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Can MS cause low pulse ox?

by mactastic, Jun 11, 2009 10:57PM
My GP is trying to diagnose, but I could use some advice. 23 year old female, no history of medical problems.

This all started last year with a little tingling in my face and neck, not really bothersome. In February of this year, my left hand got hot, my heart started to race and my left side went numb.

After that came the headache on the right side, always in the same place, above my brow. It feels like someone is blowing a balloon up in my head. It gets worse in the afternoon and evening. I've also had a lot more tingling in my face, hands, arms, and feel. I have muscle twitches in my legs and face, sensations of something crawling on my skin, and instances of a warm feeling in legs and abdomen.

On three other occasions I've gone numb on one side, my heart doesn't always race, and it's not always on the same side. The numbness lasts for several hours, and I usually have to sleep it off.

I've had five or six episodes where my heart has races. Usually last only 10-15 seconds, one time it went for a few minutes. 1 EKG, showed no problems. In the minuted prior to the last instance, I noticed that the top of my nose itched like crazy. I was scratching it for probably 5 minutes.

I've had fatigue and cognitive difficulties, especially in the afternoon, to boot.

A nurse, who is a friend of mine thought to check my pulse ox, this past weekend, it was 88. I'm not anemic, or hypoglycemic, and I have no B12 deficiency.

I had an MRI on Wednesday and I'm waiting for the results, but any guidance would be really helpful. I was told that MS was a possibility, but I want to know if MS could cause a low pulse ox.

Any insight would be really helpful.
Member Comments (1)

by Lulu54, Jun 12, 2009 10:10AM
Hi and welcome to Medhelp's MS forum.  I hope you will find the information here useful while you wade through your medical tests.

Your question about the pulse ox makes me pause - my first impulse to this question is no, the pulmonary and cardio system are separate from your Central Nervous system.  The decrease in oxygen levels in your blood would be directly related to your cardiac functions.  

But then I remind myself that I had a heart attack caused by vasospasm, which I still believe is connected to my MS. If I'm right, then my cardio/cns system signals got mixed up.  The same could be happening with yours.

MS is a difficult disease to diagnose because there are so many different ways the symptoms present in our bodies.  Keep working through this with your neurologist to find the answers.  But you might also want to be referred to a cardiologist for a thorough exam - and don't let them tell you you're too young for heart problems.  

I hope this is of some help,
Lulu
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