Ms, glaucoma, headaches, vitamin D

[cmacross]

By cmacross | 19 minutes
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Hi please help, I am a 53 year old white female and about 5 years ago I experienced sever nerve pain in both feet ( so bad that I didn't want to stand on them) I also experience muscular pain in both legs, hips, and pelvic area. I was tested for ms but the MRI showed no lesions. I was then diagnosed with sever poly neuropathy ( for unknown reason). I did have gestational diabetes with all 4 of my pregnancies but my routine bloodwork does not show diabetes now. Most recently, (July of 2013) I am experiencing right ear humming and ringing and daily morning headaches in the frontal lobe area. These morning headaches are not like my migraines . I went to my PCM  and he could not find a cause for this ( no testing was done ). However I did have regular bloodwork done and that showed my vitamin D is only 12. I also went to my eye doc for a routine exam and he said I have glaucoma . He doesn't know why I have it because nobody in my family's as ever had it and my age 53 doesn't fit the profile. He is sending me to specialist this week and I am seeing an ear specialist this week. My eye doc wanted to have a better understanding about my nerve pain and my history. He said he is "very suspicious " and is actually questioning  my trust of my PC. Would there be concern for ms with tests proving optic nerve damage, humming in right ear, daily headaches and nearly zero vitamin D. Can someone out the please help me sort this out. Thank you so much.

[cmacross]

Thank you very much for you help and support

[maxthecat43]

The best thing to do, if you feel that your original doctor didn't do enough, is perhaps to find a new doctor.  

The glaucoma isn't related to a neurological disease that I can think of.  The vitamin D needs to be dealt with.  You can start doing this on your own.  2,000 units (iu's) daily, of the form D3.  That's the most bio-available form.  The optic nerve damage seems like enough to warrant another MRI, but Optic Neuritis doesn't usually image well on an MRI.

If there are detectable lesions on your brain, the doctor will decide which route to take next.  (Sometimes they are simply too small to detect.)  Ask for MRI with contrast (for the brain), and that they rule out MS.  Advocate for yourself.  Whether your physician likes it or not, you have a right to ask him to check on the things you're concerned about.  If your brain MRI still shows nothing, ask for one of your spine- being specific that it be to rule out MS lesions. (Spinal MRI's are not always performed with contrast.)
If there truly are no lesions at all, however tiny- MS is unlikely.  But there are other things that are known to cause neurological symptoms:  Thyroid disease, B vitamin deficiencies, certain types of Migraine, and even severe stress!

Optic nerve damage does occur in the general population from time to time.  So, even if the MRI shows lesions, your doctor may elect to wait and see.  This is a hard disease to diagnose- and hard to rule out too.

Good luck!  I hope you get the answers you need.