I've been told that I may have MS...
 

As I have mentioned in my intro. post, I am a Sergeant in the Army and I am stationed at Ft. Bliss, TX.

Because I do not fully trust the Military Doctors here, I have come here in the hopes of getting some feedback/answers to my concerns from those that have experience with MS.

While there is quite a long story behind all of this, I will try not to bore you all too much with all the details.

This all started with me trying to overcome a foot injury that was keeping me from running. The therapists had told me that I could try to run again but that I should quit if I felt any pain. Everything was going along just fine and I was nearly able to run 2 miles in the amount of time that I need to in order to pass a fitness test then, all of a sudden, I got on my treadmill and didn't even make it a mile when my right leg "locked up" from my butt all the way down to my ankle. It was kind of like a cramp but not quite the same. At any rate, I had to fall backward onto my couch and sit for awhile before attempting to get up.

Needless to say, that incident scared the heck out of me. But my first thought was that, perhaps, I was dehydrated. So I rested over the weekend and drank lots of water and Gatorade. On Mon., I tried to run again with similar results then again on Wed. and they nearly had to carry me back to the Company area...YIKES. :eek:

After some visits with the doctor, they ordered an MRI on my lower back and my sacrum. The results were that I have arthritis and a bulging disk. But that did not explain the symptoms that I described above as well as having some fecal incontinence (Not severe, I just need to "wipe") when I walk or run. I also have lower back pain when I stand for longer than a few minutes.

The doctor that reviewed the results of the MRI and discussed my symptoms with me told me that I may have MS and has ordered an MRI of my brain, my dorsal spine and my cervical spine as well as a nerve and muscle test.

What really has me concerned now is that, naturally, I have been doing some research on MS and I realize that I have quite a few more symptoms that, until now, I had just attributed to getting old. Some of them are; rapid eye movement left to right, difficulty beginning urination, fatigue, random "stabbing" or sharp pains in my legs, constipation and leakage (described above), Loss of balance or dizzy spells, urine leakage (After I go...weird), memory loss and depression.

The MRI on my brain came back normal but the other MRI's show a ruptured disk at T7-T8 (I saw this in another thread and will discuss that issue there).

I understand that the symptoms I have mentioned could have other causes but, in light of the situation, the fact that I have them all together scares the heck out of me.

What do you think? I haven't been diagnosed yet but, from what I know so far, it isn't looking too good. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

SGT Bob

Hi and welcome,
I hear and understand your concern about military health care. It has been my experience that recognizing and diagnosing problems can be a bit lacking although once you get a firm diagnosis the care should be excellent. In any event whether govt. or civilian we need to be our own health advocates and it sounds like you are on the ball with that.

Sorry if I missed your age, but I would be concerned about prostrate issues also and that is something I would address immediately.

The other thing and I know this might not be a popular suggestion but if you are not able to get a second opinion through your current situation I personally would pony up the money and get one from a MS specialist on the outside if you are concerned that you were misdiagnosed.

Best wishes and please keep us posted.

I was raised a Navy brat and after having suffered at the hands of military dentists I can fully understand your fear.

As I tell loads of folks breathe! just breathe! MS is a process and almost never a quick "oh hey look at that!" style diagnosis. It take time, tests and patience to get there. There are more than 100 diseases that can mimic MS including the brain lesions. From dehydration, to vitamin def, to lyme, lupus, sjoghrens, RA, Devics, and so forth. Lets say you sit in front of your MD with your current symptoms and say "tell me whats wrong!" he sees that he has a dish of 100 or more items to pick from. Lets start doing the easy stuff. Lyme shows up (most times) on a standard test. Lupus has certaine markers. Vitamin stuff is quick to see. Sjoghrens has dry eyes, and a dry mouth and needs a lip biopsy. so, as he starts to DIS prove things, he will find he is only left with 10 or so in the bowl. That last ten are so similar to each other, and dont have a definitive test that says "its MS" or "its Devics" so they take the "most likely" culprit and slap that label on you.

It takes several MRI studies, not just one. It takes normally a spinal tap which show Obands (normally only show up IN a flare) and neuro tests like a positive Babinsky reflex or stuttering eyes when you look to one direction or the other (this shows damage to the optic nerve) and so on.

So, while its a scary time, and you simply want your old life back, hang on. take a breath. Deal with the knowns versus the unknowns. Keep a journal. take copious notes! keep a symptom journal and keep track of what makes it better or worse.

Come back here and pick our brains. We are good at this.

