Hi there,
Sorry to read about all of your problems. Your symptoms sound so similar to mine it's not funny! I have Postural Hypotension and am also having problems with my heart. Have had one Holter monitor put on and now I'm having a second put on this Friday.
Your episode of not being able to move your muscles sounds so familiar, except it happened to me at age 13 and it got progressively worse over a couple of weeks until I couldn't move my legs at all. I am only 24 and I am having the same memory issues as you are - my Nanna told me today that we have the same problems, which is cool but she's 81!!!
Please read my post 'CFS to MS??' and tell me what you think. I haven't seen a Neuro yet and I will also be going to an ENT for my balance issues and cysts in my sinuses.
Would be good to hear from you.
Mel
Angel,
Your post sounds familiar to me, too. I got a kick of your husband and daughter...it's just like my house!
I hope you husband is ok- I'll keep you both in my thoughts and prayers.
Around age 9-ish, couldn't get out of bed one morning and called for my mother. I remember being frightened, and laying there for a long time. She figured I slept wrong. 9 seems very early for symptoms, but thought I'd mention it.
I have a 14 year old daughter who has figured out my bad memory. "Don't you remember, you said I could.....".
If I stand up from bending over in the garden or picking something up, my vision turns into a black tunnel, my ears go Vroom! Vroom! with my heartbeat and I become very lightheaded. My blood pressure is normally around 90's/70's. I've never asked a doctor about this- just figured it was due to my low blood pressure and normal.
Take care,
Bethany
I guess my weekend ends on Tuesday, sorry. But, I'm here now. If I can just get this to post, I've lost two so far today.
I read both your narrative and your timeline.
My first thought is that the syncopal episode that you describe and the "visual blackouts" in your younger days do not at all sound either neurologic events or optic neuritis. The kind of "visually blacking out" without quite losing consciousness is a form of orthostatic hypotension. It is often, but not always related to changing positions or being overheated. It is extremely common to see in pediatric practice (like twice a week). The vision loss in on is persistent, lasting at least 24 hours.
The two bouts of paralysis I do not understand. The second one was very brief, so not likely a manifestation of MS. Were it not for the fact that you felt weak afterwards, I woulnd wonder if you had a episode of "sleep paralysis." This happens when someone is barely arrousing from sleep and finds they cannot move. As they lie there, time seems longer than it is, they become frightened and then movement returns. It is a common, frightening sleep disturbance. Normally it does not indicate any type of pathology (I think).
Depression, as you know, has many causes, and is non-specific. It is certainly more common in the post-partum period and as a part of an apparent PTSD after the death of your brother, BTW - my sympathies. It is also an intrinsic part of MS. When retrospective studies have looked at episodes of major clinical depression, people with MS have often had one or more in the years preceding apparent onset of clinical symptoms. When people's first symptom of MS is an affective disorder, like depression, their diagnosis is almost always delayed until the onset of overt neurological symptoms and hope the psych is alert to the poosibility.
Increased emotional lability (quickly changing moods - like from calm to explosive, mellow to irritable, calm to depressed, etc) is also seen very frequently as a part of the depression of MS. However, it is also seen in depression in general, so it is somewhat non-specific. But, it really does catch people by surprise and can casue a lot of hard feelings (personal experience)
The inappropriate laughter or crying (way out of proportion to the stimulus) is called the psuedobulbar effect" seen in MS and it should raise the possiblility of MS in physician hearing about it.
The weakness of your legs in 2002, how long did it last?
The monthly diarrhea is hormonal. The some prostaglandin that casue the smooth muscle of the uterus to contract in cramps can also have a stimulation of the smooth muscle of the colon causing menstrual diarrhea.
You began having paresthesia of your hands (both?) during pregnancy, depression afterward and shoulder and neck pain. These may well have been early MS symptoms, but are too nonspecific to say.
Present. Are you saying that you have had weakness or easy fatigability of your legs (both?) since 2002? With the tripping and loss of coordination have you had a thorough evaluation by PT to document the strength and tone of your muscles. I would recommend this.
I don't totally understand the rigidly holding your chest and shallow breathing. It is seen in chronic anxiety, but it can also be neurological. I would recommend a sleep study and PFT's. Both can usually be done by a pulmonologist.
Your cognitive defects sound like what is seen in MS and some other conditions. I would HIGHLY recommend neuropsych testing. This would be especially important given the kind of decisions you need to make (quickly) in your job.
The blurry vision with fatigue could be a fatiguing of the focusing mechanism of the eye - possibly neurological. Floaters are extremely common and increase as we move through adulthood.
Next time your vision goes black, meaning your BP has fallen, don't lift your arms, lol.
The explosive vomiting sounds like a distal esophageal spasm and may indeed be neruological. You need a swallow study.
And, from all of this, it sounds like you have never presented to a neurologist. You really do need a thorough neurological exam to rule out muscle strength and tone problems, balance issues, see what your reflexes are like. Your need an MRI of your head and spine.
Finally, the episodes you describe in your timeline of awakening unable to move sounds like classic "sleep paralysis." Just search those two words and you'll find a wealth of info.
So things you need: Neuro exam, MRIs, Sleep study, swallow study, poss. neuropsych testing, maybe a PT referral, maybe a tilt table test (ask you cardio). It is the classic presentation of MS, but MS needs to be ruled out. You need a lot of evaluation to get some idea of which of these are neurological and which aren't. I don't see any indication of a childhood presentation of MS, but even though I was a pediatrician I never saw a case younger than 16 and I didn't follow her (though I diagnosed her).
I hope this has been helpful. I know you are concerned at even raising the question of MS given your job. Would you have to be worked up in your own medical center?
Quix