My first visit for MS symptoms

[Chaca06]

Hello everyone. Today I went to a primary physician for MS like symptoms. I went in only telling him of my symptoms. Not once did I mention MS, I wanted him to tell me what he thought first. When I said the first three symptoms out of the bunch I have he gave me a look of, "oh man poor gal". That made me nervous, he was so kind and tried to explain everything. He told me it could be MS or a brain tumor. He also said it could be B12 defincesy. But most likely said MS or tumor. I was freaking out inside, I do very well hiding my emotions until I'm alone and I break out crying. Here are my symptoms. Room spinning like I just got of a swing that you twist and let go and it spins round and around. Twitches in my face on random spots, sharp pains I'm random spots around my body. Tingling in my hands even the tips. Sometimes it feel cold and like a burning feeling and muscle weakness in my Arm. I also feel super super tired. Even when I get 8-9 hours of sleep. I'm also spacy. So those are the symptoms I told my doctor. Did any of you end up having a B12 issue and everytnkng was good to go after you had that treated? I'm scared I have a tumor too, but wouldn't I have already seizures by now or something? Or could IT be MS? The hospital is calling me Monday to schedule a MRI of the brain and Spine. Thank you for your help and Advice. Whatever it is I will fight like a champ....I'm young 26 years old and I want to love to grow old with my husband, just like anyone who loves life and their family.

[doublevision1]

Yes definitely get the results from blood work first before going to the expense of MRI. If you are bearing the expense you may also want to stagger the MRI and do cranial first, then spinal cord if nothing shows up on the first one. That's often now Drs will order them.

There are so many conditions that can cause symptoms like muscle weakness, tingling, vertigo, fatigue. Lupus, Lyme disease, Fibromyalgia, Sjögren's syndrome, Myasthenia Gravis, Sarcoidosis, vasculitis, vitamin deficiencies, hormonal imbalances eg low thyroid, etc etc etc. Blood work can identify or rule out many of these.

Keep us posted in how you're making out and continue to ask any questions we may be able to help you with.

[Chaca06]

Then what could it possibly be? Both MRIs are going to cost me and arm and a leg. I'm getting my blood work done one monday and then hopefully getting those MRIs scheduled. I will feel really dumb if they come out clear. But I guess it's better to feel that way right. Sometimes I feel like I'm just going crazy. Thank you so much for all your advice and comments. This place amazing and so are all of you.

[doublevision1]

Actually when I had my very first symptom, Lhermitte's, and casually mentioned to my GP the tingling down my spine every time I bent my head down, he got very quiet and very serious and said if it wasn't a B12 deficiency then it was very likely MS. I was astonished that this could even be a possibility, but I never had a problem with him telling me what he thought so early on. He had a reputation in the community for being an excellent diagnostician for all sorts of conditions, so I figured he was right, and he was. The difference in my case I think, is that Lhermitte's is quite specific to MS. It can be seen in other conditions, but rarely compared to MS. Chaca06's symptoms are definitely nonspecific and I agree it was premature to bring up any specific diagnosis so early.

[HVAC]

My first neurologist looked at me and said you have one of two things that would kill me and there was nothing to be done about either but he wanted to do a MRI to see which one. It turned out I had neither. I had a dentist tell me I had cancer of the jaw he was wrong. They found a lump under my arm on a CT and started freaking it was a lymph node. Doctors make guesses. Thsey can be wrong. I would wait for all the testing.

Alex

[essdipity]

Hi. I agree that your doctor should NOT have speculated like that. Why didn't he throw in bubonic plague while he was at it? Without evidence a good scientist draws no conclusions.

What is needed, first and foremost, is a thorough neurological examination by an experienced neurologist. By thorough, I mean head to toe, and requiring at least half an hour. Then blood testing, to see whether there are reasons to investigate other possible causes of your symptoms. Also, of course, MRIs, done using high-strength machines and state-of-the-art software. Since MS is on the table of possibilities, the MS protocol should be used for the MRIs, studying brain, neck and spine.

