Help.

last year i started getting terrible pains in my legs and arms, started getting headaches which i seldom got and often forgot what i was doing. Also for as long as i can remeber i had shakes. Not normal shakes like you would get if you were cold. They looked like they were a seizure and i couldn't stop them sometimes i felt tired and almost lost consious. I thought they soreness was from me taking daily dance classes. In the following months the pains got worse. The pain in my legs hurt so bad i was refraining from screaming when i used them same for my arms. I was dizzy all the time started using wrong words for sentences and started slurring sometimes. Soon i couldn't attend school anymore. I was sent to a peditrictian who thought i might have MS. I was given a mri and a mri with contrast. They told me it was clean and convinced my parents i had a conversion disorder because i'm a senior in high school. The pain hasn't gone away. I get dizzy after i take a hot shower, dizzy, wake up with headaches which i had seldom, if i hold something for more than a min. my arms will go numb and hurt and recently my neck and skin felt like it was on fire. Today my mouth went numb for no reason at all but its a painful numb. Please. What should I do?

[COBOB]

You should make your GP aware of this.  I am not trying to be a racist here, but if you are of Asian decent (sorry, I feel I need to at least bring this up with a user name like Chinadoll109,) there is an Asian sub-type of MS that is almost solely limited to cervical and thoracic lesions, so a clear MRI of the brain may not rule out MS.  Many US Neurologists working outside a Asian ethnic populations forget this.  

It would not explain slurred speech or changes in coherent speech. I'm not sure it explains dizziness on exposure to heat.  Your symptoms sound neurologic, so I discuss them with the GP and consider heading to a Neurologist.

Bob

[Sumanadevii]

Wow, Bob!  I didn't know that!  The knowledge you carry around in your head...just WOW...

I would suggest that she visit a neuro, too.  It sounds neurological in nature and needs to be addressed.

[COBOB]

If I remember correctly, it is Opticospinal MS and typically presents with NMO and spinal lesions.  It is linked to a specific genetic variant on the HLA gene that predisposes certain Asian populations.  There is a definite genitic link in this subtype.

I guess my memory is still pretty good.  I was always a Jeopardy Junkie and had a skill for recalling the obscure.

[jensequitur]

Neuro-myelitis optica, right?  I've read about it, but never met anybody with that variant.

Yes, definitely talk to your GP.  There's nothing more annoying than having symptoms and being told it's all in your head!    

Speaking personally, I have problems with slurred speech, and definitely changes in language.  For example: I'll say something is in the microwave, when I really mean refrigerator.  So I'll say "It's in the microwave/oven/pantry/fridge."  It's like I have to go through the category of kitchen objects before I finally find the right word.  When I'm typing, I tend to use homynyms rather than the right word.  So instead of saying 'through the door' I'll say "threw the door."

I also have problems with getting overheated.  If I get too hot during the summer, I get very dizzy and have to take a nap.  Taking a shower will make me tired - some days this is worse than others.

I have RRMS, so I don't know if these problems are common with the Asian variant of MS.

[COBOB]

NMO, Devic's disease, Transverse Myelitis, Asian Variant MS ... All seem to be "a different flavor" than typical RRMS.  There is another discussion thread going on about this in the forum.