new here

im new here, so bare with me as i double post, comment on the wrong  things and whatever else lol.  i was on the dr's forum, and saw that it takes them quite a while to get back to us. just some questions for you kind people who may or may not relate, but have at least some experience. here is my issue----

im 29 years old, generally good health (besides high cholesterol and controlled asthma). I'm 28 weeks pregnant with normal blood pressure, and so far a pretty good pregnancy.  

one week ago, i woke up seeing a wierd spot in my eye, went to an opthamologist and a retinal specialst who both said they saw a little bit of fluid in the back of my eye, and that nothing to worry about that the few things that could have caused it will self resolve, and that the spot itself may be visible for a few months.

since then.... Ive been getting wierd symptoms for 4-5 days now. It's tingling/vibrating sensation thru my hands, feet, legs and arms....and very occasionally thru the side of my head. i have no pain..... and no other issues....(no walking issues, no pain, no blurreed vision etc)... i went to my neurologist, who did the "point to ur nose/touch my fingers, etc examination" , checked my blood pressure, etc. she said i look perfect, has no idea whats causing the tingling sensations and said if anything gets worse to call her back.

she did an mri of brain w/and without contrast 6 months ago witch was completely normal.....a cbc blood test 2 days ago, completely normal (accept for slight anemia probably pregnancy induced) .....also my thyroid was checked 6 months ago and perfectly fine.
If indeed i did have ms...wouldnt something in blood work come back abnormal? such as high or low white cell counts or something??

my questions are --- from your experience do you see MS as a possibilty ?? or something worse??? im very concerned and scared. noone has answers for me.

[BOK2Bjan]

Hi and welcome.  Never feel your questions are ever wrong, or bothersome etc.  We all want reassurance and who better to ask than those who are experiencing the condition you're wondering about.  The only symptoms I see you have that are common with MS are the tingling etc.  When you're pregnant, excess fluid in your extremities can cause these same symptoms.  Since your tests at this point are normal, I'd just look into the opthomology issues at this point, unless something more specific shows itself.  Pregnancy is a tough time for any doctor to diagnose patients - since it's hard to sort out which symptoms are being caused by the pregnancy itself.

I do feel for you and think you should definitely keep check on your eyes, but don't see any reason to seek too diligently into the other symptoms just yet.  I wish you the best.  It's an exciting time and I hope the rest of your pregnancy and birth go great.  God bless you and your family.

Jan

[BOK2Bjan]

Hi again - It's Sunday morning and I am checking e-mail to prepare for church (I decorate the stage for Sunday morn services and so get the schedule etc.) - anyway, I saw this thread again and read what I said yesterday and think it sounds terribly arrogant of me.  I sounded like I know what you should and shouldn't be worried about and I'd like to apologize.  I certainly know no such thing.  I just know that when I went through my pregnancies, I had some fluid retention that caused some of those symptoms.  It certainly doesn't mean it has anything to do with what you're going through.

What I wanted to say was just a few words of encouragement to perhaps ease your mind and give you my opinion.  I'm afraid I came off sounding like I knew far more than I do, and I just had to humble myself and perhaps word my thoughts more appropriately.  What really stands out in your post is something most of us (I believe) go through - Drs dismissing our concerns in a way that doesn't make us feel "heard".  I would encourage you to not worry, but certainly keep tabs of your symptoms - a diary works well - so that if you become more concerned or have additional symptoms, you'll be prepared to describe your symptoms with dates, duration, and symptom details so you'll have a record if you return to your doctor.

One thing I mean with all my heart is that I feel for you and wish you the best.  Glad your pregnancy is going well otherwise and send blessings to you and your family.  Jan

[Sparkysarah]

I echo what Jan has said and you are very welcome on this forum and whatever is troubling you or concerning you is worth sharing as someone here may be able to put your mind at rest or answer your question honestly.  There is no right or wrong, except they do not like you using Dr's names or bad language and posts have been known to be censored in the past!

How wonderful that you are pregnant and over half way through. I can sense that you are obviously worried about some of the sensations that you have been experiencing but there could be a lot of reasons why. I expect they will be reluctant to investigate further, unless anything changes dramatically until after the birth. You have had some basic neurological tests done which appear to have been inconclusive (as is often the case as many people stay in limboland).

May I suggest that you look at our health pages on the top right hand side of this forum as this will possibly answer some of your questions, particularly about the diagnostic procedure. To answer your question about blood tests, no there is not a simple blood test to diagnose MS (if only..it would be a miracle for many people) and blood tests are used for elimination of other similar conditions.

The other thing is that I am wonering how the baby is lying and if this could be causing some of your symptoms, but as you have no pain it does not sound like a sciatic nerve or anything,,,,but I am no doctor so will not attempt to make guesses.

I think the good thing is that you are under a neurologist, and as you only have three months left till the baby is due, I would try not to worry too much when you have all those pregnancy hormones whizzing round inside you and a precious bundle growing as the best help you can give yourself is not to get stressed.

Keep a note of your symptoms, with dates and where you are feeling them and if they change and then you have this to refer to if you need it in the future.  You have done all the right things by seeing an opthamologist and neurologist and I am sure that if they had any serious concerns they would investigate further, and presumably you will be going back. If anything does change in the meantime then your neurologist has suggested you contact her so it sounds as if she is taking you seriously. I am wondering is the MRI was done with contrast (dye). Possibly not as you are pregnant and so if anything changes after the baby has been born, it would be worth asking for this next time you have an MRI.

Meanwhile take care of yourself, get your rest and you know where we are if there is anything that you want to ask.

With best wishes

Sarah x :)

[naynay363]

yes, the mri was done with and without contrast and also an eeg. that was 6 months ago (2 weeks before i got pregnant). So my neuro said thats pretty reassuring.

[RedFlame]

I just want to say hi and let you know you are welcome here.  Sarah has given you excellent advise and highly recommend following through on the things she mentioned.

Since you are pregnant there must be alot of things going on that feel different.  I would try not to 'second-guess' this situation at this point.

I also wanted to congratulate you on your marriage and new baby due in February.  This is a joyful time!!

Red

[Quixotic1]

Hi, I would like to offer some reassurances that this does NOT look like MS.  First of all, MS is usually suppressed during pregnancy.  Women with MS typically feel at their very best - sometimes without any symptoms at all during pregnancy.  It would be quite unusual for MS to appear during gestation.  However, it is common for MS to show its face in the four months after delivery.

Second, the appearance of symptoms in all of the limbs at the same time is not the way MS works.  It typically appears more asymmetrically - more here and there as opposed to all over.

So, I suspect that something else is going on.  Let your OB know about it, but rest more easily knowing that what you are going through does not resemble the beginning of MS.

Congratulations and bests wishes for a healthy delivery!

Quix, MD

[naynay363]

Thanks quix for your reassurance and response! To explain better...here is an example---sitting down,, and all of a sudden ill get the "tingles or crawlys" on my left leg...3 min later....the right side of my head...and hour later my left hand and arm. Very strange and frustrated! (I dont think that the pregnancy hormones, my anxiety and being a hyperchondriac (sp?) help anything! lol)  And i wonder if its' even related to the eye thing! lol sorry don't mean to sound crazy or pesty, you just sound very experienced, and you have all been very honest, respectful, helpful and supportive! thanks