Aa
Ms?
Hi. I would like to give you a history of what I have experienced for going on two yrs (previously healthy, no medical conditions what so ever)
April 22 2012. I went to emerg because I was experiencing dizziness and my upper arms and upper legs were tingling. Multiple tests were done including blood work, ct scan, ekg for my heart, all of which came back normal. I was sent home with a diagnoses of anxiety. OK I could live with that. A couple weeks later, I went to emerg again because the right side of my body (from my face, to my arm, to my leg) went tingly and slightly numb. I thought I was having a stroke. This doctor referred me for an mri, to rule out ms. My family dr said in her opinion the mri was normal (there was one unremarkable spot) nothing of which would cause any of my symtoms. Again, they said stress was the probably cause. Over the next few weeks I experienced extreme weakness in my arms, mostly my right. I also had a lot of pain and a feeling of pressure in the back of my head and neck. I had a lot of headaches. May 2012, I continued these feelings of slight numbness in my face, felt lightheaded and dizzy all the time. June I started having difficulty swallowing and shortness of breath. I even had joint pain at which I was again sent for bloodwork to test for lyme disease and other deficiencies all of which came back normal. June 14 2012, I had chest pain, difficulty swallowing, my tongue felt weird and weak. When I would try and sleep I would wake up and it felt like I forgot how to swallow and had to force myself. In July I saw a chiropractor, I got xrays which showed cervical kyphosis (reverse of natural c curvature in neck)So we thought this could be the source of all my problems. Eventually my tingling went away, but I would still have weakness, arms, legs, mostly my right side of my body. My tongue, throat. Its been almost a year since regular chiro adjustments and I still have weakness. Feb of this year I was having shortness of breath, and the right side of my body felt weak and droopy. I even thought my eye and mouth looked droopy. This continued over the next couple months. I have been very anxious about what could be wrong with me. Currently I am experiencing weakness in my tongue and I find it hard to swallow. I feel like I am slurring my words even though no one has said anything to me. My hands and legs still feel weak (but I can still run, like I just ran 4 km yesterday) My hands feel weak, and sometimes hard to open. So tell me does this sound at all like ALS, MS, Fibro or Anxiety. Help!
April 22 2012. I went to emerg because I was experiencing dizziness and my upper arms and upper legs were tingling. Multiple tests were done including blood work, ct scan, ekg for my heart, all of which came back normal. I was sent home with a diagnoses of anxiety. OK I could live with that. A couple weeks later, I went to emerg again because the right side of my body (from my face, to my arm, to my leg) went tingly and slightly numb. I thought I was having a stroke. This doctor referred me for an mri, to rule out ms. My family dr said in her opinion the mri was normal (there was one unremarkable spot) nothing of which would cause any of my symtoms. Again, they said stress was the probably cause. Over the next few weeks I experienced extreme weakness in my arms, mostly my right. I also had a lot of pain and a feeling of pressure in the back of my head and neck. I had a lot of headaches. May 2012, I continued these feelings of slight numbness in my face, felt lightheaded and dizzy all the time. June I started having difficulty swallowing and shortness of breath. I even had joint pain at which I was again sent for bloodwork to test for lyme disease and other deficiencies all of which came back normal. June 14 2012, I had chest pain, difficulty swallowing, my tongue felt weird and weak. When I would try and sleep I would wake up and it felt like I forgot how to swallow and had to force myself. In July I saw a chiropractor, I got xrays which showed cervical kyphosis (reverse of natural c curvature in neck)So we thought this could be the source of all my problems. Eventually my tingling went away, but I would still have weakness, arms, legs, mostly my right side of my body. My tongue, throat. Its been almost a year since regular chiro adjustments and I still have weakness. Feb of this year I was having shortness of breath, and the right side of my body felt weak and droopy. I even thought my eye and mouth looked droopy. This continued over the next couple months. I have been very anxious about what could be wrong with me. Currently I am experiencing weakness in my tongue and I find it hard to swallow. I feel like I am slurring my words even though no one has said anything to me. My hands and legs still feel weak (but I can still run, like I just ran 4 km yesterday) My hands feel weak, and sometimes hard to open. So tell me does this sound at all like ALS, MS, Fibro or Anxiety. Help!
