TINGLING IN HEAT

[Melissa072]

Can I ask everyone a question about something that really has me confused.............

Pins and needles or tingling.
Many people I have chatted with get return of tingling in heat, just as I do.
What makes it return apart from ms.
A nurse told me any nerve damage worsens in heat, and that its a way our nerves respond in the heat.
I've just never found any info on this on the net.
Does anyone know if this is correct?
Does or can any type of nerve damage worsen in the heat?  I have only read that is a ms sympton.
The lady at the ms council here told me PN symptons including tingling worsen in the heat.

Thanks guys

[Quixotic1]

First I need to caution you about the use of the term PN - Peripheral Neuropathy.  This is a separate diagnosis from MS and it refers to nerve damage outside of the central nervous system.  When you use the term Peripheral Neuropathy or PN you are definitely talking about a problem that is NOT MS.

Now MS can have tingling, paresthesias and numbness that feels the same as PN, but the location of the damage is different.

Now, the rest of what you are saying is correct.  The peripheral tingling sensations (or other paresthesias) that we get in MS are worsened by heat.  This can be heat from inside the body as in fever, or the heat we make from exercise.  It can also be from outside sources of heat like a hot tub or hot day.

When the damage to a nerve is from demyelination, as in MS, heat will cause the nerve signal to be slowed even more, or eventually even stop.  For sensory nerves that means the signal may be altered and becaome a paresthesia or numbness.  For a motor nerve, this means that the signal arrives late or not at all to the muscle and we experience weakness.  The muscle is actually fine, but it doesn't get the signal to contract (or gets a weak signal) so we perceive the muscle as not working properly - it feels weak.

In PN - heat does not typically affect the sensations, or it might improve them.

So this phenomenon of "heat intolerance" is a good clue pointing toward MS.  

Melissa - In MS we all notice that our symptoms may increase with heat, or with fatigue, or with overuse (in the case of muscles).  They may also return with relapses when the disease flares up again.    I don't agree with the nurse that stated that all nerve damage is worse in heat.  In diabetic peripheral neuropathy some people experience some relief with mild heat.

From what you said it sounds like the woman at the local MS council was saying that the peripheral symptoms of neuropathy worsened in heat and that is correct.

Quix

[sjo1208]

Did you ever figure out the problem? I too have this and all tests have been negative

[Melissa072]

I had tingling in both feet for about  6 months straight, then it left, now it returns in heat, and under both my feet are numbish, and I've been dizzy, (mildly but still there) since June 2007.
I've had 2 normal mri's and a neg L.P. and still don't have any answers.
Many others I've spoken to on this site also have the tingling return in heat and have been told they don't have ms, thats the part that really confuses me.
I was under the impression that only ms worsen symptons ie: tinling
So if thats the case and others have the tingling return in heat also does that mean the only thing we could have would be a case on unpresented ms?????????

[sjo1208]

Did you ever figure out your problem

[supermum_ms]

Just letting you know that Melissa wrote this question thread back in 2008 and she hasn't posted on medhelp for years so it's very doubtful she will respond to your question to her.....JJ

[Sarahsmom46]

What a coincidence that I just had a discussion with my neurologist about this same issue this afternoon.   OK, if I understood him correctly he told me that nerve damage  with symptoms of PN and tingling and especially severe weakness are fairly unique to MS.  Other nerve problems do not react quite the same way.  He didn't get into that aspect though.  A couple of weeks ago I took a dip in the whirlpool at my gym and had severe PN and tingling within 5 minutes.  By the time I tried to get out, my legs were so heavy and weak that I couldn't get out on my own.  This was why I brought it up to my neurologist.  

I'm sure others on the forum will stop in and share their knowledge and experiences with this as well.  I hope this answered your question.  

Julie