Could this be MS?

Hello,

I was just looking for ANY feedback regarding my current situation that may help!!!  I'm a 37yr old female originally from the UK and now living in Ont/Canada.  I've had MS like symptoms for approx 5 yrs now.  I've had 2 normal brain MRI's and normal bloodwork (nothing out of the ordinary according the DR).  I'm scheduled for a spinal MRI end of August and EVP testing also.  I've been up and down this possible MS rollercoaster for 5 yrs now and I'm feeling extremely frustrated - just looking for some kind of answer.

My symptoms are tingling in right cheek (face), hand and foot, optic neuritis (one episode) in right eye, EXTREME fatigue where after 1 hr of normal activity my body feels like lead, right arm goes through periods where I can't lift it along with aching pain that I can't pinpoint, my right leg feels like it's going to buckle climbing the stairs and often weak after walking for a while.  I'm currently off work with depression so they say due to my tiredness.  Neuro found a positive babinski's reflex in my right foot which I was told inidicates a spinal problem?  My questions are as follows:  How likely is it that I have MS?  Given the fact that I have normal brain MRI, what are the odds of anything showing up on my spine?  What exactly does this babinski's reflex indicate - a lesion of my spine?

Any info on this would be sooooo helpful!
Signed,
Not a very patient patient.....

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-PW]

Many conditions can mimic MS, and treatment for MS has risks involved so it is important to have a firm diagnosis of MS before treating/labelling it

There are fairly thorough criteria for diagnosing MS (the McDonald criteria), which essentially requires documentation of more than one MS attack in more than one place in the central nervous system (by MRI, evoked potentials, spinal fluid analysis etc), with exclusion of other causes such as tumors, masses etc

MRI is a pretty sensitive test at picking up MS lesions especially over time, and is being used more and more in the diagnosis. So a normal MRI over time in the presence of attacks suggest that it is not MS. MS lesions also commonly occur in the cervical spinal cord so this needs to be included in the above.

Alternative diagnosis include Strokes, vasculitis, Lyme, sarcoid, B12 deficiency, migraine

The babinski reflex is present, indicates that there is a problem in the motor neurons anywhere above the lower motor neuron area in the spine - so it could be spinal cord, brainstem or brain - further localization must be done with the clinical examinations and MRI.

[lchelsemom]

Make sure Dr. has done B12 testing. Low
B12 can cause some of these symptoms.  I was diagnosed with MS and years later they discovered low B12 and they decided that was cause of MS-like symptoms.  You might want to research B12 deficiency and see if your symptoms match.

Good Luck!

[Tone37]

Thanks Linda - B12 was tested for and normal.  I've been put on B vitamins from my family DR to see if it helps and nothing....  Thanks for the info though!

[cranky]

I too am going through alot of what you are except that symptoms are being confused with damage caused by a central disc prolapse with subsequent fusion.  After surgery my weakness has not gotten better and with my cauda equina syndrome symptoms are mucking everything up.  Right and left sided weakness, positive Babinski, clonus, hypereflexia, negative mri brain, DDD, spondylosis, central canal stenosis.  My spinal surgeon keeps blaming it on a neurological disorder and my neurologist keeps saying it is coming from my spinal injury. Help!!!!

[Dneener]

Wow! You're going through everything I'm going through only mine is on the left side.  I

[Tone37]

Thanks for the info DR!  Hopefully it is something else...

Believe it or not, just talking about my symptoms and finding out that others are going through similar situations is helpful and reassures me that I'm not alone!  Once I have my spinal MRI, I will know for sure.  

Deneener, I would ask for a spinal MRI just to rule out MS.  My neuro did say that there are MS sufferers who don't have lesions in the brain but do in the spine so this is why she is going to check mine.  And like the neuro above said, I guess this Babinski reflex that I have indicates something wrong in the spine so we wait and see! I posted the same question on the mssociety.org.uk website and I've had a couple of people respond saying that they only have lesions in their spine - brain MRI's were all normal!  Obviously it could be something else also....  Like all of us in "could it be MS" limbo land I just want an answer.  I'm not a wimp and consider myself to be a VERY strong individual, but these ongoing symptoms and not knowing is just breaking me down.  Good luck to you all and keep pushing for an answer!  I know I will........

