Originally Posted by SallyC

Boy, you really have to be careful with the way you say things here...My Bad.

Not everyone automatically progresses from RRMS to SPMS. I believe I said that is the usual way it happens. Noone's MS is the same as another's.

Usually when your relapses stop and you have lasting SX with more spasticity(pain), you have, more than likely, progressed to SPMS. That is the way it happened for me and I believe that is the way it happens for most..not all, RRMSers.

So Sorry, Friend2U, if I didn't make myself clear.

Originally Posted by lady_express_44

When I have had a spinal lesion attack, it has started with numbness/tingling in my feet, and by the time it gets to my knees, the burning, aching, swollen feeling and "shocks" get in on the party. It goes up my body like that, until it stops where it wants to . . . and the rest of the sensations do too.

When I recover, it occurs generally in the same order that it came on, bit by bit.

SPMS implies that this is not a relapse (or it is one of your last relapses, as relapses eventually stop with SPMS). I don't think there is any indication you are in this category, because you are still relapsing. If you are ultimately left with many of these ongoing symptoms, ii.e. you don't recover much from this attack, then you might start contemplating that you are advancing to SPMS. It is premature to think that way now though.

If this attack runs it's full course, you may find that the numbness and other sensations continue to climb, to the level where the spinal lesion must be. IF this happens, these attacks seem to escalate over 4 - 6 weeks, and most of the recovery occurs over the following 4 - 6 weeks.

I hope this stays in your feet/legs though ... which can happen depending on where the lesion is.

Keep us updated, won't you?

Cherie

Originally Posted by SallyC

Boy, you really have to be careful with the way you say things here...My Bad.

Not everyone automatically progresses from RRMS to SPMS. I believe I said that is the usual way it happens. Noone's MS is the same as another's.

Usually when your relapses stop and you have lasting SX with more spasticity(pain), you have, more than likely, progressed to SPMS. That is the way it happened for me and I believe that is the way it happens for most..not all, RRMSers.

So Sorry, Friend2U, if I didn't make myself clear.

Originally Posted by Kitty

... I still haven't figured out how something can be numb and hurt at the same time.

Originally Posted by ewizabeth

I've had instances of days when I'd be walking with excruciating shooting pains in my legs, then later in the day it would be numbness, and around it goes. I think it just depends on whatever sensation the brain wants to "read" from stress or whatever. You know what I mean, the crazy miscommunication of the signals.

It's happened in different areas too, hands, feet, arms, etc...

Originally Posted by Friend2U

Thank you for the explanation. I seem to stay a little confused about it all. But this makes some sense to me.

I've never had a spinal mri. And I maybe don't fill in my neuro enough at my check ups. Because I'm so glad I haven't had a really bad attack to land me in the hospital since a year ago. So I guess I figure some of this stuff isn't as important. But then as it gets worse I wonder if I should have mentioned it or if it just doesn't matter. It's hard to not really have any control over it.

I can tell though that my feet have become quite numb and hurt more and it has moved up to my knees. It has all been VERY gradual it seems. Nothing sudden. Also my hands and arms are becoming numb where they use to just tingle.

Something else that is getting worse is when I move my head down, I have burning go down my entire body. I use to think it was disc problems in my neck, but I really don't know if it is.

Boy, I better shut up this whining!

Originally Posted by Erin524

The burning when you move your head down is probably L'hermitte's sign (Lear-meets is how my neuro pronounced it) I've had that before from a lesion in my neck.

Originally Posted by Erin524

I dont think she was originally asking about how you progress from one form of MS to another, I think she was asking about the particular symptom (at least that's how I read her question) and how you can go from being numb to having the normal feeling back and how it comes back...does it go from numbness to pain to normalishness.