Where should I go next?

I am 32 and I have been having strange symptoms for a little over two years now.  I also have a grandmother diagnosed with MS and has been completely immobile many years and in a nursing home because she needs round the clock care.  My mother also has 2 other auto-immune diseases (which I'm told MS is also a auto-immune disease).  My symptoms are mostly involving my left side.  It started with my left hand and sometimes involves my right hand but never together.  My hand will suddenly get in what I call a "claw" position and will stay that way for several minutes.  Over the past two years the "claw" symptom stays longer and longer but still never last for more than 15 minutes each episode.  The major episodes are always at least a month apart, but when I have an episode, my hand will often feel strange for the rest of the day and sometimes for several days after.  I also get lots of numbness and tingling in my left hand for no reason (for instance, I'm not leaning on it or anything to make it go to sleep).  A few months ago, I also had an episode with my left leg.  It felt very heavy and felt like I couldn't straighten it out so that I could walk normally.  I also felt like a tight band was around my leg just below the knee.  This feeling lasted for several days and it was exhausting to walk.  Because of these symptoms and my grandmother's MS, my mom urged me to see a dr for this.  He sent me to get leg and arm EMG's and nerve conduction test and when those came back normal he sent me for a brain MRI.  This came back with no visible lesions.  He also had my blood tested for everything under the sun....lyme disease, arthritis, peripheral neuropothy, and many other things.  Everything has come back normal and I am getting frustrated.  All he can say is that we may never know what it is and that if it is MS, that it may take more time for any lesions to show up.  What is my next course of action?  These symptoms are driving me crazy and I'm wondering if this really is MS and it just can't be seen yet.  I also wonder if I'm having any other MS symptoms and just don't know it yet.  I've been reading about MS and there are some things that I read and say...hey, I've had that before such as sharp head pains ( which I get every 3 months or so and always thought it was a kind of headache), vertigo (significant episodes over the past 4 years), and cataracts and sharp pain in my eyes (this is a very intense pain that only last a few seconds and will go away and not happen for a while...weeks).  I was told this at age 26 about the cataracts and no family history of this.  I'm not sure if those are linked to MS or not.  Can anyone help me with this and point me in the right direction?  

Thanks

[goofysmom1]

Hi!  Welcome to the forum!  This is a great place - for support and information!  

You don't mention if the doctor you are seeing is a Neurologist, but you should definitely be seeing one. If you can, see one that specializes in MS.  

You will find a lot of us here are in the same situation that you are in, lots of symptoms and no real answers yet.  There are also a number of diagnosed members here who are very knowledgeable about MS and all that goes with it - they are all very helpful, and I am sure they will respond to your post.

Take some time to read the Health Pages - you will find the tag up in the right hand corner of the web page.  Those articles are very well written and easy to understand.

Take care,
Chrisy

[luv2beoutdoor]

Thanks for writing back to me.  This whole process is pretty frustrating.  So far all of my tests and lab work has been done through my PCP.  I did see a neurologist who did a consult/EMG and nerve conduction test in February testing my L arm and L leg and he specializes in MS.  He was my grandmother's neurologist when she was diagnosed.  He only does testing now because he is semi-retired.  My PCP doesn't seem to want to use the MS label, but the neurologist said that it is very possible it is MS even with a clean MRI, especially because my grandmother has MS and my mom has 2 auto-immune diseases.  Since I had another significant "episode" this past weekend with my L hand, I have called my PCP and asked him to make a referral to a neurologist, my grandmother's current doctor.

You are right in that there are many knowledable people on these forums.  I really hope that someone reads them and sheds some light, either saying that yes, my symptoms sound like MS or to say No they do not sound like MS.  Believe me, I am hoping that MS is not the diagnosis, but if it is I would like to start treatments.  If my PCP had it his way we would "wait this out a year or two and see what happens then when we take another MRI and compare them".   Sorry, but I don't want to wait.  I want to know now.

Thanks again!!

Renee

[sllowe]

Hi Renee,

Belated welcome to the MS forum.

Sounds to me that your Dr. ran all the right tests and will follow you now.

My thoughts are that with a major MS attack, you will not need to pick your brain to much as to whether it's something or not. They can be pretty bad and you'll likely know "something" has gone haywire.  It is understandable though that you are sensitive to the disease and it's symptoms since you have seen 1st hand what it can do.

Best thing you can do is exactly what you did, i.e., going to the Dr. etc.  But, I do think it would be best to follow up with the neuro who specializes in MS.  You are fortunate your PCP ran so many tests.  Gave the neuro a good foundation to start with.

Thanks for joining us!

See you around!