Ok thanks! I read that it can either mean your kidneys are working great or it could also mean you have some muscle disease. I did lose a bit of weight due to being stressed...I went from 104lbs to like 92 lbs with a few weeks. But I've gained it all back, so that must be a good thing right?
COMMUNITY LEADER
We usually stick to what we understand and or have experience with, i had to google your creatinine results (it has no relevance to MS, and I have no personal experience) and from what I can work out, your results look to me like they fall 'within normal levels' but it's always best to discuss test results with your Dr.
http://www.royalcollege.ca/portal/page/portal/rc/common/documents/exams/normal_values_e.pdf
Creatinine (serum) 50-110 μmol/L
Creatinine (urine) Females 7.0-15.8 mmol/d
I absolutely cringe at the idea of GP's dxing mental health conditions, diagnosing M/H and prescribing appropriate treatment is not one size fits all. M/H issues are often quite complicated to work out, the correct dx can take time and then finding the right treatment can take a bit of trial and error, so to me it's very important to be assessed by a psychiatrist or psychologist, when ever mental health has been mentioned as the 'potential' cause of physical symptoms!
DR Google is not a good idea at all, if you experience anxiety/depression, so if it does make you worry more, then the recommendation is to stop googling!
Cheers...........JJ
http://www.royalcollege.ca/portal/page/portal/rc/common/documents/exams/normal_values_e.pdf
Creatinine (serum) 50-110 μmol/L
Creatinine (urine) Females 7.0-15.8 mmol/d
I absolutely cringe at the idea of GP's dxing mental health conditions, diagnosing M/H and prescribing appropriate treatment is not one size fits all. M/H issues are often quite complicated to work out, the correct dx can take time and then finding the right treatment can take a bit of trial and error, so to me it's very important to be assessed by a psychiatrist or psychologist, when ever mental health has been mentioned as the 'potential' cause of physical symptoms!
DR Google is not a good idea at all, if you experience anxiety/depression, so if it does make you worry more, then the recommendation is to stop googling!
Cheers...........JJ
Nobody commented on my creatinine results...blood was 55 umol/l and urine was 13.6 mmol/l. What does this mean?
I feel the same way about taking anti depressants or anti anxiety meds as I feel it can create symptoms (side effects) that the drs can then just blame on the meds.
I am very leery of GP's prescribing antidepressants, or any psychoactive drug. You have lots of info and possible scenarios running around in your head. Some of your symptoms may be anxiety related others not. It's tough for anyone to sort them out at this point.
maybe it would be helpful to address the anxiety first. If you can lower your anxiety level some symptoms may resolve. I'm a big fan of counseling. Following my DX I saw a therapist for a year. She helped me immensely.
Kyle
maybe it would be helpful to address the anxiety first. If you can lower your anxiety level some symptoms may resolve. I'm a big fan of counseling. Following my DX I saw a therapist for a year. She helped me immensely.
Kyle
Hi. I will bring this up to my gp at my next appt. She has never suggested and evaluation just tried to put me on pristiq which is an anti depressant but I am boy depressed! I am ANXIOUS over the symptoms I am having...anyways I might also bring up myasthenia...I've read that this does not cause sensory issues though, which I have had from the beginning..tingling lasted for about 5 months and then stopped. Now I just kind of have a weak feeling in my right side (face, arm, leg) which is worse some days then others.
Thanks again for your help!
Thanks again for your help!
Hi. Thank you for replying. I just wanted to clarify that even though certain things bother me more than others..on different days, some of the other symptoms are still there just not as bad that day or something.
I know for sure I have some anxiety, which I believe is due to all this starting, so maybe some of my symptoms are anxiety induced and it would be beneficial to have some sort of relief from my anxiety so that I can see which symptoms are from whatever I might have and which are from my anxiety. I am pretty sure I have developed some sort of health anxiety due to this because I google every little symptom...even when my daughter complains of things I always assume the worst.
I will suggest to my dr that I get some sort of relief from this anxiety or get an evaluation to rule it in or out. Thank you again for your help.