[Dneener]

Thanks for your reply 37.  This time I'm not giving up without an answer.  My neuro is doing a CAT scan on my spine.  I'm not really sure what the difference between that and an MRI is, but I guess it's a start.  What I find puzzling is that after reading some of these post, it doesn't look like it's unusual to just have attacks on one side.  My doctor seems to think it's strange that I only have attacks on one side.  I'm thinking now I should be looking for a new doctor! Good luck to you too.  I know if you're anything like me you don't want anything, but you know somethings wrong, and you just want an answer.  I do hope you find it. I hope we all do.

[1331]

I am 37 years old. i have been going through ms like symptoms since after my partial histerectomy in 2000. all mri's and cat scans are all negative.they said its complicated migraines.nothing that they did seem to help.i have had i ve treatments to pills.i have been in hospitals and trips to the emergency room more times than i can tell you.my body gets real slow i have a hard time talking walking moving. my left side feels like a stone is laying on me.my body feels like its shutting down on me.i can hear everything around everyone is saying to me but i cn't respond.iave had what felt like a stroke right after my surgery.but they said it wasn't a stroke. i am steel going thru alot.

Hi I am Duke Angie's husband and she just went down again so I am finishing this off not expecting answers since we have done this a million times before. Main facts, Partial; hsyterectomy, Ovaries left in, woke up from surgery with migraines and seizure like activities, 5 Neuros later branded as complicated migraines (means we dont know) here we are wife is incapable of a job and alot of household functions, and no Neuro will sign a paper for SS going on 7 years  Will sign as Duke & Angie

[PaulieB]

Interesting post as I am being dragged down the potential MS highway myself.  Almost lost complete use of my left arm and the bottom of my left foot stays numb most of thr time.  My left shoulder (trapezoid and deltoid) are affected with the arm and four months later, they still are clueless.  MRI of the brain was normal, L-spine MRI showed compression of a few discs (L3&4 on left/L4&L5 on right, EMG of the legs showed a slight difference, EMG of the arms was normal in March, but I lost use of the arm back in May...new EMG being done this week.  C-spine showed bulging disc (C3-C4 towards the spinal cord, and T-spine showed a lot of narrowing near the foramen.  LP was normal, blood tests were normal...chest xrays were normal to rule out sarcoidosis...any feedback or comments welcome...

[clb185]

Very interesting and helpful message board.  My father has MS as does my brother, and now I think I'm getting it.  About eight years ago I had blurred vision for a 36 hours with no other symptoms.  The doctor attributed it to a side effect from Benadryl.  Now for the past few weeks I'm having a hard time moving my right leg.  I can walk on it, but I tend not to lift it high enough so I drag the front part of my foot sometimes.  I don't have any of the numbness, twitches or spasms like the ones described in the other posts.  The only other symptom is the frequent need to urinate.  Anybody else heard of these symptoms?

[numbskull]

re:do you have trouble urinating?in my case,I have that urgent need,then, I can not(consistently, sometimes it is not a problem) start the stream,I have to wait,and then sometimes it will stop and I have to wait again.feels sometimes like I haven't emptied totally.those kind of things CAN go along w/MS, but might be something else.I have had TN-trigeminal neuralgia on & off for 8yrs, but never knew what it was,nor did any dr.finally in May when the remission time was finally over and I have constant pain,lightning strikes of it R side of my face only,they dx it.Also,have a sib like you that has MS, but just found out as I was about to schedule brain surgery for the TN-now they say,well if you have MS,you can't have surgery, as poor outcome for pain relief for MSers.On a journey,this waiting and watching re:MS stinks! don't want it,but DO wanna know if I DO have it!numbness,shocking in soles of feet,burning on palms of hands,good luck to you!BlessingsKate

[TiredofDizzyness]

I am 31 year old Male - I work in IT. It was all fine till February when I had lot of stress and few conflicts added to it. I had dizzy spell in office and was about to fall down. Since then, it came and went and now since mid June, I am always dizzy to the point that I almost don't know whether I will live tommorrow.