Hi Bob,

I responded to your post over on the New Members thread. I agree with what everyone here has said. There are lots of us who have "suffered" through the diagnosis stage.....we know how frustrating it can be.

Don't be shy about asking questions here. There are alot of very knowledgeable people who can give you great advice and support.

Hope to see you around the forum!

I hear ya Sarge, and know what you're going through. Sorry about some of your more embarassing symptoms. When you leak urine after going to the BR, you didn't empty your bladder. Try to empty each time to avoid UTIs, which are hateful.:mad:

Let us know what happens with your brain MRI and other tests. Hang in there and hang with us.:hug:

Thanks for the replies!

I like the idea of keeping a symptom journal. That could come in handy later on.

SallyC; That's just it. As far as I can tell, I do empty my bladder but then I get some leakage within a minute or so afterword. Fortunately, it isn't a regular occurance. It only happens once in awhile. A symptom journal would help recall how often I suppose...hehe.

good luck bob, i hope they can make a quick diagnosis one way or another, it will help you move forward. i was diagnosed last year after very similar symptoms to your own, my right quadriceps was cramped up and numb when i woke up one day and was like that for over 6 months. i am in remission now, i guess. the mri should be able to tell you if your doctors are on the right track. i have also had the incontinence problems during the first month of my attack, and i understand that it is not the easiest to deal with. glad youre here, this place helped me immensely, i learned way more about ms here than from my dr or anywhere else. :hug:

Clark is right......you get the "real deal" here from those who live with it every day. No doctor or specialist can offer you that! :cool:

Thanks again. Like I said in my original post, the brain MRI showed normal and the other MRI's show issues with my spine. I've been told that a normal brain MRI does not rule out MS though.

Oh, and my age is 45.

Why isn't my picture showing on the left? I uploaded one....hmmmm.

It's showing on your profile page.

If you will click on "User CP" (upper left of this page) you'll see "edit avatar" under the Settings and Options title. Click on "edit avatar" and you'll be able to upload your picture to your avatar. Good luck! :)

Bob,

As background to understand my past, imagine what you are experiencing happeneing when you are 18 years old, subjecy to analysis by DoD physicians who do not yet know much about MS, only to be rapidly diagnosed by a private specialist. That is how it happened for me. Without the private specialist I would still be in limbo.

Here is what I suggest that you do:
(1) Find an MS-Specialist in your area who has proven to be valuable with other patients. Pay for the exams out of your own pocket.

(2) When you get the results, give them to your DoD physican.

The one drawback is that you may be forced into an MOS that you do not like, or be asked to retire. If you have been in long enough and you have a clean DD-214, then retirement will prove to be great.

Another drawback, unless you take care of this before you have the private analysis, is the cost of life insurance (to protect your family). Add a little more to your policy or get a new one (Term life is best, avoid at all costs any other type being offered. Shoot for a 30yr level term policy.) Now this is not to scare you into thinking that MS is terminal, because it is not. it is not like cancer, ALS or anything of that sort, but insurance copanies still do not reailize that fact and thus charge a ton if you provide them test results that could justify large premiums. So take care of this before your private specialist evaluation.

It takes a while to accept the fact that you have MS for most people, but just realize that it is nothing more than a personal daily challenge that folks without MS will never understand. Overcome the obstacles created by MS in a slow and methodical fashion.

My time with the DoD has taught me enough to be cutious about what I say and to whom I say it. After 27 years with MS things are still working, as they will for you.

The key is to accept that it is just another thing that you have to deal with in life, and as a soldier, I can assure you that you have had to deal with worse and you survived. As an FSO assigned to work with the Corps that is one critical lesson that I learned. We just overcome and press onword, as will you.

The great news is that nobody is shooting at you and you are not living in the dust bowl (I remind myself of that all of the time, even when things are going well with MS).

Hang tough, you will do fine.

-Vic

Thanks for the advice Victor. Fortunately, they immediately referred me to a local civilian specialist and I am waiting until I get a diagnosis from him before I decide what to do next. I will, most likely, seek a 2nd opinion.

As for the Life Insurance advice, thanks but I was an agent for 10 years and disagree with term being the only viable option. Just like anything else, there is NEVER a perfect fit for everyone regardless of their situation. But that's a discussion for a different forum. :)

I will keep you all posted.

Got it...thanks. :D

Hi Sgt Bob,

I was diagnosed at age 44 after five months of tests, doctors and stress. I had similar symptoms to yours that caught my attention. When it affected my mobility it got my attention. I hope it isn't MS but something less but even if it is, it isn't all that bad in most cases. We have treatments now and it can be very manageable.

