I've actually tried asking that. No one wants to take me seriously.


I have no idea what else it could be. (b12 and vitD deficiencies are the only other things I can think of. I'm deficient in both)

It's just driving me nuts that I feel like I have something new popping up all the time. I've asked some other MSers, and no one I've talked to has said theirs seem to be as active as mine is. With new things happening all the time. I feel like that seems to be unusual for ms.

I'm just surprised that for how much I've done PT, and how much I try to exercise, I'm not really getting anywhere with being able to get around better. The thing that annoys me most is the mobility issues, and the fatigue. And the general feeling of sick that I seem to have constantly. I can use a cane for short distances...from my computer desk into the bathroom, and out into the family room. My basement is pretty good sized area to walk around in. I just have to be very very very careful. I won't go out into the real world with just a cane though.


The numbness I think I can deal with, and not kvetch (complain) too much about it to a doctor.

I have issues with my shoulders that I don't think have anything to do with the MS, it's just that shoulder pain doesn't really help much when you're already having problems.

Have you had your basement tested for mold or gases? A lot of times with basements, even if they're finished off nicely and really just seem like nothing more than a subterranean room, there can be issues of mold behind the drywall that could cause some health problems, including a general feeling of sick, but also adding to your fatigue and potentially adding to muscle weakness depending on your body's reaction. Same thing with some of the gases, and not a gas leak like the mainline to a house leaking where you strike a match and blow up, but there's any number of gases released through the ground that might not be detected by your nose, but can reek havoc with your body. If your basement doesn't have a proper vapor seal on it, or sometimes even if it does but your house was just built in a bad spot you can be susceptible to such problems.

Allergies could be another contributing factor and they don't always present themselves as sneezing or breaking out in hives. I'm allergic to some kind of a component found in plastics, and it's not the BHP since even those still bother me... if I'm exposed to them too much. Like drinking those 64 oz of water a day from a plastic water bottle, prepackaged or fill up at home type doesn't matter, I might be able to get away with it for a day with a bit of a headache by the end of the day, two days in a row and I feel positively sick. Not like I'm going to vomit every two seconds or anything but my body hurts, I get so tired, my head will just pound away a mile a minute and I feel like I have a really bad case of the flu. But just having one bottle of juice, soda or water while out and about doesn't bother me at all.

Get me around rugs or carpeting made with some of the synthetic fibers and the same thing will happen. I have to be careful when choosing a mattress, pillows and bed sheets. It's not all plastics and I can be exposed to some, like I don't pour my shampoo or conditioner into glass, so it's a really strange allergy and I'm not sure what it is in the plastics that I can't use versus the ones that I can.

I mean my aunt was thinking she might need to get tested for MS while I was undergoing the wait for my dx because she was just seemingly hit by a brick wall of fatigue, bladder and bowel issues, weakness and mobility issues. And the doctor came back with celiac disease. She went on a gluten free diet and within a month was right back to her usual self. She does fine so long as she avoids it for the most part, she can indulge in the occasional sticky bun or donut, but for the most part she can't eat any gluten or she goes right back down hill again, and she ate gluten her whole life long never had a problem with it till suddenly it was one.

Unfortunately allergies like that can also be quite difficult to dx as they generally don't show a reaction on a scratch test, rarely do allergy medication prove to be effective in treating or reducing the symptoms and about the only recourse you have is to eliminate things until you find out what the silver bullet is, then comes the fun of staying away from it as much as possible.

Hope I'm making some sense, but one of the first things I would do if it seems like the doctors aren't finding any reason for your wonky symptoms is get the air quality tested in the basement. Make sure it's checked regularly for molds, gasses and even pollen though it's underground. And then just pretty much pick something that you have a lot of exposure to on a regular basis and see if avoiding it for a few days doesn't improve your symptoms any. Be it gluten from breads and things, or your mattress, laundry soap, drinking cups (unless you only use glass), favorite blanket, favorite fruit or drink, heck even dairy products... take into account the number of things you come into contact with daily and whatever seems to be at the top of the list avoid it for a week. If there's no change, pick the next item and go another week... If nothing else it gives you something to do while waiting on the doctors to decide what they think they might do and what they might want to test for.

Hoping you feel better soon and that you can get answers

starz makes a darn good point.

and, she's right to say try 1 or 2 things at a time. it's like introducing foods to a baby. if you give them too many & they react you can't pinpoint what the exact food was & have to start again.