Do I have MS?

[CityChick1985]

Hello,

I am writing this because right now I am very anxious.  I didn't think I had MS until I went to my doctor last month for neck pain.  I was having severe neck pain for about a month and a half.  Initially I pushed it off and said it was from sleeping on a pillow the wrong way or something else.  Then the pain gradually worsened and it got hard to take a deep breath.  Also the toes on my right foot were numb for the last two weeks of this "episode"  I went to my primary care physician who reminded me that around the same time last summer he prescribed me Flexoril for a stiff painful neck/back ache and he told me I was too young for these aches and pains and referred me to a Rheumatologist. He prescribed Skelaxin and Myoxocin or something like that both muscle relaxers (I'm pretty sure) I got blood taken the very next day (dr's orders) and then roughly a week later I had an appointment with my new Rheumatologist.  At the apointment he called in my blood test results and gave me a physical exam, mademewalk on my heels walk on tip toes, checked balance and streangth on random body parts.  He then toldme I was definitely having spasms in my neck, he injected me I think 4 times with something (he actually didn't say what it was just to stop spasming) and then we sat down and went over my medical history.  I have has "episodes" of eitherneck or back pain that is disabling since 2003, first flare up was my lower back and I got an MRI for my lower back and they found a slipped disc and then I received steriod injections that hurts so bad but eventually the pain went away, the next year i had another lower back flare up and received another injection this time it didnt help as well as last time.  The next couples of years I was fine.  (in 2003 I was 18 and now I am 24) and I had another flare up in 2007 and received oral steroids this time which didn't seem to help too much and I just took vicodin until the pain went away. My Rheumatologist told me that in my case he's checking for MS and fibromyalgia among other things and he told me he's been doing this for a lonnng time, he also kept trying to get me to talk to him during the appointment and kept saying he wanted to get to know me, (it wasn't lupus or lyme disease or hepatitis etc or whatever they checked my blood for because he had the results in front of him)  he also said to keep taking the meds my primary prescribed ( they took the pain from severe to moderate in a week) and he told me to go to physical therapy and to monitor my symptoms and call him in 3 weeks.  It's been about 2 weeks and I have a small diary of my symptoms which are scary.  I was at dinner with my boyfriend and my vision started going all white and i felt like i was going to pass out so bad that i put my head down and said soemthing is wrong with me.... i didnt have strength to even tell him i was on the verge of passing out i was trying to fight it.  I then got in the car and passed out, i woke up 3 hours later back from our day trip at my apartment not even realizing i passed out and feeling very dizzy and out of it.  This dizzy lightheaded feeling has come over me randomly 4 or five times since july 2 (rheum appointment) among other symptoms, I find that everytime I blow dry my hair I need to stop because my arms feel so heavy and weak and i've even gotten so dizzy that i need to stop completely and lay down.  Another symptom I've had is mid back pain and labored breath, I'd say this has been ongoing for awhile.  Sometimes the mid-lower back back is so severe and it feels really hard to breath and other times its minor and just makes me feel uncomfortable. I went to my first physical therapy appointment this past saturday and she did an evaluation and showed me the things i need to do to help my neck and during one exercise i found particularly difficult, she could see it was hard for me and asked me if i took my skelaxins yet that day and the wrote stuff onher notes, today i couldnt do any wall push ups because my arms felt so weak.  I have another appointment tomorrow night. Also, my neck pain is back to being pretty bad since working it out I'd say a 7. Other symptoms includes random bouts of vertigo, loss of balance and feeling like i'm in a dream or just off i almost can't explain it.

I have a follow up with my primary care physician on july 23 and that  same week will be roughly three weeks since my rheum appointment so i have to call him that week too.
I have a daily (sometimes not everyday every other etc) journal of my symptoms for my rheumatologist and he told me to monitor my "brain fog" because who doesn't get that sometimes right? I get short term memory loss and forget things a lot and just had a bad review at work for not grasping things well enough etc. Also my rheumatologist told me he had the name of a therapist for me but not to worry about making an appointment with her for anything just yet but to keep it, and then he never gave me the womans name or anything.  

I'm just nervous because the first thing he said it could be or that he was checking for was multiple sclerosis.  I've been trying not to look things up on the internet but my anxiety got so bad tonight that i decided i needed to write on a forum because whether it is MS or not, I know something is not right with me.

[wadeheather]

I'm there with you.  Go do something you enjoy!

[CityChick1985]

Thank you for your response.  I try telling myself everything is ok but then I get a symptom or few and then the worrying starts.  I hope everything works out for you.  Were you having the same symptoms as me?  I didn't see a neurologist just my primary and a rheumatologist. I think staying off this website today will help me out because I keep looking up different things it could be when really it could be anything....Thanks for helping to calm me down!  The worst part is when my boyfriend or friends n family think I;m fine and its from stress or anxiety...so frustrating!

