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MS symptoms with Normal MRI

Hi, I am a 28 year old white female and over the past two weeks I have been experiencing some scary symptoms:
   - poor balance: often wobble while standing still, fall over turning around
  - eye pain: dull/sometimes sharp pain in both eyes
   - leg weakness: legs often feel numb and i cannot stand for more than about a minute until they give out at the knees
  - burning/tingling in feet and legs that doesn't go away when I stand up
- constricting feeling in chest as if someone is hugging me
- horrible muscle crams: cannot move my leg and my toes spasm
- dizziness, even when sitting down

I went to my family doctor and she was concerned about MS and ordered an MRI. It came back normal. I was diagnosed with mild fibromyalgia three years ago. What could be going on?
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1523516 tn?1330044257
Hi and welcome!!

I feel you on the fibro!  I have the same issue with the stiffness in the mornings with the fibro....but with the symptoms I have been having (I'm in limboland by the way) I get much worse as the day goes on.  Today, for example, I taught Sunday School, made my way upstairs to our sanctuary and by the time I got upstairs I was so exhausted I could just fall over.  After the service I stood up to move and could barely walk.  I've gotten much worse as the day has went on and now my gait is so unsteady and I have no energy to move around.

I went to see a MS specialist recently and he actually believes I am in the early stages ( I have no lesions showing) and he told me he doesn't really believe in Fibro.  He personally feels it is a group of symptoms that can be explained and need to be attributed to a condition or disease.  It's just been given the name Fibromylagia.  

Anyway, please keep us updated.  A suggestion would be to start keeping a journal, so you can create a time line of your symptoms, etc.  

Blessings!
Stacie
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thanks for all of your support. I don't know what is going on but it is great to be understood.

The MRI was a cranial scan with and without contrast. She also did blood work to rule out other possibilities like thyroid issues, Lupus, and Rheumatoid Arthritis, as well as check my vitamin, kidney and liver function levels. All of it came back normal

Considering the firbo. The tingling and burning feelings really could be attributed to that. My main cause of worry is not being able to stand and worrying about falling over. When I have a flare of fibro, it feels like I have been working out all night and my legs don't want to move. But they do. Now, they have no complaints to working and moving, but can't. There  really isn't any soreness or pain. Also, my fibro tends to be worse in the morning when my muscles haven't been used as much and loosen as the day goes on, while this is the complete opposite and gets worse at night and the more I use them.

I am thinking about asking for a spinal MRI or spinal tap (shudder) to double check that something isn't going on there. Any other suggestions?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I am o a touchpad kindle AND in the 7th dray of mu MS relapse so excuse my typing.  Not to mention all the meds I was dd 7 months ago w/o MRI nc I had a neurostimulator . Fimàlly made the very. Diff. Decision to have it removed surgically test. Very. Painful. And upsetting, but felt I need a clear diagram of this MS.   After head,cervical and thoracic MRI they were all neg.  I do have obands, optic neurotis once and many other symptoms.  I cried. Like a baby for hours.  I HAVE WORKED FOR MONTHS TO WRAP MY MIND AROUND MS.  Now, what do I do?
Helpful - 0
1382889 tn?1505071193
Welcome to our forum. Sorry you are experiencing physical problems. It's tough when you are in limboland and are looking for answers.

Ok, you mentioned that you went to your dr. Good for you!  I cannot tell you how many people come here and give us a list of symptoms that have been going on for months but they haven't seen a dr yet.

Dx MS involves a lot more than an MRI since it is usually a diagnosis of exclusion. Your dr should be looking for a lot of other more common things first. Any blood work done? There are vitamin deficiencies that can cause sx that mimic MS. In fact, there are a lot of things that mimic MS.

I don't know anything about fribro but I am guessing that some of your sx can be possibly related to that?  

You mentioned getting an MRI. An MRI of what?  Your brain? Your spine? Do you know what the report said?  

Usually if a dr suspects MS or anything neurological, they refer a patient to a neurologist. What is your dr proposing to do now? What does your dr think is going on?  If he/she isn't doing anything, you might consider asking for a referral to a neuro.

Again I am sorry you are going through this.

Julie
Helpful - 0
1396846 tn?1332459510
Hi,

Sorry you are going through this. One normal MRI doesn't count our MS just so you are aware. It can take time for lesions to show up. There is something going on and some of what you said is going on sounds like it could be your fibro but others don't.

Just keep working at it until you find some answers. There is obviously something going on so keep at your doctor until they find you answers. Just know that MS is a very difficult disease to diagnose and can take years before you get answers. Be patient but not too patient that they stop looking for answers.

Good luck to you,
Paula
Helpful - 0
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