New here, worried I might have ms
 

Hi. I just wanted to see what you guys thought. I haven't talked to a doctor about any of this yet but I've had some tremors, trouble focusing my eyes, some occasional slurred speech and occasionally I walk bowlegged and on my toes a bit. My limbs have had some burning, numbness and tingling too. Plus I've been sort of dizzy, forgetful, and other mental problems. I also used to be really healthy but over the years my immunity to colds and flus has gone way down and my need for sleep seems to have gone way up. This looks like MS to me but I know there are probably other disorders out there Im not aware of. Some of these symptoms have been in the last month or year (I'm 29), and some have been since I was around 19 or 20. It's complicated because I've had alot of emotional problems diagnosed by my doctors. None of this is debilitating, I'm lucky to be pretty healthy most of the time. I have a couple questions. 1. Do you guys think this sounds like MS or is it more like some other disorder you know of? 2. If I get a test done and everything comes back normal can I ask my doctors for more tests, or do I wait for things to worsen then get the test(s) redone? 3. Because of the way I walk sometimes (bowlegged and on my toes a bit), I think it's MS, but it only happens when I've been walking alone for a while and am starting to feel nervous (because I'm phobic about being alone in public). So do you guys think this walking thing is just nerves or do symptoms typically get worse (or even appear) with anxiety? 4. Does MS make colds and flus take alot longer to fight off? 5. Do your symptoms all come and go at the same time? In other words , do you feel symptom-free some months, and they all come back together, or is it like one week it's one thing, and the next week it's something different. 6. Do you guys think I should make an appointment ASAP or should I just watch my symptoms and wait for my yearly checkup in March?

Thanks alot for taking the time to read all that. Hope it wasn't too boring.

Hi again Canadian Girl,

I'm not too good at answering these things but for me, when I was your age, my symptoms would come and go. I wasn't diagnosed back then though, didn't even suspect it.

If the problems aren't too bothersome then I suppose you could wait. If one of my sons was having symptoms though, I'd want them to get checked out right away. (They're 26 & 28.) So from that point of view I'd say get right in there, especially since you have some slurring and trouble walking now and then.

I hope that was helpful. Try not to worry too much and take care. :hug:

hello and welcome,
yes, what you describe COULD be MS. anxiety can make sx's (symptoms) worse. i believe that fear takes away your personal power. that's why i would make an appt first with your pcp (primary care dr). start to keep a journal of dates and yours sx's. take that with you to your appt. your dr may find it helpful.

some tests and labwork are usually in order to not only rule MS in but to rule copycats out. don't let your drs label you because of any emotional problems you may have. be calm and matter of fact at the appt. you are your own best advocate.

ask that a copy of the dr visit dictation be mailed to you. start a medical file on yourself. get copies of test results. it will come in handy in the future.

try to take one thing at a time. one day at a time.
you will find answers. keep us posted ok?

I am sorry you are having so much trouble, and hope you get some answers soon. As I tell many that ask that same question "is this MS" that is a huge question. There are more than 100 diseases that can mimic MS sx (symptoms) and some are quite easy to rule out with easy blood tests while others may take some time to track down. Finding out if you have MS can be a long process. Sometimes it take years, and some find out rather quickly and abrubtly.

Have some routine blood tests. Look for vitamin def. Have them check your D level. Frequently MS patients have low D, but then again, its becoming a real issue in america, and canada. We wear so much sun screen, we never let the sun sink in. They will check inflammatory markers, and check lupus, and lyme markers (make sure they send the Lyme to the special lab) From A to Z takes a while to start ruling things out. Since there is no definitive test to say "aha! its MS" they tend to want to rule out other things first. Once you reach the point that they are scraping the bottom of the barrel and still not getting answers, they may want a spinal tap to check for Obands. Those are present as inflammation markers during a flare up. An MRI is usually a standard test as well. Get used to that one.

After all the tests are collected, and things ruled out, the MD normally will see what is left of those disease that are not proved by blood, or exam, and will look at the MRI (do you have lesions? where are they? what area of the brain they are in makes a difference) Is there Obands in your spinal fluid? what are your physical sx? and may or may not come to the conclusion that its MS. Some times they keep folks on "limbo island" till they can more closely define your sx to the sx of MS.

its almost never an emergency to diagnose MS, even tho it feels like one to us. We want to know, and we want to know NOW! unfortunatly its a long haul dx and a long haul disease.

