Pattern?

[wadeheather]

I know that MS is different for each person, and I have read that relapses of symptoms generally last at least 24 hours and are at least a month apart.
Looking at my symptom tracker I can only see one symptom, acid reflux, that is that to a T. Everything else is either consistant or scattered with no real pattern that I can see.

Just curious.

[ShadowsSister]

there are no rhyme or reason for the things my body puts me through, it has been none stop for 231/2 years and yet I continue to say maybe tomorrow will be a better day.. I am slow to realize that that my better days are far behind me, but I refuse to give in or give up....

I no longer look for patterns, I did years ago when I was new to this journey Life has put me on... I have reach the point where patterns n longer matter. but I do make note of the new sx that continue to grow my list ever so much longer. My Dr. need to know what is happening so they can hopefully find me some relief.

I wish you well and will keep all of you in my Prayers... We are all on a never ending Journey, called Life & Living with MS..

WHO KNOWS, MAYBE TOMORROW WILL BE A BETTER DAY... Never give up HOPING, I am NOT....
{{{{~!~}}}}

[Eyesnlegs]

sorry I am responding to this late again, I guess I threw this discussion a bit diving in (as I am prone to do) about the reflux. I guess I am a little sensitive about the bad diet and reflux bit as being a little overweight for most of my life - which is a little more since I have been less mobile - I have had so many medics before I was dx tell me that my weight and diet could be causing all my sx that I just get defensive.

Bit to answer the main question, I too have tried to find a pattern to sx and sometimes I think I have only to be thrown the next day/week/month when something happens just randomly. So I guess my answer is no I cannot find a pattern at all in spite of trackers and diaries etc.

Pat x

[ErinZoe23]

Hey I just read your post you left on my question thingy...and yeah i dont get it either....my symptoms like yours are always scattered this and that here and there but nothing to be worrired bout u no.....but now its pretty damn consistant lol  for the past 3 days  i never felt so just blah! I think im going to tell my doc cause they said if i think i had a relapse to tell them so i dont have to wait for my second mri wich is in a yr then id be diagnosed with definate ms and not probable for there should be more lesions? I dont know though i got the same question  i aint on no medicine yet besiges neurotin and baclofen wich i need to google cause i dont even no what they are for lol might be good info lol maybe mines just side efects of that? i dunno   i hope u find your answer though!! sry i couldnt help as much!

[essdipity]

Wadeheather, acid reflux might, as you say, be a bit beside the point for you, or it might not. I doubt if any of us made a connection between reflux and MS to begin with, and it's such a common problem in general that still we have to wonder.

Yet it does make sense that this is an offshoot of MS, or can be. If we get spasms in the esophagus they can certainly affect the sphincter muscles between esophagus and stomach. If that opens inappropriately, yikes, it can be painful.

I started off having very occasional but very severe pain immediately after swallowing, which ultimately led to several kinds of tests. I now have a stricture at the bottom of my esophagus, and have been prescribed generic Prilosec. I really don't want to take it because that kind of med can be very hard on the bones. I don't seem to have much choice now, though, because the acid has gotten bad.

Anyway, getting back on topic, various odd conditions that we acquire often seem just straightforward whatever-it-is, since everyone ultimately comes down with a lot of stuff, especially as we age. These can certainly be something obvious and simple, but what are the odds that someone would have 4 or 5 new things to go wrong in the same year or so, having 4 or 5 independent causes? I think those odds would be pretty low, compared with an ultimate cause such as MS.

If MS is in the picture, suspected or diagnosed, it makes sense to look at all symptoms from that perspective.

ess

[wadeheather]

No, I am not dx. I was just trying to prepare myself for a neuro appt that is over a month away = crazy I know. And trying to find some kind of pattern to my symptoms (there are so many), some kind of ammunition to get away from the headache scape goat.  But as I looked at my tracker (you can take a peek if you are curious) I couldn't see much of a pattern to it, or definate breaks in a lot of symptoms.  I have a symptom diary that I kept before I started using the tracker.  Maybe if I translate that into the tracker it would be more obvious?

[ShadowsSister]

I apologize for moving off your track ( line of thinking)

Have you been Dx? Have you had a"remission"? the list of questions could run on... the best way to get an answer is to maybe give us a little more info...

