Im so scared!!!!

[Nal]

Back 1999 I started getting these weird symptoms.  I had tingling and burning sensations throughout my body (arms, legs, face).  I then developed twitches and some dizziness and felt like my head was in some clouds at times.  Then in 2002 the symptoms completely disappeared and I totally felt like my normal self again.  About 3 weeks ago I started getting dizzy again and then the parasthesias came back.  I had 2 brain MRI's done in 99 and 01 (I believe) and the reports came back normal.  All my blood work has been normal.  I have a referal in to see another neuro but not sure when that will happen.  Im really, really scared.  Do these sound like symptoms of MS or could it be something else?  I do sometimes feel like I am going to fall but I never do.  Just strange that all these symptoms completely went away for 2 years.  Thanks for your time.  I should mention I also had a spinal MRI done and it was normal too.

Nal

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

These symptoms alone do not suggest MS. The normal MRI's in the past while you had symptoms would make MS unlikely. I agree with you seeing a neurologist and having this re-evaluated. Depending on what the doctor finds a repeat MRi may be reasonable. Good luck.

[SherryDenice]

I have these same symptoms.  The burning is the worst.  It's all over today... my face, arms, legs....  I have been told these are Fibromyalgia symptoms.  I had an MRI in August of 2003 and it was clear.  My eye dr. (for an eye disease I have) just told me yesterday that I should not worry about MS and he would not recommnend anymore tests for my symptoms at this time.  Very aggrivating and very confusing and HORRIBLY painful!

You can e-mail me if you'd like.  ***@****

[kwag]

Ditto for me as well.  Same symptoms and same diagnosis. Fibromyalgia as similar s/s as MS.  If your MRI and neuro exam were normal then put MS out of your mind.  Focus on getting rid of the fibro s/s.  It can be done.  See www.mercola.com and search for fibromyalgia.  I am so much better (and I thank God for that).  I continue to check this forum just so I can help someone else to get well.  If you read all the posts here, you will see that many people have the same thing going on.  I hear of it alot.  I advise you to get aggressive with your search on how people got well and use good old common  sense on how to correct what ever is causing your body to feel these things.  Drugs that get rid of or minimize the symptoms are not the answer.  Don't settle for that.  Your body is telling you something.  Listen to it and do all that you can to put it back into balance.  It is possible to do this.  Search out info on yeast, eating high sugar diets, poor diets, heavy metal toxicity, and so on.  Best wishes to you both...

[SherryDenice]

kwag!

Thanks!  You sound so motivating!  The burning is the worst thing EVER!  Did you have it?  How did you get rid of your FMS?

Thanks.....
Sherry

[Nal]

Like I said though the symptoms totally disappeared for 2 years-no trace of anything!  Now to get these symptoms back is very troubling.  The feeling of vertigo and the body wide muscle cramps are the worst.  Could Fibromyalgia go into remission for a couple of years and then just come back?  They did diagnose me with that last time but that was because they couldn't find anything else wrong.

Nancy

[Abbey]

I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia two years ago but I've been in denial since there are no x-rays, bloodwork etc that diagnoses the disease. A neurologist ruled out MS and I have had every test in the world and let me tell you it's a living hell. If anyone has info before I seek a specialist for Fibro that can help me I would truly appreciate it.

[espm4]

Interesting, because I've had similar symptoms (10 months now), along with my newest symptom which is fatigue and exercise intolerance.  The neurologist has just referred me to a rheumatologist, because he thinks this may be fibromyalgia.  I have also been scared to death of MS, Parkinson's, and whatever else I could imagine.  The stress has been bad, I think about it from the time I wake up until the time I go to bed (which doesn't help matters, I'm sure). It's hard not to stress out when your life has just been turned upside down, literally overnight. I never thought my symptoms "fit" with fibro, but perhaps I don't know enough about it.

[SherryDenice]

This is the "Ask the Doctor" forum... and have you noticed that there are not "doctors" posting here lately?  LOL!

[SherryDenice]

Ooops!  My bad!!! I feel silly now.  I see that there has been a dr. posting.  I apologize!

Dr. can you help us w/ our burning problem?  Could it be just Fibromyalgia?  Is there anything we can do to make it go away???

Thanks!

