neck pain?

I am a LimboLander with an uncomfortable new symptom--or maybe not a symptom?? I have a stiff neck--and not the kind that you get after you sleep weird--and not like something is "out." It's just this line of pain from my neck dowm my right arm--and up to my jaw--I feel stupid asking because maybe it's just a stiff neck--but I've never had pain like this before and was just wondering if this sounds like something to add to my log of sx or if it seems unrelated. I feel like my neck is really weak on this right side--like I have to really concentrate to turn my head. It just feels strange. . .anyone else experience this as part of a neurological problem?

thanks!

[santana8]

Yes, I had this stiff neck exactly how you described it three months after the onset of neurological symptoms. Not only stiff but painful if I tried to turn my head. It was worse on my right side too! It lasted for about two weeks and recurred over a period of about one year. I haven't had it lately, but sometimes I still feel that wierdness in my neck when I turn it but not as sevier as it was. When it was bad I would feel a bolt of pain shoot through my neck when I bent my head foward or to far to either side. It almost felt like a bad case of whiplash! Thankfully, this symptom has eased off and I hope is gone for good. I am not dx with MS yet, for now my neuro says my dx is ADEM. Hope this helps some!

Santana

[happyvalley]

thanks so much. I appreciate your post. It's hard when you're trying to figure out what's going on with you--what counts as a symptom or not. . .my neuro thinks that I have REALLY early MS. So early that it hasn't shown up on my MRI or LP yet. Granted, my MRI was really poor quality--low level machine and no contrast--my family practice dr ordered it. Sometimes I think that if I'm having this many symptoms--if it were MS it seems like it would show--but the neuro has no other expanation for me--so we wait and track symptoms. Anywa--thanks for your repsonse. As always, it's nice to know I'm not the only one and that I'm not going crazy. . .

[mrsturbo]

Your pain does sound alot like mine, except, like I said, my goes down my back not my arm.  

[santana8]

The first scan I had was 4 days after onset and it was a CT, and came back normal. Then five  months later, I had my first MRI of the brain without contrast on a T2 machine. It showed up the 10 lesions in the white matter. Then two months later the second neuro and my second opinion, done another MRI of the brain with and without contrast. Still showed the origional 10 lesions with no enhancement and no change and no new lesions. He has done repeat MRI's every six months since november of 2006. All of these have shown the same 10 origional lesions with no change, no enhancement and no new lesions. My neuro says they all apear to be the same age, indicating one attack, which is consistant with ADEM, but still it will take more time to completely rule out MS. My LP  was negative with no O banding. What type of machine did they do your MRI on? I would ask them to use contrast if I were you!  My neuro just throwed the first MRI that the first neuro done without contrast over to the side as if it was useless. I don't know why he did though. I guess the contrast meant something to him. Did you have an attack? If you did, was it sudden in onset and how long did it last? The one attack I had was sudden, but sevier! It caused a lot of dysfunction, but mostly effected my vision. I have a visual field defect from it!

Santana

[happyvalley]

My "attack" has been gradual. I started about four months ago with balance and vision problems-those sx are still around--but over the weeks and months I have developed tremors, left side numbness and weakness, etc. My physical exam is abnormal in a few ways and b/c I'm 32 and female, my neuro thinks that this is early MS. However, and this is a big however, my one low-quality no-contrast MRI showed no lesions. I had an LP that came back negative. My neuro has no better explanation for my sx though and still thinks that this is something that she will be able to officially dx as MS within a year or two. . .I'm planning on getting a second opinion b/c the sx are driving me crazy, effecting my quality of life, and I don't want to sit around and wait for MS to prove itself if in fact, this is something else. . .I guess I need an MRI with contrast. Thanks for your post though--I appreciate it.

[nikki861]

I suffer with this on a daily basis. My neuro prescribed hydrocodone for the pain and it does not touch it! Matter of fact the pain was so severe, on thurs and friday, I called the office to get an eariler appt. The doc has to ok this and he was out of the office. Well, I wound up in ER with a horrible migraine yesterday morning early. Husband had to take me back in the afternoon because I could not stop vomiting. The ER doc has seen me before and can not believe I am not yet dx with something. They started an IV and gave me wahts called a migraine cocktail. Kept me till I felt better. Today I feel as though i have been run over by a semi. To top things off my neck is hurting worse. I have horrible pain behind my left eye and feel a headache coming on. I took my meds and now feel like a zombie. I just dont know what to do. If I did not live30 mins from hospital, I think I would get in my car a go. I called the neuro. and of course they take their sweet time getting back to you. The nurse has to ok early appt with doc. GIVE ME A BREAK!
I am suffering and not getting any relief. This is all so fustrating. I'm so dizzy; I feel like I'm going to fall everytime I get up. My left side seems not to want to work today. And the sweats.............are driving me insane! I dont know where to go from here.
Hope you all have better luck than I'm having.

Blessings,
Beth

[happyvalley]

I am so sorry! That is outrageous that you can't get in to see your doc as a follow up from the ER. My neck pain kept me pretty much in bed/on the couch all day yesterday but is much better today. I'm hoping that thsi round of whatever that was is over. My neck still feels "weird." It's weak and twitchy--I think the aftershocks of the initial problem. I appreciate everyone's responses and feel pretty confident now that my neck issue is a part of the big puzzle for me. . .Good Luck Beth!

[doublevision1]

I had a very stiff neck during my first major flare last fall.  It started a few days after I starting having major fatigue, and numbness and tingling in my hands, feet, and right side numbness of my face, neck and torso.  I woke up with it one morning, so I assumed it had nothing to do with other stuff and was just from sleeping in poor position.  But it persisted and worsened over several days.  After the stiff neck, I then developed MS hug - the crushing tightness around the rib cage.  A few days later, double vision.

The stiff neck and MS hug made it very hard to move around much.  So I didn't!  I also didn't get much sleep as it hurt to roll over in bed.

I was told my stiff neck was related to all these other neurological issues, and sure enough I was dx'ed with MS within several weeks.  Most of the above symptoms, including the stiff neck, subsided with IV steroids.  Double vision and fatigue persist to this day though, plus now I have left side numbness from a recent flare.  No stiff neck or MS hug this last time though, I'm grateful for at least that.

I know what you mean, it is very hard sometimes to differentiate possible MS symptoms from other things, including normal, mundane everyday aches and pains.  Keeping a journal (sounds like you do that) is a good way to keep track of it all.

Take care

db