Ok, it's freezing here now, (3 degrees in my backyard) so when my parents and I went to get a sandwich earlier, I bundled up.

I think the weight of my coats (fleece jacket, denim jacket) and my sweat shirt, along with my scarf and hat set off a really really IMPRESSIVE L'hermittes sign.

Pain down my left arm into my middle finger. (do you think the MS Trolls are trying to tell me something???)

I also think it's possible that my bra strap might have been contributing to all this. (we'll just say that I may ask for surgery to lighten the "load" the bra holds up)

I just got home, pain got better once I got rid of the coats, and it's only slightly better now that I've removed that undergarment. (toasty warm in my jammies now...yay!)

Has anyone ever had their clothing set off the L'hermittes???

I think I'm going to go shopping for a down jacket, since all my warm coats are really heavy, and down coats are not all that heavy.

I can barely move my left arm right now, it hurts so bad, just not as bad as it did with all the clothing on.

oh! and I bought gloves for me and my mom while they were finishing up dinner, and when I put my new gloves on, it felt so tight around my left wrist that it felt like it was sending extra pain signals thru my carpal tunnel into my hand...my thumb and index fingers felt numb.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding L'hermittes sign, but it was my understanding that, by definition, it is head movements causing sensory reactions to travel through the body.

When I experienced it, it was through my hands/arms and lower back each time I bent my head down.

As far as clothing 'triggering' it, I've never heard of it myself. It almost sounds like something completely unrelated to L'hermittes, but I could be very wrong. I just know what my L'hermittes felt like when I experienced it, and it was electrical shock sensations each time I moved my head downwards.

I called my neuro, and he didnt call me back, but another neuro did. He asked me a bunch of questions, and he said he thought it could actually be a pinched nerve and not the MS, and that maybe I should come in tomorrow and have him or one of the other neuros check me out. (he thinks my neuro, who is older than dirt and semi-retired might be on vacation this week)

He told me to take 600mg of Ibuprofen and see if that helped any. (it did. yay! my fingers are tingling, and still hurt, but I'm not screaming while typing this)

I think I'll call them in the morning, and see if I'm lucky enough to see them this week...the neuro-on-call that I talked to said that if it's an MS thing, I could probably get steroids and an MRI.. I told him no MRI...claustrophobic, but if the pain in my hand gets any worse, I'd gladly take the 'roids.

I never thought I'd want to take steroids for anything other than paralysis or vertigo, but the pain in my arm earlier was REALLY BAD. For about four hours it was the worst pain I'd ever felt...even worse than the optic neuritis that I had in August 2006. I had carpal tunnel in the early 1990s, and the pain from that didnt even touch the pain I had earlier. I guess I'm going to be popping Ibuprofen for awhile...hope my liver can stand up to it. (or is it the kidneys that ibuprofen affects badly when you take too much?)

L'hermitte's is a shock sensation, like Laura described. I also get numbness from what my neuro described is a l'hermittes-type reaction, and that is dependant on position.

Maybe it is spasticity from the cold? I get pain (mostly in my legs) when I am exposed to cold. It's more like an ache (not like a shooting pain), and for me it always affects both sides at the same time. This was true even when most of my damage appeared to be left-sided.

It could be something else entirely that you are experiencing, not necessarily related to the MS.

Cherie

It started right after I got dressed this afternoon to take my parents out for a sandwich and hot chocolate. I put my bra on, and noticed a weird sensation running down my left arm when I raised my arm. (it felt like a strong L'hermittes, stronger than what I've felt before)

When I went upstairs to get my coats (I wear layers of clothing in the cold) it got worse once I got all the coats on. (sweatshirt, polar fleece vest, denim jacket, and then my scarf and hat that I made for myself) It was all pretty heavy, and it felt like the weight of all the clothes going across the back of my neck were causing it. Bending my neck forward, or turning my head made it worse.

I'm going to try to see the neuro tomorrow or tuesday. The one I talked to tonight at my neuro's emergency number told me that from my description that it sounded like a pinched nerve on the shoulder and not in the spine, (even tho he said that was very possible)

He told me to take some Ibuprofen and go rest, which I've been doing now, and except for some (now) mild pain in my hand, the only thing that happens when I bend my neck forward is that I'll get a weird sensation of heat on my left thigh (it's been doing that for about 2 months now) Nothing from my shoulder since the Ibuprofen kicked in.

I tend to blame the MS for everything (stock market crashed..it was the MS...hangnails. caused by the MS....weird pains in my body...the MS) Maybe the neuro guy is right and it's a pinched nerve, which would be great, because then I wouldnt have to worry that it's the MS and I'm facing impending paralysis or something. (anytime I get a pain in my neck, or bad numbness in my back or legs, I start to worry it's the potential paralysis)

I hope they're not busy this week (they probably are) but if I can get in to see one of them, they can at least make me feel better by telling me it's not the MS.

No. Clothing cannot trigger L'Hermittes.

As mentioned earlier: L'Hermittes happens when you bend your head down. The sensations can last just seconds but your able to repeat it everytime you bend your head.

In my case: I have had L'Hermittes as a permanent symptom since 1986 when I was dx'd. I get vibrations/buzzing from mid spine down and can repeat the sensation whenever I bend my head.

Here is some information about L'Hermittes:

http://www.themcfox.com/multiple-sclerosis/ms-symptoms/lhermittes-sign.htm

Wow permanent Snoopy? I can't even imagine...

the first time it happened to me, it scared the HECK out of me (I didn't know at the time I had MS).

It was the defining symptom for me that screamed "you need an MRI NOW", because the movement of the head/electrical shocks lasting a few seconds with each repetition was so distinct.

LOL!

It scared the heck out of me initially too. I had no idea what was happening and afraid to bend my head

Even though it's permanent I find my L'Hermittes more annoying than anything. I don't have pain from it and never have. I don't get electrical shocks just the vibrations/buzzing.

For those that don't know: L'Hermittes is caused by a lesion(s) on the cervical spine. L'Hermittes is not exclusive to MS and has other causes.

Tags on shirts,sweatshirts bother me and I have to cut them off because of the spot where they are at the spine. But it doesn't cause L'Hermittes, just like an itchy irritation. I know, not the same thing as you're describing, just thought I'd note that. Figured some others would have experienced the same?

After talking to a neurologist on the phone last night because my arm hurt so much, I think he was right in saying that it could be a pinched nerve.

Only reason I was wondering if it was L'hermittes, is because my layers of jackets I was wearing last night were heavy, and were pressing on the back of my neck...kind of pushing my head forward some. (it's COLD here this week...it's -3 degrees right now! eek!)

Hopefully I can get an appointment for the neuro sometime this week. I just woke up, and my arm is hurting again, just not as bad as last night. (the Ibuprofen must have worn off) I want to have them check it out, just in case it's an MS thing.