I know for sure I have some anxiety, which I believe is due to all this starting, so maybe some of my symptoms are anxiety induced and it would be beneficial to have some sort of relief from my anxiety so that I can see which symptoms are from whatever I might have and which are from my anxiety. I am pretty sure I have developed some sort of health anxiety due to this because I google every little symptom...even when my daughter complains of things I always assume the worst.
I will suggest to my dr that I get some sort of relief from this anxiety or get an evaluation to rule it in or out. Thank you again for your help.
I just had a psychiatric evaluation. I wish I'd had it months ago! (I have been seeing a counselor for a while now). I had got the point where I was almost hoping I did have some sort of mental health cause just because I've been in limbo for a while and I want answers.
We have some similar symptoms, although I actually do have trouble swallowing (saliva and certain kinds of food) and my weakness comes in 3-6 week episodes. However, I've had no dizziness (although I have had balance trouble). I believe the next thing I'm being tested for is myasthnia gravis (somehow that one got missed lol.) There are so many options being bandied about that I'm past worrying about any of them -- until someone gives me something concrete that I have to consider.
I really recommend counseling; having someone to talk to can really help your anxiety go down, which can help you figure out which symptoms are still hanging around and are REAL and which ones were being made worse by anxiety. What scared me most about seeing a psychiatrist was an all-or-nothing feeling -- it was either real organic illness or I was nuts. I didn't fully understand that "real" can be made worse by anxiety. Given what your doctor is saying, I think requesting counseling would be a positive next step.
I've had ER doctors and a specialist start down the road to mental health lectures (excuse.me.please.stay.with.your.specialty). It is very helpful to have an "all clear" from a psychiatrist at the top of your chart :).
We have some similar symptoms, although I actually do have trouble swallowing (saliva and certain kinds of food) and my weakness comes in 3-6 week episodes. However, I've had no dizziness (although I have had balance trouble). I believe the next thing I'm being tested for is myasthnia gravis (somehow that one got missed lol.) There are so many options being bandied about that I'm past worrying about any of them -- until someone gives me something concrete that I have to consider.
I really recommend counseling; having someone to talk to can really help your anxiety go down, which can help you figure out which symptoms are still hanging around and are REAL and which ones were being made worse by anxiety. What scared me most about seeing a psychiatrist was an all-or-nothing feeling -- it was either real organic illness or I was nuts. I didn't fully understand that "real" can be made worse by anxiety. Given what your doctor is saying, I think requesting counseling would be a positive next step.
I've had ER doctors and a specialist start down the road to mental health lectures (excuse.me.please.stay.with.your.specialty). It is very helpful to have an "all clear" from a psychiatrist at the top of your chart :).
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hi and welcome,
I have to agree with Kyle, because what you've described does not sound particularly MSish to me either and from everything that I know and understand about MS, your sx's present and behave with a very inconsistent pattern to what typically happens when the cause is MS.
Kyle mentioned still being able to run 4k, but this......."My symptoms have never gone away..they wax and wane. Somedays it's my weakness that's bothering me, the next day it's my swallowing, the next day it's my right eye feels droopy" would be totally abnormal if your issues were caused by MS!
You've written a few things that would be typical red flags for mental health issues eg health anxiety
"My symptoms seem to bother me different days...like my arm and leg feels strained and that's what I focus on that day, the next it's my swallowing and I obsess about it that day. The next its dizziness..etc."
"I have never actually had trouble swallowing, like I've never choked or anything and I can swallow liquids and solids, it's more when I am swallowing my own saliva..and I get really anxious about it and my throat sometimes feels tight.."
"I started googling and my symptoms got worse than just dizziness and tingling.."
I totally understand how frustrating it is to here 'anxiety' as a potential cause of what your dealing with, many people with MS actually have heard that it's a mental health issue but most choose to have their mental health fully assessed, to get the mental health idea/theory/opinion thrown off the table if incorrect or so that they can at least, start the correct treatment and gain understanding to better their tomorrows.
So it is with that thought in mind, that i ask for you to seriously consider getting your mental health assessed!
Hugs.........JJ
I have to agree with Kyle, because what you've described does not sound particularly MSish to me either and from everything that I know and understand about MS, your sx's present and behave with a very inconsistent pattern to what typically happens when the cause is MS.