I'm 53 now and still walking and working full time. I can't do as much as I used to, but eventually I learned to cope. I learned that getting enough rest, keeping stress levels under control and a healthy lifestyle are very important.

Good luck and keep us posted. :)

Sarge is a hunk. Too bad he's my son's age..LOL:p

Sally......you tart! :D

Watch out, Sarge......Sally will be recruiting you to do remodel work on her house! :winky:

And he'll love every minute of it.:D

Okay, Sarge.......you can't say you haven't been warned! :D

As an Air Force wife of 20 years, I too went through the military process to try and get a diagnosis. Hind sight being 20/20 ....... I had numerous symptoms and would call to make an appointment only to get a different doctor each time. Consistency is key here.
Hopefully the health system keeps you with a Neurologist.
I had military friends who were diagnosed with M.S. using the military health system.......the hard part is getting all the criteria for a diagnosis to hit at the same time. Your doc my suspect M.S., so that is the path he/she is trying to take to get a diagnosis. There are only so many things they can test. Evoked Potentials would tell if you are failing some key things that you may not really even notice! These tests can be helpful, but only certain positive tests can give a confirmed diagnosis.....one of those being a positive MRI consistent with M.S. The others are: symptoms that reoccur over different time frames.
Disc problems can cause some real havoc. I had some issues I blamed on MS for years that were actually coming from cervical neck issues.

Bottom line....don't get freaked out. Many things mimic M.S. If you are 45 you must be at the tale end of your enlistment? If so, think about life insurance etc BEFORE there are any diagnosis made such as M.S. Are you close enough to retire or would they put you into disability retirement? Insurers won't want you with a chronic disease. Thats just something to think about.
For 12 years (during the military years) I had a clean MRI so no diagnosis. Symptoms came and went and a couple distressing ones stuck around....Boo.
I think the Military Docs tried, but all the ducks were just not in a row yet. And with that in mind we all have to wait. No one ever told me that I "may have M.S." However; after getting my military records for a civilian to review, they had made notes about a suspicion. I guess I'm glad they never mentioned it so I would not worry. The other side of the coin is....there is a relief when a diagnosis is made so that you can confirm your sanity!
Note: I was diagnosed in 2002 and I still do most things and have slowed down on somethings I probably would have slowed on anyway due to age (53). I take the meds and my disease is stable. Your anxiety is normal at this stage of the game and we have all traveled that road. (Once for a week I locked myself in the bathroom for a couple hours and took a jet bath and cried my eyes out). That was before I knew for sure and not knowing is worse.

I won't ramble on anymore.....peace be with you and hey; THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!:hug:

LOL, I'm flattered. Thanks. :D

Unfortunately, that is all but impossible in the Army. :(

If I do, in fact, have MS the good news is that the Army will medically retire me with 100% disability and benefits. Then, I should be able get plenty of rest, keep stress to a minimum, etc...

Haha....but my wife wouldn't. :winky:

Thanks for the feedback....and you are most welcome. :D

I have a new symptom now! :( Last night, my feet started to tingle like they had no circulation and started to cramp.

Regarding your questions about my current status. I just returned to duty after a 17 year break (long story) and have a total of almost 9 years. I have been told that any medical discharge with over 30% disability is considered a medical retirement now.

I'm sorry to hear about all that you are going through. Others have given you great suggestions and advice as well as sharing their thoughts and experiences. So, I don't have much to add other than hang in there! Eventually, they will get it figured out and will be able to treat whatever is going on. Many neuros are not quick to give a MS dx. I had lesions that were on my MRI but no neurological symptoms. The neuro did not dx me with MS at that time. Over the course of 3 years, other neurological symptoms started showing up. I was dx after I entered in to a nasty flare and was not able to walk well. Unfortunately, somethings take a while to dx.:(

Please keep us posted on how you are doing and let us know how your appts go.

And, yes, Sally is a wild one BUT she makes awesome cookies.;):D

Also, as others have stated, thank you so much for serving our country.:hug::hug:

I am the opposite. My brain MRI was clean but I have all sorts of symptoms.

My next appt. is on the 13th. That's the nerve/muscle tests.

If they pay all of your medical and medications that would be awesome! :) My meds retail at nearly 50k per year so I need to continue working as long as I can and keep my insurance. If I had to retire I suppose I could find a way to get meds but it wouldn't be easy.