ms

[cf1961]

I became sick 20 years ago.  From a neuro exam he said that I had MS. He ordered an MRI of my brain and spine. Nothing showed up. I was sick for about 4 months. 2 years after that I was carrying my 5 year old daughter home from school and all of a sudden my body felt weird. It felt like I had electrical shocks running through my body starting from my head on down. I hit rock bottom. I had some of the same symptoms plus it seemed when I had to push myself my  body would jerk violently. Sometimes my body will just stop.  I will tell my right leg to move and it just won't. Sometimes I would be breathing in and it was like I could not quite inhaling.  I would have to hit myself in my chest for it to stop. My eyes has also did crazy things they would move back and forth so fast without me being able to control them, my right eye will like going in and out. I have dots in it or just sometimes I can't see very well out of it. When I was at my worst 20 years ago sometimes my eyelids would just shut and I could not open them. At times it is like I can not focus. I do have double vision. I was born cross eyed. One eye doctor has said that my eyes do not work together. If am not feeling well things are further apart and so it makes it harder on me to say reach for the right door handle and things like that. I went back to the neuro.He ordered the MRI's again, nothing showed up. It took 6 months to get better. I have worked hard on keeping myself healthy in both mind and body. 10 years ago I fell in love with working out. That became my passion. I went from yoga to a stationary bike to working with weights, running on a treadmill and then to my true passion, running outside.  I did not just focus on running, I still liked to mix it up with everything I mentioned above. I also worked on my mental health. Over the years I worked on staying healthy but there would be times that my body would do weird things but I would try not to think about it I would either work out a little harder or increase meditation. Last year I joined a training course to run a 5 k. I really had to push myself to keep up with working late, and my training schedule and keeping up on running, I even had a root canal without missing any of my training sessions.  With running with a group I did run faster and push myself harder that when I would just run on my own. When I had my first practice race I pushed myself really hard.  After that while driving home my body started jerking.  It finally eased up except I noticed at times when I had a really hard day at work or if I did a really hard work out then in the evenings I would have a jerk in my left arm while I was relaxing and watching tv. I  tried to ignore what was going on.I ran 5 races last year. 3 were really hard races but I loved every second of it. I always loved my mind set while I was in training.  While this was going on I did notice things. I would start hurting worse in places that I didn't normally hurt. After a race I would bomb out but in a few days I would recoup. My groins had started hurting a lot, my knees and feet also started hurting. It didn't seem to matter what I did I could not increase or maintain strength. It was like I was getting weaker the more I did instead of stronger. I made sure I had rest days also. In January I started pt for neck and hip pain and also I started training for my first marathon.My body crashed at the end of Feb. I seem to have a lot of the symptoms of MS but I have the added tics, involuntary sounds, sometimes it is like I keep coughing, involuntary jerks. My last check up with my neuro he detected more weakness and more balance problems.  He finally recommended pt which I had my first evaluation Monday. 20 years ago the neuro wanted to label me with conversion reaction.  I know how much I have worked over the years to stay mentally healthy. When I got sick this time I was at a wonderful place mentally.  I love training. I had a marathon picked out, I had time off, My longest run was for 4 hours and I loved every second of it. I have a wonderful husband.  I would often think of myself as being spoiled but not in the way of taking advantage of people.  I worked with the health profession.  I mostly loved my job.  I have I gift for making people feel better even if it is for just a little while so enjoyed that.  I enjoyed watching peoples faces light up from just the way that I would smile at them.  My family doctor said that he really felt that I did not have conversion reaction because he has know me for years.  He said that I was not depressed.  I did have another MRI. It was put on a  disk and read by a neurologist.  He did spot some white dots but he said they were not conclusive. He says that I have too many symptoms, that maybe when I was training for the marathon I didn't feel like I was doing as good as I would have liked and some other comments that he has made, it makes me wonder if he is taking me seriously.  I will be going to a different neurologist.  During this episode where I went downhill  fast in February, I was out of work for about 3 months. After much rest I was able to go back to work. I even worked up to the point where I could walk in the evenings.One Sunday I was feeling so go that I did one of my favorite workouts that involved weights and stepping up and lunges and you name it.  I felt wonderful that day but the next day my legs hurt me so bad.  My legs hurt a little less the next day but I ended up getting progressively weaker as the days went by ended up have to be rolled out from work in a wheel chair.  I have not been able to work since.  After much resting at home I was able to walk around my neighborhood which I love. I started adding to my walking. One day 3 dogs got after me and I had to run very fast in order to get away from them. That took so much out of me I can no longer walk around my neighborhood.  I can only walk a few minutes at a time. Soon after I started w the tics and things. I do not feel like I was traumatized by being chased. My husband bought me a scooter so that I can now go out and enjoy my neighborhood. I have even made friends with a neighbors horse. Being able to be out and to be able to move even if it is on a scooter has greatly improved my mental health.  Starting physical therapy has helped with having a goal to work toward.  I feel at time I was doing too much and then crashing.  I was not getting  help or advice from doctors. I am taking valium to help with some of the coughs and tics.  It does seem to keep it under better control but not all together. When I take my scooter out most of the time I will have to come in and take a nap. If I do too much during the day I get really dizzy and tics and jerks. It is hard to tell that I have done to much till I crash.  I have times that I forget that I am sick till I get up and start moving around or I will be sitting feeling good then my head will spin or I will cough, tic or something. At times I think to myself that I can't be sick. I have worked so hard at staying health. If I felt a cold coming on I would eat 2 oranges and use salt water nose drops. If I was tired I would work out to get energy. Most of the time I would walk with a bounce in my step. I meditate daily. I want to be healthy again. I did start going to counselling after I got sick. Even though I do not feel that my illness is based on my mental health I have been able to grow in leaps and bounds mentally while I have been sick. I am not sure if doctor's are really listening to me.  Any suggestions on what may be going on or where to go from here?  The only other problems that I have had is that I get asthma attacks from paint, wd 40, flowers from a florist brings on an attack.  Heavy perfume, air fresheners, some seasons something will get to me and I will have to wear a mask while out side.  
Thank you,

