wondering is the pits

[mendy0607]

I am 34 and back in march 2012 my right foot went completely numb. I am a labor and delivery nurse. I now have a foot orthodic so that I don't drag my right foot. When this first happened I bumped back and forth b/w a neurologists and an orthopedic with no definite diagnosis.  Now 5months later my right hand goes numb at times. I also notice my temperature sensation is diminished on my right side. I also now have pain behind my right eye off and on With blurry vision but no loss of sight. My Pcp had an mri of my brain done that came back negative. I also have urinary retension, urinary hesitancy and leakage. I am set up to go to Mayo clinic in Oct 2012. I had an"episode. "of debilating dizzyness and lightheadedness a couple of days ago. It was so bad that I ended on floor at work and then taken to er where they thought it might an inner ear issue but Medication did no good. What confused this issue is I have a rare heart condition called neuroreflex syncope. This last bought was not like the heart related dizziness. My Pcp stated that b/c of the negative mri she has almost outruled Ms. I just very frustrated and wonder if I am just crazy. This issue is interfering with my job that I love. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

[mendy0607]

Thank you for comment. I have had a mri of my knee, lower spine, pelvis, abdominal and head. They were all done w/ a mri machine that is open on both side. Everything looks normal according to doctors. My Dr even said she suspects Ms but not sure b/c of clear mris. I will try to be more patient. Mayo stated that there mri machines are better than other hospitals.

[jensequitur]

A patient who otherwise would be diagnosed with MS remains in limbo because of a clear MRI.  Sometimes the MRI was done without MS protocol, or it was a low-resolution MRI.  Open-tube MRIs tend to be .7T.  I would recommend a 1.5T or higher.  

Just at a guess, with your foot and hand numbness and temperature sensitivity, it sounds like it could be something in the spine.  Probably more than one thing.  What you'll need to do is get a nice MRI of the spine at a 3T MRI clinic.  When imaging the spine, you might as well go for the big machine - anything lower would be a waste of your time and theirs.

[mendy0607]

I had both mris. Done-with and without contrast. Thank you for the comment and help. She is supposed to be trying to get me into a new neurologists sometime soon.

[TLC_31]

Mendy0607 also wrote in a later thread:
"I forgot to mention I have had a dull headache everyday for the past months. Also I can sleep straight for ten hours and still exhausted. I have always been a restless sleeper so I ignored this for awhile. Meds don't help"

(I just thought I'd add that here so everything is together in one thread.)

It sounds like MS to me, and the negative MRI isn't necessarily definitive. Was it done with contrast? And I'm not buying that the heart condition causes all of your symptoms, but MS is all I know, and it's all many of the patients here know. You can search for "MS mimics" here and elsewhere on the internet and get some ideas for something else it could be.

"My Pcp stated that b/c of the negative mri she has almost outruled Ms." OK, is she looking into other things? Thankfully you have a Mayo Clinic visit set up, and I wish you luck enduring until then. Have your records and good notes ready for them, along with questions, and that can be a very productive visit for you.