heat intolerance

[helen41]

I have many features of MS (++fatigue, muscle pain, strange gait, brain fog, etc) but on MRI they found no MS lesions, only "numerous punctate T2/FLAIR hyperintensities in the subcortical regions of both cerebral hemispheres" which they suggested were most likely related to chronic microvascular disease. Now once again I am questioning whether they missed something. I had a bath last night, drained the tub, then when I tried to get out....nothing. My legs didn't hurt (which is unusual, as they have ached chronically for the past few months)-it was like they simply wouldn't obey. I could move them, but they felt weak and I just could not get them to cooperate to stand me up. After I tried sitting with my eyes closed trying to organize myself for 30-35 minutes, my husband climbed in the (now dry) tub and lifted me to a standing position. Once standing I could step out of the tub. Is this a description of the heat intolerance people with MS experience or am I off track?

[micheleliz]

Hello,
I hope not to intrude, but I read your post (and any pertaining to numb hands while showering)  and I was wondering if you have gotten a diagnosis?  I wake up have coffee get in the shower and that's when the numbness starts.  I live in GA and it is just now getting warm out, but I'm still cold to the point of chills, so I take a hot shower and immediately get rock numb, no feeling at all in hands, left is worse, I am right handed.  It is VERY irritating.  They never completly get unnumb for lack of a better word, but when the hard numbness wears off they ache.  i'm 53 and have been having weird things happening.  I had an episode 2 months ago where i was walking, (I limp too) and I felt a tremendous searing pain in bottom of left foot and I fell into a bed where I happened to be right next to.
(Luckily)  After a week of hardly any pressure on it, I was able to finally put pressure on it and now I have drop foot on that side, I'm constantly tripping over rugs.  I'm so afraid I have MS, ALS, or some other neuromuscular disease.  I have NO health insurance and a urgent med. doctor I occasionally see says I may have Carpal Tunnel but of course he's just giving me the obvious numb hand diagnosis.  He says to get hand braces and I have a multitude of them and they don't help at all.  I also have VERY painful areas under the thumbs of both hands.  Sorry for such a long post, I don't know where to turn for help/answers.  I know that posters are not doctors, I really just wanted some maybes.  Thanks for your time.

[Erin0313]

  That must of been scary! I love hots baths but years ago we found that I would burn myself not realizing how hot the water was so the doctors said that I had to take the temp of the water and it can't be over 98.8 or I could have a stroke - nice.

Now as things have progressed we have a no locking the bathroom door rule because I fall too much and hubby doesn't want to hit me with the door when he kicks it down.

I don't take many baths anymore but when I do they are warm not hot and someone is around to help with the jelly legs if they come.

Good luck
Erin :)

[Lulu54]

Hi Helen - nice name! That's my mother's name, too.  I don't think we have crossed paths yet, here.  This is a good spot to find information - the people here are more than willing to share.


Doctors stopped using the hot water test for MS when they discovered that some people didn't recover from the heat induced symptoms.  They learned what you also need to know - stay out of hot baths and hot tubs until you get a better picture of what is going on with your health.

Good luck on Monday and let us know how it goes with the doctor.
be well,
Lulu

[helen41]

Thank-you both. It's nice to be able to throw out my questions so I can formulate a bit of a plan when I see the Dr again on Mon. I did the search for microvascular disease as well, and although I think I'd rather have it, the symptoms don't make sense. How lucky to be alive in a time where info is so easily accessed!

[supermum_ms]

I think the question for your neurologist should be, Does micro vascular disease make your legs temporarily paralysed when you have a bath??

It is possible that what your experiencing is heat intollerance, as seen in MS, a hot bath once upon a time, use to be a diagnostic tool, if you had clinical signs of lesions, they would put you into a hot bath and if you couldnt get out, you had MS. I'm not saying because of that you do have MS, but it should put be a red flag and get the docs looking beyond micro vascular disease as the cause of all your symptoms.

I would think that your sx are untypical without additional issues like diabetes, heart or kidney probs too, i did a quick google search and couldnt find heat intollerance or temporary paralysis any where connected, though it might be worth a proper search.

Cheers........JJ