hello .can I 1st say i am not a doctor , so would not rule out what a professional says . I am just interested in MS and vitamin deficiencys . i read your post with some interest. yes your symptoms do strongly point towards MS but also towards a condition called Pernicious Anaemia/B12 deficency I will post here a check list for you to compare. I would advise if you havnt already , to ask to be checked. good luck x
Common/early symptoms
Shortness of breath – ‘the sighs’
Extreme fatigue
Brain fogs
poor concentration
short-term memory loss
confusion (‘handbag in the fridge syndrome’)
nominal aphasia (forgetting names of objects)
Clumsiness/lack of coordination
Brittle, flaky nails; dry skin anywhere on body
Mood swings, ‘tear jags’, heightened emotions
Neurological symptoms
Imbalance:
dizzy/faint
'shoulder bumps’ – frequently bumping into or falling against walls
general unsteadiness, especially when showering and dressing
inability to stand up with eyes closed or in the dark
Numbness/tingling – especially in hands, arms, legs, feet
Tinnitus – nerve damage in the brain
Less common symptoms
Irritability/frustration/impatience; desire for isolation, quiet and peace; aversion to bright lights and crowded spaces
Unaccountable and sudden diarrhoea often reported following a spell of constipation
Sleep disturbance
even though patient is exhausted, is unable to sleep
waking up still tired, even after many hours sleep
Hair loss – can range from moderate to severe; premature greying of hair
Poor digestion
Burning legs and feet – Grierson-Gopalan Syndrome
Neuropathic pain/fibromyalgia – often on only one side of the body
Vertigo – inability to cope with heights, linked to the need for a visual reference as compensation for damage to the brain’s balance mechanism
Hypo- or hyper-thyroidism – almost exclusively among females
Psoriasis/eczema/acne
Rosacea – a reddening of the skin around the nose and cheeks
Arrhythmia – irregular, fast or slow heartbeat
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Coeliac disease – sensitivity to wheat and/or wheat products
Myasthenia Gravis – weak muscles leading to problems swallowing, chewing and opening eye(s)
Vitiligo – white patches that develop on the skin
Psoriatic Arthritis
This is for indicative purposes only and is NOT a definitive tool for self-diagnosing.
Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with a doctor.
Without the ability to examine and obtain a history, I cannot tell you what the exact cause of the symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.
A lot of the symptoms you reported like sudden onset double vision and clumsiness/trouble walking would make a physician suspect a multiple sclerosis attack.
Multiple sclerosis is a disease that primarily affects the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord, nerves from the eye, the optic nerves). Symptoms may be mild to severe, ranging from tingling and numbness to paralysis. There is not one test alone or one symptom that can diagnose MS, but there are well-established criteria that help neurologists make the diagnosis. These include taking a thorough history, doing a thorough physical exam, conducting an MRI of the brain and sometimes the spine, and sometimes ancillary testing such as lumbar puncture and visual evoked potentials ((a test of how the nerve from the eye, the optic nerve, is functioning). If an MRI of the brain and spine is normal, the diagnosis of MS becomes highly unlikely. Alternatively, if someone has several lesions on the brain MRI, but they have not had distinct episodes of neurologic symptoms, or they have specific findings on neurologic examination, then a diagnosis of MS cannot be made.
Typically any important findings seen on the MRI are usually mentioned in the “impression” of the MRI report.
It is difficult for me to determine if you have MS without being able to get a detailed history, without being able to examine you, and without being able to see the MRI. However, you have already been evaluated thoroughly by a neurologist. If you had some borderline abnormalities on your MRI brain and spine making it difficult to diagnose MS, then a MS specialist’s opinion would be warranted but in the absence of any significant findings on your MRI report, a MS specialist may not have much to add on top of what your neurologist has already told you. You may ask to see the full report of your MRI and seek a second opinion if you wish ofcourse.
Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.