrassing as I have to try and cover it up all the time and sometimes I make a joke out of it to try and take away from people laughing at me..

Anyway..I hope all is well and thanks again for your message.

Carol

[cprince25]

Wow.. thank you for such a detailed message..!!
I did have the appointment with my GP on the 11th of March..I gave her a very well written list on what was going on with me and also informed her of what I seem to have now is doubled vision at times..She asked me about this and when it started and she done a little test with me in th her office and checked my BP. Then she came right out and asked me if there were any people iny my family who suffer from any neurological disorders and I told her no.. and then she asked if anyone had MS..Now I never even mentioned to her that I was thinking that's what I had.. she just came right out with it and when she did I near fell off my chair..

She then told me to wait in the waiting area while she tried to track down the neurologist that I seen in July of 2008 when my sight was going and I could not see colors and had doubled vision then along with numbness and tingling in legs, face and arms,and bad balance and migrains.

So she got in touch with the neuro and he will be calling me this week to see me and my GP also told me that he will more then likely be doing an MRI on me.. I am so scared since that visit and don't know what to think, I am trying to keep positive but that is so hard to do when everyday I am reminded of what is wring with me in everything I try to do. My mind is slipping away from me slowly...
She also sent me for bloodwork to rule out the easy stuff first...like my sugar levels , B12, Iron and Thyroid..

So far no calls on those results..so..I guess that means nothing came up..Becasue if something shows she will call me..I don't know what to think.. trying not to over think things but that's hard to do sometimes..

So sorry you had to go through such iggnorace in regards to your son.. people can be s rude sometimes and say things that they have no business in saying. It's sad how they can so easliy comment rude things to others but cannot handle anything rude being said about them or their loved ones.. I call those kinds of people gossip bags.. !!


I can relate to you in where you say that you are  spelling things all wrong, and where your fingers are not typing what your brain is telling them to, or when you have to read the same sentence over again and again, as your eyes would jump a line.  And we know how to spell a word, but our fingers do not listen, or we know what the word is and what we want to say but our brain does not connect with our mouth.
I used to be able to type 60 + words a minute I am lucky if I can get to 25 or 30 now..The words do not get spelled right or I have to stop in the middle of typing a word to think about what letter comes next.. and it's on the simplest words..so frusterating!

Anyway I will keep yoi all posted on what comes out of all this..Hopefully it's nothing serious..I am off to get ready to take my son to the movies.. it's March Break and he is bugging me to get out and do something.. so movies here we come.!

Enjoy your day all and I will reply to the rest of you when I get back,
Take care,
Carol

[cprince25]

I am not on any cholesterol lowering statins..To my knowledge I have no problems with my cholesterol..Hope this helps you.. and thanks for writing to me.

[Lhrlovesmar]

Out of the 24 symptoms that you are experiencing, I'm having trouble with them also! I was diagnosed (in 2002 @ age 46 years) with a rare blood disorder called, Antiphospholipid Syndrome. After the diagnosis, I sent away for the book:"Hughes Syndrome" (by the Dr. Graham Hughes) A Patients Guide. I contacted Amazon.com to get the book. I'm not a doctor and I'm not saying I am, but I am aware of my condition. (APS mimics MS in many of the conditions that the patient experiences.) I also experience the constant pain in my arms, legs, neck. I get terrible headachs, numbness in my limbs, ringing in my ears, I lose the sight in my right eye when a "black blanket" slowly covers my vision until my sight is completely gone-then it starts to clear up, I have MAJOR short-term memory problems, to read a book or to concentrate I find it very difficult to do, I also have problems with spelling really easy words and pronouncing others, also #'s 12, 14, 15, 17, 18,19, 22, 23, & 24. APS is often misdiagnosed for MS. Contact your Doctor to be sent to a lab for blood work to rule-out APS.   Trust in the Lord.

[ModelVixen]

Sounds like you have vertigo, as do I. But if it has anything to do with a autoimmune disease such as MS or anything really only a "Neuro-opthamologist" can test for that stuff. They look at the optic nerve behind your eyes that a reg opthamologist cant see.

Hope your mri turned out ok. But either way, I would beg your primary care doc or neurologist for a referal to see a "neuro-opthamologist". I am so mad I missed my appointment with one cause my insurance expired just before the appointment.
  
They seem hard to find so try to google in your area to find one, or get a referal- think you need one to get an appointment.

[hopefulstill59]

I hope you are not on cholesterol lowering statins. You are only 34! But if by chance you are, that could correlate to many of your symptoms, including vision disturbance, personality changes, neurological problems, sleep disturbance, sleep apnea, muscle and joint pain and many more. Would you respond, please? I had very bad reaction to statins (in my case Lipitor) and I still have lasting problems I deal with.

[laborlawchick]

Hello,

My name is Carly and I have a lot of the same symptoms and have made the same changes as you.  I know it meant so much to me, when others have shared their symptoms and struggles.  I thought I was handling it ok, until the memory things started. That scared me so much, I can not even describe it.  But, you understand that and I admire your courage.  It is hard to be totally honest and write everything down, I was afraid I had alzheimers and was afraid to tell anyone.  

