Is this really happening?? Please help.

[madiesmom]

Hello all,
I had a baby about 11 weeks ago and when I left the hospital I started having spurts of pain everywhere, although they are brief and tolerable, and muscle twitches. Over the last few months my syptoms have progressed in frequency and some new ones have popped up, numbness, tingling, abdominal pain, poor sleep, chest pain, tremors, fatigue and a few involuntary body movements particularily in my hands, I have also noticed that blood is pooling in my legs and feet. I went to a neuro and he said it was from anxiety. My doc has run blood work and seems to think it may be rheumatic in nature. He says that pain is not a common syptom of ms although I have read otherwise. I am only 27, just graduated from college, my finace and I just bought our first home, and had our first baby. I am convinced that my problems are neurological in nature. Can someone tell me if ms pain is as I described, short random spurts of pain, just about everywhere. Do u think it could be ms? I am going to try and see another neurologist soon.
I am so devestated and feel as if I have nothing to look forward to, no hope for the future, depressed, a lot of crying. My fiance is supportive, but he cant see or feel my pain. I just feel like this is all so sureal and I cant believe it is really happening. I want to watch my baby girl grow up, she needs her mommy.  I could really use a friend right about now. Please help.

[green924]

Finally getting DX'd has been a battle, so I hope it is nowhere close to being as hard for you (or that it is something as simple as anxiety, I have tons of that 2). The way all the Dr's have described it to me, I went into premature labor because my immune system was trying to attack him as a foreign thing just like it started attacking my whole body once he was born. They say I had some type of virus that triggered my underlying MS and other immune probs. It still all seems so crazy to me, and this MS dx is driving me crazy since they missed it so long ago... Good luck!

[madiesmom]

Thanks so much for the reply, sounds like you had a rough time getting diagnosed. I am glad u have gotten to enjoy your baby, I had complications during pregnancy too, high blood pressure and they took her three weeks early, thank god she was healthy. Had a good ob, he knew something wasnt right and said that the bp was from some underlying condition, but i didnt believe it, just thougt it was from the pregnancy, had good health until then. Anyway thanks. And I will try to enjoy my little angel.

[green924]

I definately hope the Dr's can help you to find out what is going on! I somewhat know exactly what you are going thru. I'm about to be 29 now, but I had my 1st (and only) wonderful son 4 days before my 19 birthday. During my pregnancy I went into pre-mature labor at 7 1/2 months, they were able to stop it and admin steroids for his lungs to develop and then still induced me almost 3 weeks early. At that time we had no idea what was going on, but then when he was about 3 monthes old I started having tons of strange symptoms. Migratory severe pain, swelling in joints, and tons of other weird stuff! At first I was told I had serum-negative RA, then palendromic rhuematism, and so many others... In 2002 a great Neurosurgeon is was seeing due to a MVA I had that broke my back thought I also had MS, but the neurologist I saw at that time said I was to young and didn't have enough sx of MS and he didn't want to do anymore tests??? Continued on thinking I just had some kind of arthritis they couldn't find in my bloodwork until last winter when I had the worst flare-up of my horrible history with all this junk and it has taken them almost this whole year to come to the conclusion I do have MS, along with polyarthralgia? Sorry this is so long, I don't mean to go on & on b/c I have tons of probs reading long posts... Oops! Anyways, I guess I just wanted to let you know you're definately not alone & I greatly hope everything works out good for you! Try to enjoy every second of your beautiful new baby... My baby is turning 10 on Monday and I sure don't know where the time has gone!!! Best wishes - Live, Laugh, Love

Melanie - KY

[madiesmom]

I am not getting help for the depression. It comes and goes and is associated with my worry over my health. I have started to excercise 30 minutes a day and seems to help alleviate some of the stress. I have been thinking about trying St. Johns Wart, which is a natural antidepressant. The only thing that makes me depressed is my health. It seems when I keep a good attitude and spirit I do much better. But I dont want to be all doped up on prescription drugs. Also, I have only one person I can talk to about all this and that is my fiance. He is really a wonderful person and very nurturing, but I need some good friends, people I can relate to and understand what I am going through. I havnt really told any family members about this yet, I dont want to worry them and I dont want evryone to feel sorry for me. If and when I have a diagnosis, I will share. I know I need to stay positive and not let myself get so upset. I know that will take me down faster than any disease. I have to be strong and keep a positive attitude. Thanks for your response, I need all the support I can get.
The pooling of the blood is a symptom of disautonomia, which is associated with the nervous system. I also have high blood pressure and postural hypotension. I am not sure but the pooling and the hypotension may be from my bp meds.  
.Please keep in touch.

[HVAC]

Blood pooling or swelling is not an MS symptom . I do not think you have to worry just yet your baby is not going to have a mommy to take care of her. Whatever it is can be addressed medically. Are you getting help for the depression?  That is real and needs to be addressed no matter what else is going on.

Take care,
Alex

[opie74]

Ms is known to flareup within weeks of birth.  However, I dont think that it should hurt ALL OVER.  Keep persuing this, don't let it keep you from bondingwith that baby.   I had some issues related to the birth of my first, and you have gotto take care of you to be an effective mommy.  Try a rumatologist, another neuro, a family practitioner.  You have got to try.  Never give up on yourself, your mothering, and you innicent one.  Your fiance' will come around when he hunderstand thatyou are trying to do the best that you can.

My prayers are with you.
Opie Ann