Anyone else have injury/illnes before onset of symptoms?

[SOONERMOM]

Just wondering how many of you had some illness or injury before the initial onset of symptoms?  I was just watching Mystery Diagnosis and there was lady that had a foot puncture injury and later went on to have numbness and fatigue.  Years later she was diagnosed w/MS and was told that her puncture wound was the trigger for the latent illness.  I found this interesting because I had a heel puncture and tetanus shot @ 1 month before my numbness started.  I am still in limbo....searching for an answer.
Stacey

[Akcowboy]

  I had a done alot of overtime work with chemicals and was over exposed by them and keeped going back to the ER every time I tryed going back to work till my pdoc said no more painting and had neuro problems since that time with symtoms coming and going for years but the worst started to happen to me was when I was pounding a fence post in and the pounder came off the post and hit me in the head real hard knocking me down and in a daze but I'm still not been dx with ms as he is still trying for more testing but has said that it is still looking like ms

  Cowboy

[TiredPT]

I am one of the land of lost and undiagnosed . . . .

Awaiting my 2nd neuro appointment (hopefully a nicer doc this time).  My symptoms started with an apparent reactivation of EBV 6 months after the birth of my 1st child.  Hospitalized.  NOT a case of mono; only abnormal blood work was elevated EBV titers.  Anyway, this has happened and been documented 4 other times since 2002 and now have weird symptoms in my legs and arms, and occasionally my face.

TiredPT

[Momzilla]

This is probably not what you're asking, since I'm undiagnosed (and getting to the end of my rope with testing.  Thinking about giving up with doctors), but, I had very bad arthritis in my cervical spine.  My bony spurs were starting to impinge on my spinal cord, and that's when I started with my first symptoms.

I had cervical spine fusions a few months after my first "attack" of slurred speech and ataxia, which was attributed to complicated migraine.  They fused 4 vertebrae together and I was a very happy camper.  Lots of pain relief.  The surgeon said he'd never seen a person my age with so much arthritis.  Doc said it saved me from paralysis down the road.  Little did he know...Tee hee!

My surgery was a great success.  Every doc who has seen my X-rays says my neck is great.  That pain is gone.  A year later I had another "complicated migraine,"  episodes of vertigo, migraines, numbness, tingling, leg weakness and paresis bilaterally.  Lots of other fun stuff we all talk about here.  So.....Who knows?

It wasn't an injury, but surgery.  I've been tested for EBV.  It was not detected at all.

Interesting question.  That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Zilla*

[emskelly]

I had been to several doctors with complaints of fatigue and weakness for 8 years before I was diagnosed with MS. The doctors told me I was stressed, I was a woman, overworked, depressed, but no one took my complaints seriously. Then in 1998 I had my gallbladder removed and two weeks later had an exacerbation that finally led to my actual diagnoses. My first neurologist looked over the previous 8 years of my medical records, and stated that I showed the first signs of MS then, but it took losing my eyesight in my left eye to get the final diagnosis. Thankfully my sight has returned and I deal with the occassional blurred vision, but I finally have answers to many discounted questions.

[MCBCON]

Any activity or illness that can raise your body temperature can cause acerbations.  Temperature moderation is important.

[young at heart]

I WAS ORIGINALLY DX'D AFTER A TRAMATIC BACK SURGERY IN 1998,DISREGARDED THE DX.WAS YOUNG AND THOUGHT DR WAS COVERING HIS REAR.

HAD A FOOT INFECTION IN AUGUST 2004,COME SEPTEMBER 2004 HAD NEUROLOGICAL SYMPTOMS,STARTED DISEASE MODIFYING MEDS IN FEB.2007.

HAS MONO WHEN I WAS 20.

T

[jensequitur]

Sounds like a chicken or the egg question to me!

I've been having weird symptoms all my life, but nothing really conclusive.  On New Year's Day, 2005, I got a spider bite on my right leg.  It was a brown recluse, and my leg swelled up and looked pretty bad for a while.  It took about six months for the hole to heal over.  As soon as it healed over, I started getting some serious vertigo in the middle of the day, and some numbness and tingling.  The doctor put me on some methylprednisone to reduce inflammation, which I believe triggered my first real flare.  

Now that I know what remission feels like, I've been in remission for at least ten years.  I think the spider bite made things worse, probably triggered some symptoms, but it's not the cause of my MS.

[pennst8r]

I had a flu shot followed a few days later by tracheal bronchitis shortly before my symptoms showed up.

Penn

[syndismilez]

Mono here as well, numerous times.  Worse time was when I was about 16/17.  After that I had it about 3 more times.  I would roll my eyes when the Dr.  would call and say...mono...started having symptoms when I began having recurrent UTI's about 3 years ago.  The symptoms really started to get bad when my UTI's were clear( due to self cath)  Then the last relapse was right after a bad bronchitis infection. Dx with probable MS. Ugh
syn

[biowham]

Mono here, in August of 2005. I don't have a dx of anything, but...that's what I had. It was pretty late in life for mono; I had just come off of a period of the most stressful work period I've had in my life and BAM...I was sick for weeks. Also was pregnant and had a miscarriage during that same time, so lots of stress associated with that, especially because the sequelae were complex and the whole miscarriage thing wasn't resolved for two more months. So...lots of stress AND mono.

E

[cjacks]

Stacey,

I was caught up in the interferon thing last night ,sorry.