Given that vertigo seems to be your most distressing symptom, you should see a really good ear, nose and throat doctor. There are tests that can show whether the cause is central (and thus MS would still be in the running) or vestibular, but confined to the ears, and thus not MS. The subject of vertigo is very complex and there are specialists that can do wonders for it, depending on the cause.

Lots of conditions need to be ruled out before it's even time to think about MS. Your doctor has done you no favor by setting you up to freak out while letting you hang in limbo as testing proceeds. I suggest you make sure your MRIs will be done as explained, and on your own you find a good ENT. This will speed up the process for you. Get copies of all test results, including blood work, the actual MRI disk (which you can ask for at the imaging center), and the radiology report, also available from the imaging center, usually within a few days of the MRI.

Then, depending especially on the radiology findings, it will be time to see a competent neuro, taking along all of your test results and the MRI disk. What I'm doing here is helping you manage your own medical issues to arrive at some firm conclusions, since your primary doctor seems to be a horse's patootie. You may also veer off into the ENT or movement disorders realm, but first you need evidence to know which direction to pursue.

I won't comment here on your other symptoms, except to say they are not specific to MS. I'm wondering if some even result from your emotional upset at the vertigo. It's quite possible, but of course I don't know and can't find out. A good doctor can.

Since this is an MS forum, I can say that if you do have MS, there are many treatments, of both the disease and the symptoms. The huge majority of MSers are able to manage their lives quite well, if not always totally normally. People work professional jobs, marry, have children, go on vacations, and have ups and downs like anyone else. We can discuss all of this with you in detail if and when the answer is MS, and that's not now.

Do your best not to freak, hard as that is. Just arrange all your ducks in a row and make things happen to get medical answers. I send you the best of luck.

ess

[immisceo]

Oh, good grief. General physicians like this give the good ones a bad name. Really, he should be tarred and feathered. The professional way to do this? Do lots of blood tests and lab work there to see if it's something obvious/common/easily remedied. And keep his mouth shut until he know. If there are no sure things from those results, he then orders more specific/expensive/invasive tests or... refers you on to specialists who can get to the bottom of it!

What he did was ridiculously unprofessional and WELL outside the scope of his expertise, unless at some point he was a very experienced neurologist and for some reason decided to return to general family practice. And he'd be the first I'd ever heard of to do that.

If it helps, I have MS. My father died of a brain tumour. What you mention sounds nothing like what I recognise for either of us.

[doublevision1]

Some of your symptoms are ones seen in MS, as well as in many other neurological and autoimmune conditions. Random twitching and sharp pain in random spots sounds not like MS, as MS symptoms do not move around in that way. More typical would be that they start in one spot (say, numbness in the toes) and then that sensation gradually spreads (eg: up the leg), as opposed to randomly coming and going in random spots. Of course, because MS is a disease of the central nervous system, symptoms can appear anywhere, in one or more locations throughout the body.

The best advice I can offer at this point is get that MRI done sooner than later (if there's a long wait for your appt, call call call and try to take advantage of a cancellation). However, if your doc suspects a tumour as one possibility, it is
likely you won't have to wait long, in order to rule out anything urgent.

Also, I know it's tempting, but try to avoid googling your symptoms until you have more information, as you may only cause yourself to become unnecessarily overwhelmed. But I totally understand the impulse.

You likely won't hear from many/any in this forum who suspected MS but turned out to have low B12, because if they don't have MS they don't really have a motivation to be here. Most here are either still in limbo or have been dx'ed with MS (or have a family member with MS).  Did your GP order labs to rule out low B12 and any other conditions? MS has many mimics; it is a tricky diagnosis and one of exclusion.

I hope you can get your MRI soon and start getting some answers. I know how disconcerting and scary it is to know something's wrong but not know exactly what.