[kwarendorf]

Part II

sometimes it is like I keep coughing, involuntary jerks. My last check up with my neuro he detected more weakness and more balance problems.  

He finally recommended pt which I had my first evaluation Monday. 20 years ago the neuro wanted to label me with conversion reaction.  I know how much I have worked over the years to stay mentally healthy. When I got sick this time I was at a wonderful place mentally.  I love training. I had a marathon picked out, I had time off, My longest run was for 4 hours and I loved every second of it.

I have a wonderful husband.  I would often think of myself as being spoiled but not in the way of taking advantage of people.  I worked with the health profession.  I mostly loved my job.  I have I gift for making people feel better even if it is for just a little while so enjoyed that.  I enjoyed watching peoples faces light up from just the way that I would smile at them.  

My family doctor said that he really felt that I did not have conversion reaction because he has know me for years.  He said that I was not depressed.  I did have another MRI. It was put on a  disk and read by a neurologist.  He did spot some white dots but he said they were not conclusive.

He says that I have too many symptoms, that maybe when I was training for the marathon I didn't feel like I was doing as good as I would have liked and some other comments that he has made, it makes me wonder if he is taking me seriously.  

I will be going to a different neurologist.  During this episode where I went downhill  fast in February, I was out of work for about 3 months. After much rest I was able to go back to work. I even worked up to the point where I could walk in the evenings. One Sunday I was feeling so go that I did one of my favorite workouts that involved weights and stepping up and lunges and you name it.  I felt wonderful that day but the next day my legs hurt me so bad.

My legs hurt a little less the next day but I ended up getting progressively weaker as the days went by ended up have to be rolled out from work in a wheel chair.  I have not been able to work since.  After much resting at home I was able to walk around my neighborhood which I love. I started adding to my walking. One day 3 dogs got after me and I had to run very fast in order to get away from them. That took so much out of me I can no longer walk around my neighborhood.  

I can only walk a few minutes at a time. Soon after I started w the tics and things. I do not feel like I was traumatized by being chased. My husband bought me a scooter so that I can now go out and enjoy my neighborhood. I have even made friends with a neighbors horse. Being able to be out and to be able to move even if it is on a scooter has greatly improved my mental health.  

