My stupid arm

[Deludel]

Long before I was dx with MS, I had a few issues with my right arm. I was in my 30's each time, and chalked both situations up to ergonomics (using the computer at home and work) even though I saw a doc each time. One time was my lower arm, the other was my upper arm. The upper arm left painful & tired all at the same time, but never had tingles and never felt numb. More like a "heavy" pain.

When I was dx, they found lesions on my thoracic spine, which they said were likely linked to those arm symptoms.

For the last two weeks, I've had the same type of pain in my same arm - upper arm, very painful (wouldn't want to live with it), tired feeling like I just want to let me arm hang rather than use it, and it does extend into my forearm, but it's concentrated at the top.

I waited before calling my MS doc - I have been under a LOT of stress, and wanted to see if it was a flare due to stress. After it went into its 3rd week, I called yesterday. The nurse said if it's in the same spot as before, it's not a new relapse, so it's an infection or stress.

She actually wonders if it is MS at all, and suggested I see my primary. She said MS symptoms would have tingling and/or numbness .. I was surprised by that because I've read about "pain and spasticity"  ...

One more thing: I was recently told I have the HLA-B27 gene, after multiple bouts of Uveitis not related to MS (or so they say) so I saw a Rheumatologist who took my history and said there are some indications that I have spondylitis, which is a type of arthritis. So ... I wonder if this is a relapse of that?

The sucky thing is, no matter what it is - if it is MS related, or spondylitis related, there's not much that can be done that I know of, I wanted to see if anyone else had feedback on what the MS nurse told me.

[kwarendorf]

if the nurses are reading out of a text book it's the wrong one! They are giving you bad information!

[Deludel]

Wow. Thanks for being refreshingly simple.

Yes - it is an MS neuro. Yale Center for Multiple Sclerosis & Immunology. The DOCTOR is a-freaking-mazing, I would not switch, though it seems the 2 nurses they have on the phone are WAY too textbook, which has always seemed odd to me because from what I know about MS -- not much is textbook!

Your reply encouraged me to call back and book an appt with the doc, and while I am there - let her know my experiences with the nurse.

[kwarendorf]

I'm not sure where to start. Does this nurse work for a neurologist? If so, is the neurologist an MS specialist?

1) A relapse can be the return/worsening of an old symptom. It does not have to be a new symptom.

2) MS does not always involve numbness and tingling. (Pain and spasticity are not necessarily part of numbness and tingling.)

3) If it is MS there are things that can be done to relieve symptoms, relapse or no relapse.

Hve ou thought about seeing a different neuro?