Another Symptom?

[singinalong]

Howdee all!! Well, here I am again, wondering... as you limbolanders are... - I am in the process of being tested for Rhumatoid Arthiritis (sp) I have weakness in my left hand (the one I write with) and my joints are swollen. My feet are also swollen, more on the left side than on the right. Is Arthritis assosiated with MS? or Lupus? I can't find a lot on it... in my reasearch.
I also had a horrible migrane a few weeks ago, and it took three days, 2 hospital visits, and a bunch of morphine to finally knock it out. This time, I got horrible weakness on my left side, and numbness and tingling. - It lasted three days. This might be an elementary question, but with my history, I am having not a lot of faith in my doctors.... could this be a relapse, or an issue of MS? I am not looking for diagnosis of course, but some information to take back to my doctor. --
I am still trying to prove the diagnosis of somatoform - is a crock, because I know it is... There is something really wrong here...

[singinalong]

Thank you all for the comments. I appreciate it. Please see new post for new information I have.

[Adnvwsti]

Like JJ, I've been tested several times for RA, too, and always negative.  I don't often have headaches now, thank goodness, but there was a time several years ago when I did and the doctors tried me on Elavil for migraines.  It was useless to me, though.  Now I wonder if those headaches weren't a sx of MS long ago that just went undiagnosed at the time.  Like JJ also, I also have the issues with sun-sensitive eyes and pain and weakness, particularly in hands, arms and legs, and I do have spasms, but not like what you're describing JJ.  Those sound horrible.  

Singinalong, I hope you get a diagnosis soon.  It is so difficult to have all those symptoms and no diagnosis for what is going on.  Best wishes to you!

[supermum_ms]

Hidy ho,

I've been tested for RA quite a few times over the years, i never test positive though. I dont actually have swollen joints, just pain and weakness. In winter my hands get chilblains from the cold, they twist and swell like the bone is growing, they hurt to look at lol and yet it all goes away with the change in climate.

My knees just dont seem to move without pain, they spasm during the day and give me cramps in my sleep, and i mean hold your breath, count it out kind of pain. My knees have been doing this just about every year since i was about 17, sometimes lasting a few days sometimes lasting for months. I still dont know why, almost 30 years later (omg where has all the years gone lol).

I hate to say it but could you be having the sx because of the migrains, even a reaction to the meds, maybe? I cant relate to migrain cause i'm not sure i've ever had one, i do get headaches in my eye if im exposed to light for too long, i'm light sensitive and if i wear sunnies i dont get the problem. It just sounds like you have horrid horrid migrains and from your description of numbness and tingles only lasting 20 minutes or so before you get a full blown migrain, it just doesnt sound right and makes me wonder if migrain is the root of your problems.

Cheers.........JJ

[singinalong]

Thank you - I will be asking about that. I have had migraines in the past... this was the first one in over a year. .. Usually I get numbness and tingling on my left side, but it only lasts for about 20mins or so... Then the full blown migraine comes on. But this time, the numbness and tingling didnt stop. Until I was out of it and zonked out with meds. ... again, I would like to see another neuro, but like many on here, I have had a horrible experience with two of them, and it has put a bad taste in my mouth.

[Quixotic1]

Arthritis is often a basic component of Lupus and many of the other autoimmune diseases, including Sjogren's Syndrome (in which people also have dry eyes and dry mouth), Ankylosing Spondylitis, and a lot of others.

Q

[Quixotic1]

Hi, good to hear from you.

The first answer is a very simple, "No".  MS and Arthritis are NOT related.  Having arthritis is a strong pointer to look in some other direction than MS for the answers.  Yes, the rare person could have both, but that is the last result a doc should come to.

There is a variant of migraine called Familial Hemiplegic Migraine.  It doesn't always have a family history, though, and it can be as severe and as long as you just described.

Yeah, it is sometimes a little beguiling to think it is all in our head and we can "get over" whatever this is, but......in your heart, you know it is very real.  Ask your doctor about "Hemiplegic Migraine."

Let us know how the work up for RA goes.

Take care

Quix