Thank you for your candor and I am glad your doctors are going to work together, that is a great start.  Until they diagnos you and get you on the right treatments, it is helpful to get a journal and start noting details about the symptoms.  what time of day, what you were doing, what was the temperture (sounds weird, but my body does not regulate heat and I just melt, litereally when I am hot or in the sun.)  This is a great tool, you won't forget symptoms to report to your doctor, you can catch trends and triggers and doctors really do take your case more seriously, I think, when you have dates and times and such. The second tip, learn to say no, it is sooo hard to do. But, getting rest is really really important and it is so easy to over commit.  The third and last is to try to develop some time of pattern to your day.  Predictable days, repetition and patterns help me, especially when my brain is not working well. Routines with regular rest built in really makes a difference in my symptoms.

My son had a horrible reaction to his DPT shot and at 25 years old today, he has never been able to walk or talk, though he does communicate if you are patient.  And suffers from severe seizures.  You would not believe what people, with good intentions I am sure, but you would not believe what they say.  I have heard from people in my church, that if I had enough faith, he would be healed,  if I just prayed enough he would be healed, that it was my fault he is that way due to my own sins, blah blah blah.  Then came the, if he ate organic only, he would be healed.  I mean, there is a  diet, and he was on it, Ketonic, that is full of fatty foods, that, in conjunction with meds did help the seizures.  But, to put the blame and the healing solely on a diet, is a little like the people in the church, well intentioned but actually was kind of insulting, when you know you have some heavy duty symptoms/disease to deal with.

That is nice about this site, people do understand.  Someone tried to tell me that almost all of the people with my kind of symptoms were all due to diet. And yes, what we put in is important, but you need to work with doctors and health care people who will keep at it until they get to the root of the problem.

I mean, I am a paralegal and I type all day, every day, and suddenly I am spelling things all wrong, transposing things and my fingers were not typing what my brain was telling them to, or sometimes I have to read the same sentence over again and again, as my eyes would jump a line.  You know how to spell a word, but your fingers do not listen, or you know what the word I want to say means, but my brain does not connect with my mouth.

I have had multiple diagnosises and really do not have one yet that my specialists agree on.  Reiters Syndrome, RA, GERD, Graves disease, SLE (lupus), Bells Palsy (one episode thank God), Sjogrens and most recently MS.  So, try not to get discouraged, it is important to get the right diagnosis. I think I am going to try to get some tissue biopsy that can definitively rule out a couple.

Anyway, good luck and keep us posted!  If you would like, you can email me or post me if you would like to communicate directly

Carly

[want2bik1]

Hope you can find your problem but if you can't might want to consider the book I mentioned.  I believe if you want to see any change in your health you will have to change something you are doing.  You are correct in that most people do have amalgam fillings.  Some people have genetics which allow them to deal with the mercury better than others.  If you get more mercury in the body than the body can deal with it will make you very sick.  There are alot of sick people out there and they do not know what is making them sick.  

[cprince25]

I just wanted to say thank you for writing all that to me..I appreciate you taking the time for that. As for mercury fillings I think just about everyone has those..and not all have the same symptoms.
And as for my diet it is not that bad.. I eat lots of fruits n veggies, not much red meat..nor carbs and sugars..I have made a total turn around in what I eat now compared to what I used to eat..
I am hoping that my GP or Neuro can get me an MRI and then we can go from there..
I will keep u posted!
Carol

[cprince25]

Thanks so much for your post. It's so nice to know I am not alone..and I CANT wait to see my Gp and then to get back to the neuro!!
Will keep you posted!
Carol

[want2bik1]

A doctor will have to run the test to determine if you have MS.  The sympthoms alone do not mean you have the disease.  I have experienced many of the sympthoms you list and on my last trip to the emergency room was told I showed sympthoms of MS in my upper body due to a reflex test they did.  When they ran the MRI and Cat scans they could not see the white patches on the brain which indicate MS.  They also have to draw blood from the spinal cord and check it for the proteins which indicate MS.  

Lyme disease and mercury poisoning have similiar sympthoms as MS.  In my case I felt it was due to mercury poisoning since I had many amalgam fillings in my mouth.  I got a book "Prescription for Nutritional Heatling" which explains the supplements you can take to help get the mercury out of your body.  I started getting better immediately and realized the fillings were my problem.  I saw a mercury free dentist and had the problem taken care of.  I not longer have any of those sympthoms you listed.  

Our health is due to what we put in our body.  We make our self sick when we put the process foods, sugar, soft drinks, saturated fats, drugs, and  man made foods in our bodies.  When we do this and our bodies get more of this bad stuff than it can handle we get sick.  We are reponsible for our own health.  The only way to get well again is to change what we are putting in our bodies.  The raw fruits and vegetables which we should be eating gives the body the vitamins and minerals it needs to repair itself.   The paleo diet has shown an excellent record in treating the autoimmune diseases we are seeing.  I would suggest you check out the book and your diet and you may be able to get your health back.  

[burndownlove]

I just wanted to let you know that I to have a lot of this symptoms, and that you are not alone when it comes to these. I know it doesn't it go away, and it may not even make you feel the tiniest bit better. But you are not alone ! :)