I hope this is the right place

[mrs_lori_hall]

I have been suffering for about 6 years now and I am to the point of utter frustration. If it wasn't for the memory problems I could probably ignore everything else. The problems started in 2004 when i began fainting. The Army docotrs tried to tell me it was stress. The times I passed out were not from stress I am possitive. My breathing would slow, numbness in my legs. hand, and face. Then I would know something is wrong, but my body nor mind could even panic. My blood pressure would drop extremely low, I turn blue, and still be perfectly calm. Then would go the hearing and finally sight. Hours later I would wake up with ringing in my years, lost and very confused not remembering anything of what happened. This went on for two years then stopped for a year. I have lost most feeling in my hands, I have picted things up out of the oven forgetting to get an oven mit (memory I remind you is slow and poor) and completely burned my finger prints off on several occassions.There's more...I get feelings of restriction. Like I am being squeezed. Its not panic, but these can last for days. fevers that have had me admitted to the ER and they have found nothing! no reason for fever and usually with the fever comes the fainting spells. Then it goes away and I am fine, except lately, the memory is gone. names, days, places, conversations, memories of where and when things happen. lack of feeling emotionally and physically. taste gone, smelling is fading and my sight is fine but my eyes are blinking rapidly sometimes and rolling and pain almost feels behind the eyeball itself. cognition is gone. The Army is telling me I am bipolar? Although I am not depressed or manic? I might be irritable but i get very frustrated from the consriction feeling and the memory. my hands shake all the way to my shoulders, and chill like squivering feelings down my back. Any suggestions? I have not bee diagnosed with MS but another doctor outside the army is suggesting it is. I have an appt with a nuerologist this week.

[jed9999]

Hi, Lori

I join Quix in welcoming you to this community. You're certainly having a bad time with your body, and there are many people here who would welcome supporting you as you look into this problem. We're a nice bunch and used to seeing some weird things.

I see a few things that could be MS symptoms, like the behind the eye pain (which I had for many years.) While you describe something like the MS hug, you seem to be incredibly tense in many parts of your body.

Thank heavens you will soon be able to tell everything you've been through to a neurologist. Hopefully he will quickly sort through enough to give you the proper tests.

Just don't expect too much too soon. I agree with Quix that you need testing along multiple lines. The turning blue really stands out to me. The neuro will have plenty of questions for you and needs to hear what you've said in the two posts here.

Make some single word notes to take to the appointment with you so you can share as much as possible. Let us hear back from you, because we do care. Jane

[mrs_lori_hall]

Thank you so much for responding to my comment. The squeezing in mostly in my torso. around my chest and waist. It feels tense and constrictive around my lungs, making me feel like I can not breath. It is not anxiety. It last for days. I thought it was anxiety at first and I tried anxiety medications even to the max dose and it does not help. Right now I am fighting a headache that is terrible. My head feels like some one is squeezing it and the pain goes from my eyes around the top of my head and down my neck into my back to the center backing everything from the center of my back and up ache and tense. My appt with my nuerologist is Friday hopefully they can tell me something.

[Quixotic1]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!  My what a complex horror you have been going through!

I find it hard to see MS within the things that you are describing, but MS can have very unusual presentations.  It sounds like you have a complex form of fainting.  Typically the person who faints awakens shortly after they have become horizontal, not hours later.  This coupled with the odd, calm sensations you report sopuld more like a type of partial complex seizure.

The cognitive problems you describe are much more serious than is "typically" seen in MS.

Can you tell us where you get the feeling of being squeezed?  That actually does sound like a frequent symptom in MS - something called the MS Hug.

Fevers are not associated with MS, and suggest a problem regulating your temperature.

You appear to have some neuropsychiatric process going on where you feel emotionally numb.  This kind of thing has been associated with MS relapses.  From what you have said I don't see the basis for a bipolar diagnosis and would wonder why it would surface just now.

I'm am glad you are finally seeing a neurologist!  You need a thorough neuro exam, then an MRI of your brain AND your spinal cord, as the Hug sensation is always a spinal cord problem.  I would also think you should have an EEG to rule out a seizure disorder.  Please let us know what the neuro says.

And, in the future, it would help if you could break up your writing into smaller paragraphs.  Many of us have trouble tracking with our eyes and the long unbroken text is hard to read.

I hope you stay with us.

Quix