[lil sunshine]

The dr will only answer the question of the original poster, I saw once where he piggy backed his answer for another poster.
Keep trying at weird times to post a question, it will happen sometime.
Good luck,
Bonnie

[mmarchid]

Hi everybody,
I think that I started to see symptomps similar with what
people in this thread are describing. At first it appeared
with pain in the pelvic area (reflections along the legs)
and then with some stiffness in one of my legs. In my case
it progresses very rapidly because of a recent failed vascular
bypass.
My medication is Trazodone 600mg at night (go to sleep very soon
because you will get scared of the sedative power) and Xanax
2mg/day split in two doses. Even if the medication will help for
awhile, I strongly believe that the progression of the neuropathy
disease is irreversible.
My case happens because an extreme congenital arterial
abnormality that made the disease to progress slowly from my
birth.
Therefore, the polyneuropathy is just a symptom a nd effect of
the vascular changes inside of the body (at the arterial wall
structure level), called endothelium dysfunction. These symptoms
and even if you do not have them yet (but you are above
childhood/teenage age) may mean that nothing can be done.
You can do every vascular study possible (urologic, heart, etc) and you will not find any explanation because the standard
procedure for the doctors is to tell you:
"Your results are normal". Which is the medical encrypted
message for "We cannot do anything about it".
The only chance of fighting the vascular causes (depending on
the severity) is to enroll in a clinical trial for angiogenic
(VEGF or fibroblast) gene therapy. The clinics that have these
kind of trials are Cleveland Clinic (OH), Mayo Clinic (Rochester
MN), St. Elizabeth Medical Center (Boston), possibly Univ.
California San Francisco (CA). Don't loose your time with the
Harvard hospitals in Boston. It's way over their head.
However, in my case (and everybody's case with these neuropathy symptoms) I was told that at this stage even these clinical
trials are useless.
As someone mentioned, I think that the disease will progress
to Guillame-Barre syndrome, but that will not stop the ischemic
process. I would prepare myself for the worst and go see a
priest. God bless you!

PS: don't expect any doctor to post anything on this topic.
They are too scared and hopeless themselves, yet to go into
making scarry details public.

[tinfoil]

I know this may sound strange, but SPINEUNIVERSE.COM has an excellent article on their front page about fibromyalgia. I have a good friend with this disease and she has the same troubles all of you have. This article articulates that it is an HONEST condition and how to manage and talk to your doctor. Good luck to you all!

[Mother Margaret]

This sounds like some kind of chemical overexposure (poisoning) ... which by the way, so is fibromyalgia ... one way a body complains about too much exposure to a chemical

I would evaluate what was being done when symptoms first started then and now.  Inventory all products with butyl ether chemicals and especially 2-butoxyethanol.

Note other posts to see how to check a couple of other things in one's blood to see if this chemical has affected you.

[Nal]

What are those chemicals normally found in?  The first flare up was in VA and this one happened here in NM.  Ive never ever had any permanent damage from this either-ever.  It did go away while I was on celexa and i am thinking my body just built up a tolerance to it.

Nal

[Ruby Tuesday]

I also am terribly scared about the possibility of MS. My symptoms are tingling skin, muscle spasms, uncoordination and overall fatigue. I'm worried sick. This forum has alleviated a bit of anxiety, but i haven't had any MRIs or anything done yet so my worry level is high. If anyone can over solace or advice I'd appreciate it. ~Thanks, Ruby

[SherryDenice]

Tingling skin?  Can someone who has tingling skin explain what this feels like?  I have a burning sensation on my skin.  I can't really call it tingling.

Thanks.

[kwag]

What do you mean by burning?  Is it all the time or after you eat or drink or when?  is it just a sensation or is your skin actually red and or hot?  Any other symptom with it?  I do get a hot, red burning face after eating sometimes or washing my face.  It is very sensitive.  I also can feel warm or hot areas like on my thigh or foot or whereever.  it can come and go.  

