Extreme stabbing pain - typical of MS?

[Janx]

Hi,

I am in the midst of probably being diagnosed with MS (“probably” – one brain MRI shows no brain lesions, but symptoms are steadily getting worse, spinal MRI coming up.  Rather hoping for MS, am terrified of something worse).  I have all the usual MS symptoms, numbness in a foot and hand, weird burning sensation in ball of foot, blurred vision etc., but my main concern is the very sudden, unbelievably severe pains I’ve experience over the last few months.  I’ve gotten them in my back, (between the shoulder blades, shooting down), one foot, and weirdly, my big toe.  the pain feels as if someone has heated up a knife to be white-hot, and then jammed it into my body with no warning whatsoever. the pain is so intense and so sudden, it causes me to double over and scream loudly (as one might if you were actually being stabbed – I had a very embarrassing incident at the dry cleaner this way) and the pain itself leaves kind of an lingering feeling (like aftertaste when you eat things w/fake sugar...but I can’t think of a word for after-pain) that takes a few hours to go away.

I’ve seen only one neurologist so far, who said that this pain was “not typical” of MS pain – but my googling has shown that other people seem to have something similar.  Is severe acute pain a possible symptom of MS or not?  

[kimberleydust]

Hi,
There are many individual symptoms msers get that aren't "typical".  I am in the process of being diagnosed and they are 90% sure I have MS but what made them question my MRI results was that I only had 1 lesion showing up (in the Pons of the brain stem) and the first Neurologist I saw said it wasn't "typical" of MS.  He was expecting to find more lesions elsewhere.  But I have since read that the lesions can come and go.  However my other symptoms add up to MS.  Some of those have been very sharp sudden stabbing pains.  One in my right eye.  I also get pain occuring at different times and the hot and cold and tingling and numbness I get occur spasmodically and in various places. Some come and go in the same place others I have only had once.  Something which I have been having the last couple of days is nerve rippling under the skin (involuntary).  I also get the burning in my feet (not painful).  MS is a very unpredictable disease because of nerve involvement so we can expect to feel all sorts of sensations and pain.  My question is what IS "typical" of MS??

Hope you get some answers soon.  
Louise

[mineandours]

I wanted to add that I was a "possible MS" diagnosee. I even had brain spots on my MRI.  As it turned out, I had a bad case of neurological Lyme disease.  The symptoms can be very similar even down to the brain spots. Doctors don't know a whole about it which explains why I went through a parade of 14 of them in a two-year period.  I found the LymeNet site and located a Lyme specialist.  Almost three later, I'm still on antibiotics. Once that bacteria enters the central nervous system, all sorts of bizarre and painful things happen. I know of people who have gone so far as to undergo the Avonex injections---then later learned they had Lyme.  Here's a symptoms list for you, in case you want to keep it in the back of your mind. Oh, and you don't have to recall a bite of have gotten the rash to have it AND you can have it and still have a negaive test result. Sign me "Been There, Done That!"

Musculoskeletal System
Joint pain or swelling or tenderness
Stiffness of joints, back, neck
Muscle pain or cramps
Bone pain

Neurological System
Tremors or unexplained shaking (especially at night)
Burning or stabbing sensations in the body
Weakness or partial paralysis/stroke-like symptoms
Pressure in the head
Numbness in body, tingling, pinpricks
Poor balance, dizziness, difficulty walking
Increased motion sickness
Lightheadedness, wooziness
Sudden jerking of fingers or entire limbs
Pain in spinal column

General Well-being
Unexplained weight gain, loss
Extreme fatigue
Swollen glands
Unexplained fevers (high or low grade)
Continual infections (sinus, kidney, eye, etc.)
Symptoms seem to change, come and go
Pain migrates (moves) to different body parts
Early on, experienced a "flu-like" illness, after which you have not since felt well.  (If it was mild, you may not even recall this.)

Eyes/Vision
Double, blurry or dim vision
Increased floating spots
Pain in/behind eyes, or swelling around eyes
Over sensitivity to light
Flashing lights
Optic neuritis

Ears/Hearing
Decreased hearing in one or both ears
Buzzing or clicking noises in ears
Pain in ears or sound sensitivity
Ringing in one or both ears
Pressure or feeling of fullness in ears

Digestive and Excretory Systems
Diarrhea, irritable bowel
Constipation
Irritable bladder (trouble starting, stopping)
Frequent urination that is not normal
Upset stomach (nausea or pain)

Respiratory and Circulatory Systems
Shortness of breath, cough
Chest pain or rib soreness
Night sweats or unexplained chills
Heart palpitations or extra beats
Heart blockage