[babyatlas]

sorry for your anxiety - really i am as i know exactly how you feel.  i recently have been experiencing symptoms, had an MRI and my doctor threw out the words MS and early onset alzheimers.  i cried and went crazy for a week and i still have bad days filled with worry when i analyze my every move and thought.  i am bit more calm now but still - it is always in the back of my mind - especially the alzheimers part.  anyway, while i have no technical advice related to MS, i would recommend doing other things to keep your head active and off these thoughts....

read a good book, rent an entire TV series from blockbuster (or someplace) and just start watching it (a funny show would help) and also work to retrain your brain.  i am doing this constantly as i am a serious worrywart.  everytime a thought enters your head regarding your symptoms/pending diagnosis/etc just say something to yourself like "i will live a long, healthy life" or "life is good".....just something to stop those thoughts dead in their tracks.  it has helped me.  also think about seeing a counselor/psychologist to get your fears/concerns out there and hopefully into perspective a bit and also learn mechanisms to cope with your thoughts and anxiety.

i hope i didn't sound preachy or "out there".  these are just things that have worked to calm my mind as i too come to grips with the fact that something just doesn't seem right with me and i have no idea what it is.

r

[wadeheather]

I don't know if there's even a guess at that number, but many of us here are in that situation. It's tough. It gets even worse if the people close to you think that nothing is really wrong. Stay with us here on the forum.  It's a great place to talk, think and learn with people just like you.

[CityChick1985]

Thanks for the comments,my anxiety is eating me up over this tonight.  I guess because I'm alone and just can't stop wonderng what's wrong with me because I have some symptoms that really worry me and the doctor used the words MS etc.  I hope I wake up tomorrow and I'm not anxious about it.  I'm not even sure if it is MS, it could be a tumor or more herniated discs or a degenerative disease but I know its something I really don't feel right lately all and I've had "episodes" since I was 18. I just know the next step will most likely be an MRI, the last one I had was like 6 years ago.

How many people go undiagnosed or given mis diagnoses for syndromes like MS?

[wadeheather]

Don't be scared. We limbolanders are used to being scared and I think that many of us, at one time or another, would tell you that it's not worth it.  Maybe we have MS, maybe we don't.  

The nice part about being here (and we are glad that you are) is that we are not alone. Most of us have seen doctors that we'd send up river if we could. It really sounds like you are off to a good start (much better than mine) and have doctors that care. Please keep us informed of your progress and symptoms.  Never be afraid to say you are frustrated.  Many of us are.  

[CityChick1985]

I haven't seen a neurologist yet, just my primary care physician and a rheumatologist. They've ruled out a number of things already and the first thing the rheumatologist said was MS which is why I joined this website.  I've had spells of vertigo where yes, the room and walls seem to be moving around.  I've had at least 5 of these vertigo feelings in the past month.  I've been keeping a log I didn't even get into half of my symptoms.  Also, I've never had an injury to my spine, back or neck.

I also have tremors when I'm sitting down and twitches in the muslces all over my body, not just my neck. Sometimes my thighs will twitch for an hour or so and sometimes it'll be a few minutes.

My memory is horrible, the toes on my right foot were completely numb for two weeks and I wasn't wearing high heels or anything.  i rarely do.  I feel unsteady and I'm scared.  I also have other symptoms which are personal and I don't feel comfortable typing out to strangers.

If  I have MS, it will be hard at first but it isn't as hard to treat as it was when I learned about it in school when I was younger.  I'm just concerned that I'm not getting treatment for whatever is wrong with me and I'm wondering why none of my doctors ordered an MRI yet.  


I'm really scared and I have a high tolerance for pain so it has to be BAD for me to see a doctor.  

Thanks for your response!!

[jensequitur]

Well, it does sound like you're having some neurological problems.  But at this point, nothing except the 'brain fog' points to MS.  

As far as I know, the muscle spasms from MS are not helped by any sort of regular muscle relaxer.  It's because the nerves themselves are affected, rather than the muscle group in question.  But other people will weigh in here and put in their two cents too, I'm sure.

It's quite possible that your back and neck are causing most of your symptoms.  A neck or spine injury can make your arms and legs weak, cause muscle spasms, and even paresthesia.

Your dizzy spells and blacking out are a little different from what I've heard about MS.  I have blacked out twice, but it was because of low blood sugar.  When I've had vertigo from MS, I simply felt as if the room was going 'VOOM!' around me.  

If it's any reassurance, it sounds like you have some good doctors on your side.  They're going to look you over from head to toe and figure out what's going on.  I like the fact that both neurologist and rheumatologist are really interested in helping you.  Let them do their jobs, and you'll be fine!  

Even if it is MS, it's not the end of the world.  There's lots of people out there who have been diagnosed and gone on to lead fulfilling lives.  I think I heard about a woman who broke the record for uphill skiing on the NMSS website.