Just know we are here for you OK
{{{~!~}}}

[Ufrustrated2]

i have the acid reflux, has awakened me at night to the choking point. the GI doctors ran their tests but really didn't see anything, some slight reflux. told me i would outgrow it. didn't happen.

now that i actually have an objective diagnostic issue with my nervous system, i think they are linked. makes no diff what i eat or drink, but can no longer eat large amounts of food.

[wadeheather]

Actually, my friends, I wasn't really wondering about the acid reflux, but I am glad to know that it could be related to the other symptoms in a weird way. I've never had it before outside of pregnancy. It simply was the only one that I saw the "one month in between" on.  Since I posted, however, I realized that my stabbing eye pain and a couple of other things follow the "one month" rule.  I was more confused about how the symptoms (for me at least) come and go.  Sometimes day to day, sometimes week to week. I am just trying to put my finger on a realistic viewpoint of it I guess.

[ShadowsSister]

You can be so funny, I think you must have the same sense of humor as I do, which at times can lean to the dark side of things, I think when you live with something like MS, you need to find some humor in things or go crazy.. I also think Laughter is a good Medicine to bring things into some sort of balance.
You take care and remeber to have a good laugh at least once a day.
Sending you hugs on the winds{{{{~!~}}}} DJ

[borntolose102]

Pat, thanks for the info! Shadow of course I have an open mind. When you are wrong you are wrong and that was me..:) Be good...

[jensequitur]

Yeah, it's not going to get you anything from the neurologist if you tell him you have acid reflux - he'll just tell you to see your PCP.

I get the worst acid reflux when I eat stuff that's on the 'bad' list for MSers - beans especially.

[ShadowsSister]

As far as I know they DON'T Use Acid Reflux to DX MS... MS is DX through MRI's on the Brain and Spine...
It is just one of the many problems known to be caused by MS Spasms...
Happy to know you still have an open mind to learn new things..LOL
A closed mind is so Sad...
Have a restful evening...{{{{~!~}}}}

[ShadowsSister]

You are so right, This problem has caused at least two or three trips and stays in the hoospital . I was DX 231/2 years ago. So this problem has been know for some time and it can be very serious
{{{~!~}}}

[Eyesnlegs]

Just thought I would add in my voice on this subject too.

I started with acid reflux problems in the same few months some 20 years ago that I had ON for the first time. Although I have suffered with this on and off over the years I have never related it to MS until I was dx when it all fell into place along with all my other sx.

Now I realize that acid reflux has been a constant companion of my MS and has had no relation to bad diet, medication or anything wlse. In fact when it is really bad no amount of antacids oe PPIs will suppress it.

Hope this helps

Pat

[borntolose102]

I had no idea. I guess through the years they add more and more symptoms to ms to qualify more people with a diagnosis. I know for a fact that when taking mass amounts of prednisone (if you are skipping the infusion and want to go cheap) that is causes stomach issues that is solved with nexium. Once again I learned something new.:) Hope you have a great one Shadow...jason

[ShadowsSister]

Hello, I don't think I have responded to any of your postings before. But you are a little misinformed about Acid Reflux. It can be quite serious and a lot of times it can be caused by MS spasms and/or medications. Mine happens to be caused by Spasms.
I take Nexium for it, I had been given a generic drug, which was useless.
Hope you feel better soon {{{~!~}}}

[borntolose102]

Anytime I have exacerbated my symptoms which led up to that maybe lasted for 3 days. Pain, tingling, sweats, pain, (like someone sticking a knife in your spine and then placing worms back there to crawl around), fever, feeling of a certain area of my head going to explore. No pain in the head but the feeling of the area being overinflated. Depending on the exacerbation it normally would attack the legs, eyes, hearing, arms. Also would hit one side during a bout. My left side would be dead including vision and hearing (taste bud were also half and half which was fun!) and then sometimes it would hit everything. The bouts would last until I received my infusion or when I was younger I took an aspirin because I had no idea what it was and waited it out because I kept quiet about how I felt... If you are speaking of a symptoms(an actual exacerbation and not the symptoms up to it) lasting over 24 hours, I have never heard of one lasting a day or two unless they were being IV'ed. As for acid reflux, that must be something new, never had it and it was not even spoken about back then. I guess you all could fill me in, please. I always thought that was caused by bad diet....

[jensequitur]

Are you asking if you've had any relapses?