Please help someone! Optic Neuritis?

[ahoskrn]

I have been having paresthesias for 9 months (tremors, tingles, zaps, buzzing) and have had a Brain MRI, C-spine and T-spine all with contrast and no lesions at all. Lumbar puncture negative. Neurologist has been treating symptoms with Lyrica 50mg three times a day and Cymbalta. Doing much much better. Today, after taking a nap, I woke up with my left eye completely blurred. I did not panic because I had been sleeping on that side with the eye into the pillow. I rinsed eye, put visine into it, no changes for about 30 minutes, then began to clear with blurred vision when refocusing eye or opening or closing eye. I am waiting for Neuro office to call back. It has now been 90 minutes and my left eye still feels weird (dry, sensitive) and blurriness is about 90percent better but not totally resolved. Does this sound like Optic Neuritis to anyone. I am a 40 year old female with no prior health issues. The paresthesias came on abruptly in January ( spread from left side to right side and encompassed all of body including head, tongue face, trunk, limbs. Neuro does not think MS because of sudden onset...he thinks viral because no evidence of lesions, normal lumbar puncture and bilateral symptoms and horrible gastro event that coincided with initial onset. I am very scared. If anyone has any ideas.....

thanks for your time
Angela

[beaumike65]

Hi There sorry to hear about your issues, I agree with Quix the eyes are very sensitive to a lot of conditions so I would go to ER. The other problems resemble MS but I would also look into Lime Disease. Lime disease also mimics MS doctors thought I had Lime before doing MRI's.

Mike

[Quixotic1]

I'm late and so we need to know what happened with your eye.  If it is still bothering you, and you haven't been seen yet and can't get in to see your doc, then go to the ER.  Don't ever play around with your eyesight.

Optic Neuritis usualy has pain associated with it, but it may not.  It may even happen without any symptoms at all.

I do agree, however, that your overall illness, the way it started and developed, sounds much more like a viral illness.  It would be unusual, but not impossible for MS to present that way.  You may be one that need a little ( emphasis here on little - 3 to 6 months) waiot and see approach.  If the paresthesia continue, or other things appear a repeat MRI in 3 months would be appropriate.

Hope this helps, sorry it's so late.  Quix

[Jazzyfizzle]

Hi Angela,

We know how scared these types of things can make you feel.
I'm sorry that I can't offer any medical advice. But I do have all the zapping and buzzing fun stuff also. I had a spell similiar to yours in one eye about 3 years ago. The pain was mega intense behind just one eye but wasn't blurred at that time.
I think the Evoked Potentials test tells if there is or was Optic Neuritis. Possibly you could ask for this test?
Hang in there and please let us know what happens.

Jazzy fizzle