Back to the poster that asked me about how I got better, I had to change my whole lifestyle.  I do not drink pop 99% of the time.  I may take a sip once a week or two.  I do not have any sugar at all that I add to anything.  I do not have any cereals anymore.  I take vitamins, green drinks, fish oil, probiotics, fiber, and I eat organic foods.  My tingling is essentially gone.  I don't even think about it anymore.  At first I really stressed out over my symptoms and I hit the bottom.  I felt as if I was going to die or be paralyzed or something.  I cried out to God for help.  I read a book called Patient Heal Thyself and I read the Bible.  I begged God to help me to eat right.  I was desperate to get better.  I have 3 children and I want to be around for them and someday for my grandchildren and then my great grand children.  Lord willing, it will happen.  Hang in there.  Stress and worry are our worst enemies.  When I begin to feel dizzy or whatever, I say, "God help me.  I feel dizzy and I need help.  I know you see me right and that you can help me.  I have faith that God is bigger than fibro, MS, ALS, Parkinsons and all else.  I KNOW that I am eating much better.  I have slip ups and you know, I feel horrible after them.  I feel soooooo sick when I eat wrong.  I used to always eat wrong and never noticed, now I notice right off.  I drink lots of good pure water.  I take calcium and magnesium for the muscle twitches.  Look at www.mercola.com and subscribe to the newsletter.  there is alot of great info there.  Best to you and all the posters.

[kwag]

How can I convince you to not be in fear?  I want desperately to relieve your mind.  Let me ask you a question.  What do you fear the most about this?  Be honest with yourself and get to the bottom of this fear.  What is it that you fear?  Is it MS?  MS can be treated and go into remission and never return.  ALS?  There are theories that the causes of ALS can be treated.  What can I say to you to help you?  Satan is going to torment your mind relentlessly.  He will try to worry you til you are so sick your body can't recover.  I don't know what you believe in but I know what I believe and you have hope.  The hope you can have is greater than any disease and death.  I pray that God give you peace.  I found mine in the Bible.  God bless

[Renestrange symptons]

I too have had some of these tingling and stiff symptoins. Mine have been going on for 18 months of which they have intermittently gone for 6-12 weeks at a time. Stress times seem to induce them. Nothing was found with MRI and Neuro exam. Endocronoligist found nothing other than treating goiter on thyroid. I also have tremors that can settle in my head! Sounds weird doesn't it! I have been diagnosed with restless leg syndrome of which neuro at research institute says can settle anywhere in body, never heard of head before but they fit the symtons of it mainly happens at night and goes away when I thoroughly wake up! My iron was found to be low which is said to be a sympton of resltless leg sundrome. My Endo says maybe Fribromyalgia. I too as other poster says when I eat right, little diet pop, take my iron, magnesium, B12, multi vitamin I feel alot better. I have ran little test where I quit taking vitamins for 2-3 weeks and it all comes back worse. My endo says vitamins can't be helping these symptons but I'm not sure? I have done this 2 times now with the same results! The tremors/tingling always come back! I am living to the better lifestyle with hopes I will feel better continuously! Stress was extremely high in my life when this all started. After all medical test show nothing I had to resort to a talk with myself that I will get better with Gods help and my lifestyle changes. I too have three young children and want to be around for them. My Endo says if feeling continue to work with my Neuro on Fibromyalgia treament of drugs. Mine isn;t that bad, My elbows are the aching part of me and it comes back with the tremors when I don't "live" right!Vitamins/good eating habits. I take Mirapex nightly for the restleg leg syndrome, It does seem to help when tremors are bad. I don't like the morning after feeling of a minimal hangover but it goes awy quickly! Sorry for wordiness but wanted to share!

[J in the UK]

I'm searching this archive because my daughter experienced the symptoms described my many of the contributers on this thread.
She suffered severe symptoms: loss of feeling in legs; tingling in fingers; loss of balance; feelings of disorientaion. The doctors began to speak of MS.

She's had MRI's,lumbar punctures and brain scans etc. She was helped by a colleague who overheard her describing the symptoms and said he'd had the same after amalgam removal. We followed this idea as we were desperate.

What we have done since has been such a lengthy process and impossible to record here BUT the symptoms have disappeared, so I'll try to give a synopsis of events.

She saw a nutritionist who did blood analysis tests - mercury levels were exceptionally high so she put her on vitamins and a regime of chlorella and cilantro. She feels much better after sauna and exercise. She had been so healthy before the symptoms appeared and exercised almost every day. She is almost back to her normal self after three years. In the meantime she got married ... which we had thought at one stage would not happen.

Our problem now is that the doctors are saying her mercury levels are still too high to consider having a baby. Affects to the foetus could be great. I want to find out how we get the mercury out of the system quicker.

So that is why I'm searching Internet and just maybe there will be a very happy ending to this story.

I wish all in this thead who are searching for information to make them well again the every best of good fortune in their quest.

Best wishes
J in the UK