Is there any connection between MS & Hypertension

[amas]

I was wondering if anyone knows this answer.  I have read that MS and other autoimmune diseases can coexist.  I was dx with hypothyroid 12/06 and Hypertension 4/07 and it looks like I'm on my way to an MS diagnosis.  I have also read many people talk about migraines/headache and MS.  I suffered with migraines since elementary.  They slowed in my twenties (i'm 42) and since I've been put on Hypertension medicine I rarely get a headache.

This week I had a mild headache for two days, was unexplainably tired and I was also having many (what I call) minor risidual ms symptoms.  On the second day of my headache I had a tough day with no strengh in my legs, arms and my left hand was going numb with pain as it has in the past.  Yesterday (3rd day of headache) the headache was much worse.  I had more pain in different areas of left arm with banding sensations (which I have had before).  Everytime I stood up it's as though i was about to fall down again.  I was dizzy, felt hungover, felt as if eyes wanted to cross (dizziness?), could not handle the day light and when I was up I couldn't last more than 5 minutes because I thought i would hit the floor because of weakness, disorientation or feeling as though my legs would give out.  If i bent over I would start falling forward.  I finally gave in and stayed safe on my bottom.  Later I took my blood pressure and found that it was high 145/97.  Very late at night I managed to get the headache down a bit and eventually the bp came down some too.  All my other symtoms started subsiding.  I went to bed.

When I woke this morning (before opening my eyes) I felt perfect.  Then I opened my eyes and just like that, dizzy feeling and nausea.  I layed in bed and started to have these large spasm or twithlike sensations on my right torso which I have never had.  My leg started buring on the side that never had that sensation before as well as vibrations and soon after my eye, thighs and bottom started twithcing.  I don't have strength and am tired.

Earlier I had a doctors appt. to get a referral to a new Neuro, my bp was fine.  Now I have a headache again and my bp is 144/93.

I must add that I was bothered by a comment the internal medicine dr made.  I mentioned that hopefully I could be seen soon by a neuro since yesterday was awful (and since I am fairly new to this I don't know what would be considered an emergency is this disease).  She said that if I was afraid I was having an attack I wasn't because she has seen many people with MS attacks and they were bad and I was not having one. Then she had me walk and she commented that my walking was off.

Anyway, sorry  for the long post but does anyone have any insight with the bp question or anything else.  Thanks,  Anamaria

[jensequitur]

It's possible that you have hypertension AND ms!  I know that when my symptoms are bad, my blood pressure goes up and I feel anxious.  Normally my blood pressure is quite low (110/60)

[amas]

Thanks.

Yes, i was aware that hypertension is not an automimmune disease but was interested if others seem to have this problem too because it seems that I had overlapping issues with both going on and that my thyroid problem and hypertension were diagnosed so close to each other.

The dr. who diagnosed me with hypothyroid never said which type and I never thought to ask.  My older sister was diagnosed with Hashimotos one month after me and I have another sister with hypothyroid plus my mother.  When I mentioned to the Dr. that I had two sisters and mother with hypothyroid she said "oh Hashimotos"

[essdipity]

Hi. I hope Quix will answer this, but meanwhile I'll try. I'm not sure from your post whether you are thinking that high blood pressure is an autoimmune thing, but it isn't. Some but not all forms of hypothyroidism are autoimmune. Were you told that yours is?

Headaches and blood pressure problems can be related, and this is nothing to mess around with. I hope you can get to the bottom of this soon.

Remember that it is quite possible to have more than one health issue. This makes diagnosis more complicated, since they always want to find just one cause if they can. Lots of times, though, they can't. Yours may be one of these.

Hope this helps.

ess