I have been regularly seeing a doctor. My CT Scan/MRI results/Blood Test are normal. Interestingly last week I had sudden Chest pain and EKG was abnormal. Although the blood tests again were normal, doctor has advised me to get a Stress Test done. I also have to see an ENT.

I can't drive. I can't walk a distance. I have to take a but->metro->Bus again to get to work and I don't know when I will fall down. It just feels very heavy at the back of my head. I don't have clear vision and I want to just sit home and relax. The work stress seems to make it worse.

I don't know if I will survive this for long and I am not sure whether doctor will approve my disability. He thinks everything is normal(If he would have been in my shoes, he would know what it feels like).

What are my options in Canada?

Roshan

[randool]

TiredofDizzyness: are you experiencing dizziness or lightheadedness?  if the latter, you might want to check for orthostatic hypotension as this can certainly contribute to the symptoms you are describing.

[PaulieB]

You are not losing your mind....you appear to be having panic attacks, whihch can include heart palpatations, dizziness, thoughts thst you might die, inabilitt to walk in open spaces or narrow hallways, a sense of agoraphobia....and so on...you needs to see a psychiatrist ASAP so they can properly treat you...I have been living with your problem for 15 years, on and off...you will survive!!!

[devora]

Desperate 37 yr old woman for help with strange symptoms lasting for over a couple of years. A year ago I had an attack that felt like some kind of stroke where the left side of my face was tingling and numb. I could not speak and had trouble thinking and with memory. Left arm tingling and weak. My head felt stiff and could not turn my face from side to side.  trouble walking-unbalanced and uncoordinated-felt like i was going to fall in the heart of Times Square. my head felt very heavy and at times would feel like it was "falling." Trouble focusing on things. While reading, words would appear as they were skipping, jumping, bouncing off page. went to neurologist and he diagnosed me as being anxious. (at the time of the office visit i was in tears, because i could not move my head or speak properly). Went to ER one night , had a lumbar puncture done to rule out meningitits and CT to rule out stroke. Both normal.  Lyme disease ruled out.

Almost exactly a year later -June 2005, i was working and had another similar "attack." Couldn't speak, confused, couldn't move. Electrical-like shocks darted through my body. uncoordinated and unbalanced. Went to ER and was told i had either migraines or panic attack.

Since the last attack my right arm has been in excrutiating pain. Pain alternates between my fingers, hand, forearm and shoulder. comes and goes.  Pain in right leg.  Have days where i am uncoordinated and have weird head symptoms.

Dr.s are stumped (and i have someof the "best" New York Dr.s around) They say they have never seen all of these unusual symptoms and have basically given up on trying to diagnose me.  I feel like i have not been taken too seriously and am frustrated. I am always afraid of having another attack.

Had brain mri which reads "2 punctate  foci of FLAIR-hyperintensity in the right frontal subcortical white matter and at the junction of the right external capsule and anterior limb of the internal capsule represeent nonspecific findings."

Does anybody know what these results mean? Dr. said these are tiny tiny lesions and did not come to any diagnosis or conclusion because of it.

[lourainie]

I am a 56 year old female who had polio at the age of 8 months.  For the past 13 years I have had episodes where I had trouble walking with the burning and tinkling sensations in my legs.  I went through all kinds of testing and everything came up negative.  However since the first of July, I have been having sensations of burning, tingling and numbness in both my legs and the top portion of my head.  It feels like I have a rubber band around my temples and someone is tightening the band.  I have had 2 episodes where I lost complete use of my legs and was taken to the hospital because they thought I was having a stroke.  I had my first visit with a new doctor and he doesn't think it is MS because my MRI came back normal.  He put me on an antidepressant and I AM NOT depressed.  I just want to know what is going on with my body.  I know that something is not right.  The doctor from 13 years ago said that he knew something was wrong but he couldn't pinpoint the problem.  How do I get the doctors to listen to me.