Starting physical therapy has helped with having a goal to work toward.  I feel at time I was doing too much and then crashing.  I was not getting  help or advice from doctors. I am taking valium to help with some of the coughs and tics.  It does seem to keep it under better control but not all together.

When I take my scooter out most of the time I will have to come in and take a nap. If I do too much during the day I get really dizzy and tics and jerks. It is hard to tell that I have done to much till I crash.  I have times that I forget that I am sick till I get up and start moving around or I will be sitting feeling good then my head will spin or I will cough, tic or something.

At times I think to myself that I can't be sick. I have worked so hard at staying health. If I felt a cold coming on I would eat 2 oranges and use salt water nose drops. If I was tired I would work out to get energy. Most of the time I would walk with a bounce in my step. I meditate daily. I want to be healthy again.

I did start going to counselling after I got sick. Even though I do not feel that my illness is based on my mental health I have been able to grow in leaps and bounds mentally while I have been sick. I am not sure if doctor's are really listening to me.  Any suggestions on what may be going on or where to go from here?  The only other problems that I have had is that I get asthma attacks from paint, wd 40, flowers from a florist brings on an attack.  Heavy perfume, air fresheners, some seasons something will get to me and I will have to wear a mask while out side.  
Thank you,

[kwarendorf]

Hi CF- Many of our contributors have visual difficulties that make reading solid blocks of text impossible to read. I have taken the liberty of breaking up your post.
Kyle

Part I
I became sick 20 years ago.  From a neuro exam he said that I had MS. He ordered an MRI of my brain and spine. Nothing showed up. I was sick for about 4 months. 2 years after that I was carrying my 5 year old daughter home from school and all of a sudden my body felt weird. It felt like I had electrical shocks running through my body starting from my head on down. I hit rock bottom.

I had some of the same symptoms plus it seemed when I had to push myself my  body would jerk violently. Sometimes my body will just stop.  I will tell my right leg to move and it just won't. Sometimes I would be breathing in and it was like I could not quite inhaling.  I would have to hit myself in my chest for it to stop. My eyes has also did crazy things they would move back and forth so fast without me being able to control them, my right eye will like going in and out.

I have dots in it or just sometimes I can't see very well out of it. When I was at my worst 20 years ago sometimes my eyelids would just shut and I could not open them. At times it is like I can not focus. I do have double vision. I was born cross eyed. One eye doctor has said that my eyes do not work together. If am not feeling well things are further apart and so it makes it harder on me to say reach for the right door handle and things like that. I went back to the neuro..He ordered the MRI's again, nothing showed up. It took 6 months to get better.

I have worked hard on keeping myself healthy in both mind and body. 10 years ago I fell in love with working out. That became my passion. I went from yoga to a stationary bike to working with weights, running on a treadmill and then to my true passion, running outside.  I did not just focus on running, I still liked to mix it up with everything I mentioned above. I also worked on my mental health.

Over the years I worked on staying healthy but there would be times that my body would do weird things but I would try not to think about it I would either work out a little harder or increase meditation. Last year I joined a training course to run a 5 k. I really had to push myself to keep up with working late, and my training schedule and keeping up on running, I even had a root canal without missing any of my training sessions.  With running with a group I did run faster and push myself harder that when I would just run on my own. When I had my first practice race I pushed myself really hard.

After that while driving home my body started jerking.  It finally eased up except I noticed at times when I had a really hard day at work or if I did a really hard work out then in the evenings I would have a jerk in my left arm while I was relaxing and watching tv. I  tried to ignore what was going on.I ran 5 races last year. 3 were really hard races but I loved every second of it. I always loved my mind set while I was in training.  

While this was going on I did notice things. I would start hurting worse in places that I didn't normally hurt. After a race I would bomb out but in a few days I would recoup. My groins had started hurting a lot, my knees and feet also started hurting. It didn't seem to matter what I did I could not increase or maintain strength. It was like I was getting weaker the more I did instead of stronger. I made sure I had rest days also.

In January I started pt for neck and hip pain and also I started training for my first marathon.My body crashed at the end of Feb. I seem to have a lot of the symptoms of MS but I have the added tics, involuntary sounds,