Kyle mentioned still being able to run 4k, but this......."My symptoms have never gone away..they wax and wane. Somedays it's my weakness that's bothering me, the next day it's my swallowing, the next day it's my right eye feels droopy" would be totally abnormal if your issues were caused by MS!
You've written a few things that would be typical red flags for mental health issues eg health anxiety
"My symptoms seem to bother me different days...like my arm and leg feels strained and that's what I focus on that day, the next it's my swallowing and I obsess about it that day. The next its dizziness..etc."
"I have never actually had trouble swallowing, like I've never choked or anything and I can swallow liquids and solids, it's more when I am swallowing my own saliva..and I get really anxious about it and my throat sometimes feels tight.."
"I started googling and my symptoms got worse than just dizziness and tingling.."
I totally understand how frustrating it is to here 'anxiety' as a potential cause of what your dealing with, many people with MS actually have heard that it's a mental health issue but most choose to have their mental health fully assessed, to get the mental health idea/theory/opinion thrown off the table if incorrect or so that they can at least, start the correct treatment and gain understanding to better their tomorrows.
So it is with that thought in mind, that i ask for you to seriously consider getting your mental health assessed!
Hugs.........JJ
Thank you for your reply. I agree that drs are a too quick to blame things on anxiety. I feel this is definitely something more serious. I would have periods of getting better if it were anxiety. But it's been everyday for almost 2 yrs. Noy necessarily getting worse but not getting better. My symptoms seem to bother me different days...like my arm and leg feels strained and that's what I focus on that day, the next it's my swallowing and I obsess about it that day. The next its dizziness..etc. I think you get my point.
I have not been to a rheumatologist yet. My neuro was reluctant to refer me to one as he felt I would start getting false positives.
I also requested another MRI, as it has been two yrs this spring and I want to know if any changes have happened in my brain. There was one small "unremarkable" spot that in their opinions is a "normal" MRI.
I asked my dr if she would do more bloodwork but she feels I have had extensive enough tests and everything came back normal. But I was looking at my results and it said my creatinine (blood) was low and my creatinine (urine) was high. Not sure what this means. It wasn't dramatically low for the blood just slightly and same with urine.
Would be great if anyone else had suggestions! Thanks!
I have not been to a rheumatologist yet. My neuro was reluctant to refer me to one as he felt I would start getting false positives.
I also requested another MRI, as it has been two yrs this spring and I want to know if any changes have happened in my brain. There was one small "unremarkable" spot that in their opinions is a "normal" MRI.
I asked my dr if she would do more bloodwork but she feels I have had extensive enough tests and everything came back normal. But I was looking at my results and it said my creatinine (blood) was low and my creatinine (urine) was high. Not sure what this means. It wasn't dramatically low for the blood just slightly and same with urine.
Would be great if anyone else had suggestions! Thanks!
Thank you for the links, I will do some research. I just feel this has to be more than anxiety. My symptoms have never gone away..they wax and wane. Somedays it's my weakness that's bothering me, the next day it's my swallowing, the next day it's my right eye feels droopy. I'm so tired of being told I'm anxious, of course I am!! My anxiety definitely spiked after all these symptoms started and drs and chirios and massage therapists all started throwing things at me like als, ms, myasthenia gravis...etc. I started googling and my symptoms got worse than just dizziness and tingling....so I don't know if it's from reading about symptoms or if I am just getting worse?
You realize that many of us have been through more than 4 Neurologists and possibly two MS Specialists who all turned us away and said it was stress or conversion disorder or psychogenic, etc.
With this said, just because two Neurologists state the MRI is normal and you have had normal neurological examinations at the time of examining, does not exempt you from the possibility that you may have it.
I'm not saying you do, I just would follow up with the Neurologists or a new one for that matter if your symptoms continue.
Have you seen a Rheumatologist yet? I would think it could be worth a visit.
As Kyle states, joint pain is not a sign of MS, however, some people confuse muscle tightness and/or spasms that are near the joints as joint pains.
I would say that everyone experiences health anxiety when things happen to us that are not normal, especially difficulty swallowing, slurring words, weakness, tingling.
I'm not a doctor -- but my advice is to follow up if you keep on experiencing these symptoms.
Another thing too, making an appointment with a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist to ensure that there's no mental component to your physical symptoms. Im sure anxiety increases when you experience it --- and perhaps makes matters worse...but what were you doing before the symptoms started? Was anything happening in your life that caused stress? Etc?