Psychological well-being
Mood swings, irritability, rage
Unusual depression
Disorientation (getting or feeling lost)
Feeling as if you are losing your mind
Overemotional reactions, crying easily
Too much sleep, or insomnia
Difficulty falling or staying asleep

Mental Capability
Memory loss (short or long term)
Confusion, difficulty in thinking, brain fog
Difficulty with concentration or reading
Going to the wrong place
Speech difficulty (slurred or slow)
Stammering speech
Forgetting how to perform simple tasks

Head, Face, Neck
Unexplained hair loss
Headaches, mild or severe
Twitching of facial or other muscles
Facial paralysis (Bell's Palsy)
Tingling of nose, cheek or face
Stiff or painful neck or creaking
Jaw pain or stiffness
TMJ – sudden onset, jaw spasms
Sore throat, hoarseness
Loss of sense of taste
Difficulty swallowing, throat spasms

Females only:
Unexplained menstrual pain, irregularity
Unexplained breast pain, discharge

Males only:
Testicular or pelvic pain

LYME FACTS
1. You do not have to recall a bite or have gotten the target rash to have Lyme disease. Less than 50% of people with Lyme do.
2. The tick that carries Lyme is as small as the period at the end of this sentence and their nymphs are nearly microscopic.  Ticks are on the move at 35º and above. It’s a year-round problem.
3. You do not have to experience ALL of these symptoms to have Lyme disease.  It is also typical for many of these symptoms to come and go or occur once and never occur again.
4. It is possible to have Lyme disease and have a negative test result.  After Lyme bacteria enters your system, it tricks your immune system into no longer producing antibodies to fight it, hence, a negative test result. There are also other numerous factors that can affect the results.
5. Lyme bacteria hide in the spinal fluid, bone, tendons, muscle and nerve fibers and tissues and in many cases are not “floating” around in the bloodstream where they can be picked up on a test. It is a cousin to the syphilis bacteria and very difficult to eradicate.
6. It takes a LYME SPECIALIST to diagnose, test for and treat Lyme disease and any of its associated co-infections. To find one go to www.LymeNet.org or www.ilads.org.  Lyme specialists do not require a referral.  

NOTE: Everyone may have symptoms that appear on this list; however, it does not mean he/she has Lyme disease.  If one has numerous symptoms on this list and no other explanation for them, consider Lyme.

[kitlyn]

Hi i wa sreading your post . I am in the proces sof further testing for MS , as my MRI showed two spots on frontal lobe, 1cm. The neurologist is trying to rule out MS.It started in the summer, w severe head pressure, cold sweats, weakness i  rt eye, rt ahnd , and arm, jaw weakness almost stroke like, head shooting sharp pains, etc. The neurologist said mine looks like inflammation, but cannot be sure,have to have lumbar puncture. Had been bitten by lyme tick yrs ago, at age 20 ,a nd am 41 now..not sure whats going on.MS is a very debilitating disease, and my symptoms sound like it could be that..but noone knows yet. I wish you well, sorry to share my story..was tested for lyme in the ER .but never heard back from the DR. neuro about it. I guess i should ask him for further details. Good luck to you, and prayers ..i know how awful it is to have all these weird feelings..I also  get hot burning feeling in legs new this past yr. Let us know how you do. Kitlyn

[kp77]

Hi, altough most other answers say that they seem to think what you have could be lyme or MS, a lot of your symptoms sound similar to what i had.  I don't want to make you worry more than you have to believe me there is nothing worse than not having an answer. I had a healthy life up until about one year ago, when i started experiencing back pain, it got much worse over time and went to several doctors and specialists.  The neurologist that ended up diagnosing me was testing for MS which scared me to no end. It was actually a tumor which was in my spinal area.  I had no symptoms until about a year ago.  But i had extreme stabbing pain, burning, numbness etc pretty much what you have. which eventually left me bedridden, but because of where the pain was located no one could diagnose it. For me it was signs that i was getting paralysis. I was diagnosed through an MRI with contrast dye. I was told i would have had a few more months and i would've been in a wheelchair because it was gonna cut through my spinal cord. My tumor was called a Schwannoma (mostly benign).  It could also be a Meningioma which they intially thought it was until biopsy, which is pretty much the same but can grow on spinal cord or nerves, rather than nerves.  Does it hurt to go up/down stairs, over bumps (even little ones in the road), jumping, running or walking? it did for me. i hope this may have helped.  i hope that everything goes well. good luck. keep us posted. katy