[eirunner]

I am interested in knowing some of your occupations and workplaces. I had many of the same symptoms and have been dianosed with environmental illness where the things we are exposed to everyday affect our central nervous systems, chemicals , pesticides, etc. Look at my post today in regard to the thread from ellyshad on 7/23/05 about bad balance, slurred words and lack of concentration. I would be  interested in your comments and thoughts as I see many posts here that tend to have th same symptoms and most tests come back negative and many doctors seem stumped to the reasons for the myriad of symptoms. Look forward to your comments.
Interesting site. I came here to check on some knee symptoms but have been sitting here for two hours reading about people with the same problems I had (and still have if I do not protect myself) who are at a loss for answers. My knee pain now seems fairly insignificant.

[flfosgl43]

Are you drinking diet drinks with Aspertame (sp?) in them.  If you are I would suggest you stop immediately.  Aspertame may be poisening you and causing MS like symptoms.  I have an article at work I would like to send to you about this.  You can also research yourself on the internet.  Poisening by Aspertame causes MS like symptoms.  Please look in to this if you use it.

[Magic_Girl]

Thank goodness I am not going crazy. Everyone here seems to have had similar symptoms to the ones I am experiencing.

I am 33. I have numb legs and from the waist down. This just started two days ago. I saw my PCP and he referred me to a neurologist whom I probably cant see for at least a week.

I am scared out of my wits that I have MS and what that might mean. I am active and I feel like my life just started...its really bumming me out.

I just read something on this post about B12 deficiency looking like this. I just became a vegetarian in June. Maybe I totally did my body wrong by doing this?

Anybody know if these symptoms could be related to a vegetarian diet?

Anyway...Im glad other people are out there who are looking for answers. Makes me feel not so alone.

Kris

[maddi22]

Hello everyone! I am a 32 year old female. I have been experiencing severe back pain, bilateral hip pain, and bilateral arm pain for the past 2 yrs after the birth of my first baby. Shortly after I had my daughter I was dx with a rare bacterial infection. I was treated empirically with antbx for 7 mo until I became pregnant with my 2nd child (I then had to stop them) I should have been on them for up to 18 mo. Anyway, no further reoccurrence of the infection. I then started to experience numbness and tingling in my L arm primarily and numbness and tingling in both legs, R arm, chest area and face after a high fever. I made an appt with a neurologist all bloodwork normal, MRI normal. I had a cervical MRI done years ago in which I remember a Dr. asking me if I had problems with my neck because they found a lesion on my cervical spine. I wasnt having problems at that time except for numbness and tingling in my arm.I have never thought about this again until now because the symptoms had subsided. I have also had what I thought was recurrent conjuctivits my eyes have  become red inflammed, I have had blurred vision they have given me tobradex and vigamox which seems to help. Now my Rhuem. says this could be an inflammatory response and could be associated with the back pain. He said I need to see a good opthamologist. Does anyone have similar problems thoughts or advice? I am an RN with a strong med background. I am in terrible pain my l hand and arm goes numb at times and feels weak. Id appreciate any feedback!!

[kattmojo]

in 2003 i had symptoms of 1) a sharp pain in chest,2)left arm had pain and went numb 3) left side of my face went numb .i went to the ER they ruled out heart attack, said it was a tia. now the symptoms are still present, i was told it could be ms. does any one know if the tia triggered ms?

[kattmojo]

sorry i left out some info... my symptoms were medicine induced by arthritis meds. i have no strength in my arm. i was pretty healthy before this tia episode and now to find i may have ms. does any one know if this could be secondary to a tia? could one trigger the other? thank you very much to whoever responds  im really scared