To answer your question . I was not feeling well for at least a yr. and a half , fatigue, but didn't develop neuro sx. until day after root canal.  over the next week I fainted( something like a faint) three or four times ,ER twice, couldn't walk well , not finding the ground..saying the wrong things ,thoughts, had a hard time holding body upright and pressure in throat.   all in one week  Saw cardiologist , my heart was fine.    ??

I got buzzing ,tingling ,numbness, pressure in face and eyes etc.one yr later.

In the beginning, after a couple of months, I had started to feel a little better , got a flu shot and went right back into the same old stuff ???

Jo

[kate411]

Found this very interesting... Just posted - first time asking for help on Neuro forum whether what I'm experiencing could be MS or just spinal stenosis, assorted symptoms started with episode of severe thoracic spine pain and was dx with DJD there and c-spine (and stenosis)... but have had many assorted symptoms since then (last 10 months) in my hands and now in my legs, and all my research keeps me coming back to MS, but brain MRI was clear... so neuro says low probability of MS... But didn't have any of this before that episode - and I don't think DJD and stenosis happens overnight... anyway, found this question interesting...  Oh, and also had bad upper respiratory infection before leg symptoms started...coincedence??? Best wishes to all of you on your journey... don't know where mine will lead.

[grannyhotwheels]

I had gotten a tetanus shot just a couple of years prior for running a nail through my foot, so I should have still been good.  

During the time that I cut my wrist and knee I ran a very high fever for several days.  I'm not sure if the fever may have anything to do with it or not, but I noticed some of the others had fevers.

I'll be praying,
Carol

[SOONERMOM]

Did you also get a tetanus shot?  just curious

Thanks for all your responses...really interesting.  I haven't told any doctors about this thinking they would think I was nuts or something.  Maybe it is something to bring up?  I was thinking more along the lines of the vaccine, but maybe it is just the injury (since I didn't have an infection) that can trigger it??

Stacey

[grannyhotwheels]

In June of 2004 we where fishing at the creek about a month after a tornado had went through.  I was wading in waist deep water and tripped on something.  It was a big piece of tin off of a barn.  I cut my wrist (looked like I tried suicide) and my knee.  I got a very bad infection and was on antibiotics for about a month.  In August of 2004 is when my symptoms started.  It wasn't until August of 2007 that I was actually diagnosed with MS, but my doctors where real sure that the tin infection had possibly been connected to me getting MS.

I'll be praying,
Carol

[tanky]

Three weeks before my first symptoms, I had the worst 10 day viral infection of my life.  I couldn't even get out of bed or hardly move.  I had zero appetite (extremely rare for me).  

[Jenn0030]

Factor V leiden, I actually just found that one out.  I will assume that was probably the reason for the MI.  I never pushed for a reason.  I had a family history of early cardiac events I assumed that I was just following in the family tradition.

When the possibility of MS came up at the neuro they ruled out Lupus, Hep, HIV, Lyme, Vit B def., I really can't think of all of the tests.  I went two different times due to the amount of blood.  14 tubes the 1st time and 12 the 2nd (I am afraid to see the bill!!!)

Genetic testing was positive for Methylene-Tetra-Hydro-Folate-Reductase Mutation
MTHFR is an enzyme, which we all have in the cells of our body. It is needed to metabolize and get rid of homocysteine. High homocysteine levels are a risk factor for blood clots in the veins or arteries. I was placed on 2mg of folic acid daily.

Jenn

[SOONERMOM]

I would think that whatever could bring a relapse could bring the onset too.  I even have a friend that was in a car accident and that brought it out.  I think that can be common also.
Stacey

[SOONERMOM]

I know they haven't tested me for Hepatitis.

Jenn--you had a heart attack at 28?  Do you mind me asking about what clotting disorder & gene mutation that they found?  My neurologist wanted me to be tested for that CADASIL (spelling?) but we decided against it because of a few issues.  (I have one neurologist thinking I have MS, another thinks it is vascular)
Stacey

[Rena705]

I presented with seizures before being diagnosed with MS but don't know if it was actually related to MS.  However, when you consider that any sort of infection, pneumonia, depression...any number of things can bring on a relapse of MS, why couldn't they also bring on or be the onset of symptoms?  I think just about any illness that attacks your immune system could almost be considered a symptom of onset of MS couldn't it?  Just guessing?

Rena705

[Jenn0030]

I don't know if it is a routine test, but I was tested for Hep and everything else under the sun.   Only a clotting disorder found and a gene mutation, (like I said they tested me for just about everything). Of course I have a hx of MI (at 28) and a seizure disorder, so I am already a complicated person.

jenn

[cjacks]

Someone was saying that it seemed there were many Hep-Cers with MS.  ???
They were wondering, do MSers get routinely screened for hep-c ?
Jo

[cjacks]

Stacey,

I've been over at the hepatitis forum for a couple of days  discussing whether Hep-c and MS are connected in some way .

I had it, was txd x2  first in 90 and again in 2000 with interferon.  There are some papers out speculating on the connection between the tx. for Hep-C with interferon and then going on to developing demyelinating disease ( MS etc.) Its very interesting

Jo

[Jenn0030]

I had 3 months of a low grade fever prior to the symptoms starting(could have been longer but I stopped checking after 3 months once the doctors didn't seem concerned anymore).  I went thru blood cultures and there was never a cause found.  

I did have mono as well, about 10 years ago.

Jenn