Vibration down spine

[kwjb1975]

Ive been getting a tingling/numbness in my fingers that is constant for about a month now, just in the past 10 days I have this vibration down my spine when i look down. Its not painful, just very annoying and bothersome. Everything I read point to MS. COuld it be something else?

[Cann1980]

I have the spine tingles... Mine does not hurt.. Just funny feeling and annoying. Lhermettis sign what I have found is caused by ms ... A lesion in the spine. I have this as well.
I think pinched nerves and other spinal issues can cause feelings like lhermettis sign  but I think they come with a shocking like pain.... This is what I could find as a difference when searching for info.

Also lhermettis comes with the bending of the head ... Other causes for tingles do not.

Mine can also tingle to my toes and legs etc... Depending on if I am tired, stressed etc.

I have had this for many many years...

I am not the expert here bc I am just now going down my learning path being newly diagnosed... I can only say my experience ... I know others have pain with their lhermettis too and I don't... We are all different.

Good luck with the process... I hope you get the coverage you need soon.

[doublevision1]

Good luck and keep in touch if you have more questions or just need support.

[kwjb1975]

I take (2) 2000 mcg most days of the week. Some days I forget. I eat gluten/carb free mostly. I have RA so it helps with inflammation. Thank you for the information. My boyfriend has Parkinsons and we have an appointment next month with his Neurologist at Rush medical so I think I will ask him his opinion. He is a movement disorder specialist. Im sure he will be able to give me some answers.

[jenphilly]

Welcome to the group...  sorry you needed to find this place, but glad you did!  

If you are dealing with MS, symptoms can come and go....  You may be in the midst of an exacerbation, either a lesion is forming or just developed.   While the body can never heal itself from a lesion, it will 'settle' and many times the intense symptoms during a flare will quiet down and just become problematic when you experience triggers.  I know during what the doctors believe was my first major MS incidence, I had about 3 months of terrible symptoms and problems, but even before I received diagnosis and started on meds, things had quieted and were not as bad.  

I posted this morning on another thread about keeping a diary to try to see if anything adds to your symptoms.  You might find heat, certain activities or specific food types will cause your symptoms to be worse.  I'm a big advocate of food modification when dealing with any type of autoimmune issue and I've found its not nearly as difficult as you would fear when presented with the challenge.  And in my personal experience, the reward far, far outweighs the inconvenience.  

Are you taking a sub-lingual B12?   What dosage?  You might be surprised to find the lower dosage doesn't do much even if you take everyday.  I take 5,000 mcg every other day.  But it took at least 6 months of taking 5,000 mcg daily to get the B12 levels up using just over the counter.  And my count was just low side of normal, was not low enought to cause any problems itself.      

I understand having the worry about not having insurance, but in the same breath, waiting to get started is a concern too.  I am sure you've pursued all avenues for finding insurance independently and state programs, but I know the NMSS does offer some help to un-insured with testing and such. I know the upcoming insurance changes eliminate the pre-existing conditions thru anything but plans you buy direct yourself, so there is hope there, but that is still a wait of another 6 months....    

I hope you feel a little better everyday!!

Good luck and keep posting...  

Hugs,

Jen

[kwjb1975]

Thank you for all the information, Does this ever go away or is this something that is constant? Its very frustrating. I no longer have health insurance and Im nervous to get diagnosed before getting new insurance. I take B12 a lot so im not sure if i could be deficient in that.

[kwjb1975]

I have not seen a Dr yet, I lost my job about two months ago and now have no insurance. Im a little nervous to get diagnosed with anything before getting insurance again as it would be a pre-existing condition. I take B12 maybe 4-5 days a week. Do you think I could still deficient?

[supermum_ms]

Hi and welcome to our little MS community, what your describing is called the "L'hermitte's sign" and there are a few other conditions that can cause this symptom besides MS.

"Lhermitte's sign is an electrical sensation that shoots down the spine from the head towards the feet. It is often brought on by flexing the neck so that the chin moves towards the chest. The sign is thought to indicate dysfunction of the dorsal columns of the cervical spinal cord, which are responsible for transmitting information about light touch, proprioception, and vibration to the brain.

While it has classically been thought of as a sign of multiple sclerosis, Lhermitte's sign can actually be caused by many different problems, including B12 deficiency and transverse myelitis. Nitrous oxide toxicity can sometimes be associated with a "reverse Lhermitte's sign", in which the electrical sensation travels the opposite direction, from the feet towards the head."
http://neurology.about.com/b/2013/04/04/what-is-lhermittes-sign.htm

Many symptoms of MS are found in other more common conditions (we call them MS mimics), you really need to get some tests done to find out what is causing your fingers to be tingling for so long and now the Lhermitte's, a simple explanation for it all could be a trapped nerve but I think you need to make an appointment with your dr.

Cheers........JJ

[doublevision1]

That sensation is called Lhermittes Sign and is classic for MS, but another possible cause is Vitamin B12 deficiency.  That said, Lhermittes in inaddition to numbness and tingling in your fingers might be more suggestive of the former. Have you seen a doctor about it?  An MRI of your spinal cord would be a good idea as would bloodwork to rule out B12 deficiency.