Strange flare or GBS?

[hc1]

Hi everyone.  Last Monday I started having some tingling in both my legs below the knees.  It ended up turning into pretty strong pins and needles overnight that kept me awake.  Since then (5 days later) I have had decreasing tingling but continued odd sensation, almost like burning or soreness or what your calves feel like after a charley horse.  When I wake up it's most intense and then gradually diminishes through the day into just a strange feeling or pins and needles.

I have also had random pins and needle prick feeling in my arms, legs, torso.  I'm having mild back pain.  My hands have also been falling asleep more easily.  

I'm worried about Guillain Barre since I had a tetanus shot 2 1/2 weeks ago.   I am not noticing ascending muscle weakness and I still have my reflexes.  It all just seems mostly between my knees and ankles.   My regular doc does not think its GBS but will not rule it out.  I'm not sure if it is just slow onset GBS or a strange MS flare.   I am in limboland for MS so not sure what to think.  Luckily I do have a MRI next week and then a neuro apt in 1 1/2 weeks.  Thanks for your help!

[Jmjones108]

I am having what seems like the exact same symptoms as you had after a tetanus shot.  I have tingling and burning in feet and a they feel freezing cold at times.  The first 2 weeks after my tetanus shot I would wake up with my hands both asleep.  Did you symptoms from the vaccine get better?

[hc1]

Thanks everyone for the replies.  That is interesting cowboy.  It's funny because it is worse in the morning upon waking, then as the day goes on it lessens in intensity.  It also goes from being a crampy pain to tingling sensations and back again.  I have my MRI tomorrow!  

I am somewhat hopeful that after 8 days if it was GB, it may be worse than this by now..???  Will keep you all posted!

[cowboysnangels]

I have Relapsing Remitting MS.  I have pins and needles from my knees down in both legs and hands.  Over the holiday weekend, my legs became stiff like yours, and the bottom of my feet felt like I was walking on rocks and they hurt.  MS appears differently in every one of us.  It is true that anxiety will mess with your head and your body, especially the tingling.  I don't know much about GB (my nephew has it from a viral infection) but it doesn't sound like that to me.  Be your own best advocate just like you are doing and keep seeing your doctor.  Best of luck to you!

[HVAC]

It would be really strange for MS to have those symptoms in both legs. Usually with MS you have symptoms on one side or the other but not equally. I will have those symptoms in one leg or one arm but not both at the same time. Even when you have Ms every symptom you have is not related to MS.

Alex

[hc1]

Hi JJ

Thanks for your insight.  I do admit to having anxiety and I know that does increase my symptoms.  It's funny because I really didn't think too much about symptoms before all this weird, possible MS stuff started happening years ago.  It seems now whenever I get some strange feeling that I have not had before I start to worry.  If my whole head was tingling, that I could deal with because it is expected and has happened lots of times before, lol.

I try to rationalize things with the small chance facts, and I appreciate your verifying this for me.  Sometimes all we need is a cool head telling us to calm down.   I will follow up with my neuro report!  Thanks a bunch!

[supermum_ms]

You have mentioned previously that you'd started seeing a therapist for anxiety and hypochondria, you seem to already know that you do tend to overly worry about health issues, and because of that knowledge about your self, i think you probably need to seriously 'consider' if your new concerns about Guillain-Barré and the tetanus shot, is more likely related to an escalation in your anxiety level or not?  

"There's definitely a connection in people's minds that vaccines cause this syndrome. But if you look at the (medical) literature, that doesn't bear out," said Dr. Roger Baxter, the new study's lead author and co-director of the Vaccine Study Center at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California.

Most studies have found no link between Guillain-Barré and vaccines, while a handful have shown a very small increase in risk among people who received specific flu vaccines. That includes a one in one million chance of GBS among older people who got the 2009 shot against the new H1N1 flu strain. "

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/19/us-study-vaccine-link-nerve-idUSBRE93I0Z420130419

This is a very large decade long study, covering 3.3 million people and there was only 415 cases of Guillain-Barré, it is very rare already and they only found 3 people that had a tetanus shot prior to contracting Guillain-Barré, thats almost unfathomable odds against a tetanus shot causing Guillain-Barré. Realistically the likelihood of you having Guillain-Barré from the tetanus shot is probably less than zero and the truly rare condition are not really worth ever thinking about!

I'm not sure that an MS flare would be the explanation either, your sx's seem to be too random and short lived, sometimes only felt for a few seconds eg "random quick moments of limb weakness, lasting only a few to maybe 15 seconds", and if your pin's and needles is in all peripherals as well as your torso, that too would typically be a red flag leading away from MS.

I highly doubt what's causing you these sx's is going to turn out to be something like MS, its much more likely to be one of the mimic's because of how untypical it is overall but you'll know more after you have some neurological testing in the coming week, let us know what happens!

Cheers...........JJ

[RRlady]

Hi hc1, I'm Candy.  It sounds as if you're on the right track w/ your appointments.  Keep us informed!