Bilateral and symptoms

[CtResident]

Are MS symptoms generally one-sided?

Or are they bilateral?

I was under the impression that they presented predominantly on one side. Most of my issues are on my left, but that doesn't preclude the occasional annoyance on the right side.

I don't recall where I got this impression, what article I read or what site or whatever. Just something in the back of my head.

Any sites to research on this??

I also wonder if the neuro (general, not MS-specific) that I saw would take my statement and use it to dismiss my question of MS. "I feel most symptoms on the left part of my body. For example, X, Y, Z." So then he can check off the box in his head "MS is predominantly bilateral, therefore, you don't have MS."

I know I shouldn't put words in his mouth, I have these conversations in my head all the time. Bad me.

Suzanne
(using a heated rice roll on her LEFT thigh)
(but woke up from her nap with momentary numbness in BOTH legs)

[CtResident]

Sick
Humor

Was that a pun?

:-)
Suzanne

[marez]

Hi,
Giving this a bump, I have been trying not to google to much information just here so far so I don't get to freaked out as now I am a semi calm limbo lander been here before many times (limbo) so if anyone with symtoms or DX can keep explaining that would be great.
Thanks for the post suzanne
We all have such great questions

I still think one of us single people needs to find and date a MS specialist or Neuro to help all of us I will try, but well .... I think I need help catching one maybe I should post on a dating site looking for a doctor for not so serious realtionship!!!
sorry trying to be funny but it would be helpful!
Hey men can do this for us too Neuro's are women also!
Thanks for putting up with me hurting and on half a pain pill I apoligize for my sick humor but it's me humor helps me.
Mary

[ELT]

MS?  What's that?  Where am I again?  

Just kidding,  ;) ;)

Erica

[doublevision1]

It's a good question.  I have a particular symptom that seems to move from right to left and back again.  It's sort of a burning sensation in my forearms, not deep in my arm but on the surface, like the skin there is VERY senstive and raw.   Sometimes just wearing sleeves is enough to drive me mental; it's a very disturbing irritating sensation, but the skin looks normal.  Sometimes it's so yucky feeling that the sensation almost makes me feel queasy.  It usually gets worse with overuse, if I'm on the computer too long or if I spend a long time preparing food.  I can get some momentary relief either by taking a warm bath and totally immersing my arms; or having my husband apply pressure to the areas.  Not like a massage, as that hurts; more like just squeezing the arm.  I keep meaning to try cold or warm packs but haven't gotten around to it yet.

The weird thing is not just the sensation itself, but that it seems to alternate from my right arm to my left; other times both arms feel fine; some days, it's in both arms at the same time.  There is no consistent pattern.  I never had anything like this before being dx'ed with MS and it arose when I had the first signs of my first big relapse last Sept.  It started shortly after the numbness in my hands.  That numbness is now gone, but the weird feeling in my arms has persisted.

I will be mentioning this the next time I see my neurologist.  It's funny what you say about doctors maybe being dismissive about such things.  It actually occurred to me that what I describe sounds a bit wacky and a doctor might even think I'm making it up, because in the reams of material I've read about MS, I've never seen anything like this.  I've only seen my neuro once but so far he has been really good, so I have absolutely NO reason to think he wouldn't trust what I'm saying.  In fact I am very lucky in that I've never had a doctor be dismissive and brush me off.  But I totally understand what you mean about the conversations that go on in one's own head!  One can make oneself crazy trying to figure out everything that's going on, when one has MS.  :)

db1

[ELT]

Fancy meeting you here.  LOL

Some things are usually unilateral, others are bilateral, depends on the nerve that is affected and what areas it serves.

In the case of the trigeminal nerve, it serves the whole face.  Well, offshoots of it do.  From what I understand, this is also true of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve.  Depending, of course, on where the demyelination is occuring.

If compression of the nerve, due to a tumour, were occurring, it would likely be on one side only.  Unless u had a ruddy big tumour, suddenly.  

Eyes it is usually unilateral, but, not always.  Again, depending on just where on the nerve  the demyelination is taking place.  If it is back beyond the optic chiasm (?) I believe it can be bilateral.  

But, I am a new learner, forgetting most of what I read until I read it again, a thousand times.  LOL  So, although I did read all the reasons why these particular things are more likely in ms than any other reason, I can't quite put my fingers on the best places I looked for info.  LOL  I will have to keep looking, eventually I will know what I'm blabbering on about all the time, LOL.  I hope LOL

Good luck on the information hunt.  I just googled the terms, read all I could and then googled more pertinent information and then farther.  It is a learned art.  LOL  I was rabid when I first got my computer, to learn all there was about what was going on in my body.

Still learning

Erica