Hi all,

This is my first post here….I'm not quite sure if this is the right place to start, and if not if someone could please tell me that would be fabulous thank you!

Bit of history - 13 years ago my right foot went cold and over the ensuing week I lost feeling moving up my right side.

MRI, CT and lumbar puncture were all clear. After a month in and out of hospital I was advised to go home and come back if anything else happened, because they couldn't pinpoint what it was. At that time the neuro had said he was very surprised lesions did not show up (as he believed it to be MS).

During that exacerbation I had severe numbness in my right side, severe nerve pain (even a light bed sheet caused the feeling of a thousand needles on my skin), numbness heightened with heat/hot water, longer leg feeling in right side, incoordination. I was pretty confused then too, as this was all really strange to me.

Since that time, several years apart I have had swallowing difficulties, was diagnosed with Raynaud's, developed a tremor, and more recently have developed quite marked spasms in my right hand and foot which distort the extremities, are quite painful and last anything from a few minutes to 15 minutes.

I finally got myself back to the neuro and he has found I have hyperreflexia on my right side (which is my "number" side - that never left me).

He states that he believes there is a problem in the left side of my brain which is causing this, and that it may be that I have actually had MS for the past 13 years but it simply didn't show up on the initial MRI.

Financial reasons mean that I have to wait on the public wait list for an MRI, and that is scheduled for the 9th of April, with neuro visit to follow up on the 17th of April.

I'm not quite sure what I'm actually asking. I think I am wondering if anyone else has one-sided hyperreflexia, and what that actually means in the context of MS.

So just as a 'here you go', my symptoms are:

- dulled sensation right side
- difficulty swallowing
- dizziness (not all the time, just random episodes where it is as though the world moves and I have to hold on to steady myself)
- right-sided hyperreflexia
- spasms in right hand and foot which distort the fingers and toes and are painful
- right leg feels longer than left
- tremor (noticeable)
- tremor in voice at times
- pain across the chest
- quite marked sweating (increased since I had kids so may be hormonal?)
- loss of fine motor skills

I also think I'm having trouble hearing, and seem to have difficulty sometimes finding the right word (i.e. went to get the kids out of the bath and said I was going to get them out of the washing machine. Meant to say sticker and said supermarket instead. Stupid stuff. Not sure if it is relevant or not).

I would really appreciate anything anyone has to offer to help insofar as offering maybe an alternative that it might be? Or whether they think it is actually MS.

I don't know. I think maybe I just am feeling a bit numbed by everything (pardon the pun).

It has been 13 years. Psychologically I really have dealt with a hell of a lot in that time (including doctors telling me it was a physical manifestation of psychological symptoms).

Any thoughts?

Appreciate it, thanks ever so much.

Oh, and I am a 40 year old female, symptoms first came on when I was 27. All blood tests (extensive) normal except low vitamin D.

christobelle,

It is great to have you come and be with us. You will fine a great number of dear friends to listen when you are in need of ears. Please, just let us know how we can help you out. You will find out we are supportive and relaxing place.

Click onto the following forum, you will find some assistance:

Multiple Sclerosis:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum17.html

Please keep us up to date on your situation. Again welcome, looking forward to seeing you around. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Darlene

Thanks so much Darlene.

I have posted in there now, and will have a look through the forum this evening.

Much appreciated