I do wish you the best and let us know how you're doing.
Welcome to the forums by the way :D
Lisa
With this said, just because two Neurologists state the MRI is normal and you have had normal neurological examinations at the time of examining, does not exempt you from the possibility that you may have it.
I'm not saying you do, I just would follow up with the Neurologists or a new one for that matter if your symptoms continue.
Have you seen a Rheumatologist yet? I would think it could be worth a visit.
As Kyle states, joint pain is not a sign of MS, however, some people confuse muscle tightness and/or spasms that are near the joints as joint pains.
I would say that everyone experiences health anxiety when things happen to us that are not normal, especially difficulty swallowing, slurring words, weakness, tingling.
I'm not a doctor -- but my advice is to follow up if you keep on experiencing these symptoms.
Another thing too, making an appointment with a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist to ensure that there's no mental component to your physical symptoms. Im sure anxiety increases when you experience it --- and perhaps makes matters worse...but what were you doing before the symptoms started? Was anything happening in your life that caused stress? Etc?
I do wish you the best and let us know how you're doing.
Welcome to the forums by the way :D
Lisa
Hi concernedcasslaf - Sorry you've hit a rough patch.
We are not doctors here, just folks with MS or think they may have MS.
What you describe does not sound particularly MSish to me. Headache, joint pain and shortness of breath are not typical MS symptoms. You also mention that although you are slurring your words, no one has said anything. Also, you mentioned that you ran 4K yesterday. In the throes of an MS relapse folks tend not to run 4 feet let alone 4K.
Your MRI has been read by 1 GP and 2 neuros. None think thee are any indications of MS. The clinical exams by 2 neuros also showed no signs.
Anxiety is a very powerful thing. It can cause the mind to play terrible tricks. Anxiety is very real. You may find it helpful to visit the Anxiety forum and to read some of the excellent heal pages on anxiety, There are links to both below.
Anxiety Forum:
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Anxiety/show/71
Health Pages:
http://www.medhelp.org/anxiety/articles/What-to-Do-About-Anxiety/224
Let us know if anything neurological turns up :-)
Kyle
We are not doctors here, just folks with MS or think they may have MS.
What you describe does not sound particularly MSish to me. Headache, joint pain and shortness of breath are not typical MS symptoms. You also mention that although you are slurring your words, no one has said anything. Also, you mentioned that you ran 4K yesterday. In the throes of an MS relapse folks tend not to run 4 feet let alone 4K.
Your MRI has been read by 1 GP and 2 neuros. None think thee are any indications of MS. The clinical exams by 2 neuros also showed no signs.
Anxiety is a very powerful thing. It can cause the mind to play terrible tricks. Anxiety is very real. You may find it helpful to visit the Anxiety forum and to read some of the excellent heal pages on anxiety, There are links to both below.
Anxiety Forum:
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Anxiety/show/71
Health Pages:
http://www.medhelp.org/anxiety/articles/What-to-Do-About-Anxiety/224
Let us know if anything neurological turns up :-)
Kyle
Hi. Thanks for your reply. I forgot to mention that I was referred to a neurologist and both times I seen him my exam was normal. Also had MRI of brain and cervical spine both of which were normal.
I have never actually had trouble swallowing, like I've never choked or anything and I can swallow liquids and solids, it's more when I am swallowing my own saliva..and I get really anxious about it and my throat sometimes feels tight..it's gone right now, but it comes and goes
Sorry forgot to mention I have had MRI of brain, and cervical spine both of which came back normal. Seen neurologist twice and exam was normal.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Multiple Sclerosis Community
Top Neurology Answerers
Australia
ON
Queensland, Australia
Queen Creek, AZ
Find out how beta-blocker eye drops show promising results for acute migraine relief.
In this special Missouri Medicine report, doctors examine advances in diagnosis and treatment of this devastating and costly neurodegenerative disease.
Here are 12 simple – and fun! – ways to boost your brainpower.
Discover some of the causes of dizziness and how to treat it.
Discover the common causes of headaches and how to treat headache pain.
Two of the largest studies on Alzheimer’s have yielded new clues about the disease