I would start with your regular MD, and ask to see a neurologist, or a rhumetologist from there. Hang in there, and come back and let us know. :hug:

Welcome to NeuroTalk, CG. Nice to meet you and good to have you here. :)

Yes you could have MS or another Neurological ailment. Find a Neuro who specializes in MS and ask him to please test you. No one test is definative...it's usually a combination of tests.

Let us know how it goes..:hug:

Yes, go have a doctor check you out...

One suggestion, when you go to the doctor, dont tell him/her that you suspect it's MS, just tell them you've been having symptoms that are troubling or disturbing to you and you'd like to know what's going on.

If you tell them you think you have MS, they could end up thinking that you might be a hypochondriac or something. Dont say anything that might prejudice their judgement of you and your symptoms.

Some women, when they go to a doctor complaining of the types of symptoms that we MSers get, can be kind of blown off by doctors because a lot of the symptoms that we get can be non-specific. But, if a man goes and complains of the same symptoms, they get taken seriously immediately.

When I went to the doctor because I had a numb thigh, hip and leg, the doctor that checked me out for whatever was going on at the time said that I had a "sprain" and that I should go home and "put heat on it".

I got yelled at (or at least a stern explanation on how to treat a sprain) for saying that heat made it worse, cold makes it feel better. The doctor (a woman) pretty much inferred that I was nuts without actually saying I was nuts. (I'd seen her before for other symptoms that I now think were MS related. I refuse to see that doctor now and tell the secretaries to not even bother having me see her. I'll wait for a different doctor) After I got diagnosed, I saw her in the hallway when going to see my regular doctor. She asked me how I was, and I kind of snottily told her "remember that numb leg I had?...It's MS." I think she now knows that I dont hold a whole lot of faith in her doctor skills.

Hopefully you'll get a doctor who actually has an open mind. I'm not sure why a lot of doctors that I encountered immediately started to act as if they didnt believe me. Maybe because I was too knowledgable (I took medical terminology classes for a job and tended to use the big doctor words instead of euphemisms to describe things. I've since had to dumb myself down when speaking to a new doctor)

At least before I got diagnosed my regular doctor immediately figured out something was wrong and pretty much defended me to a couple of other doctors who were so nasty to me that they almost made me cry...and a second doctor in that same office had a few relatives with MS and he's the one I talked to when I started to really freak out over the worry and then finally getting diagnosed. It's almost more depressing to be having all those problems and having doctors tell you that it's anxiety and not a real symptom. It helps having a couple of doctors who are willing to help you get thru the wall of stubborness that other doctors stand behind.

thx
 

Wow, thanks alot for all your advice, you guys are awesome here! I knew there were some quacks out there but I had no idea. It must've sucked for you guys being treated like a paranoid ditz by someone you trusted for help. Any time I've ever shown that I was informed on a topic (like when I knew I had hypoglycemia or depression) they instantly feel defensive and want to challenge you, I've noticed that. I'll definitely start keeping track of all my symptoms and just give the doctors the facts without linking it to my anxiety or to ms or anything else. I'll just say, I've been having these symptoms for this amount of time, can you see what's wrong. I had no idea there were over 100 other things that could mimic it. My doctor's really going to have her work cut out for her on this appointment! She's a woman-my mom always advocates using women doctors only and now I can see why after hearing what Erin 524 has to say! Anyway, thanks for listening. My doctor doesn't book checkups til after the first so I guess I'll have to wait a bit anyway. Take care :)

I'm late with my welcome. Sorry you are here. Hope all turns out well for you.

its always best to show up with your symptoms, and not your own diagnosis. If you go in and say "hey! my foot has been really tender and sore for about a month. I am having trouble walking, and it wakes me up at night. what is this?" they will investigate. If you walk in (hobble) and say "I think I have plantar fascitis, can I have some PT and a prescription for pain?" They will click off in the center of their brain, and immediatly look with suspcision that you just want drugs, or sympathy. It helps if your foot is swollen or discolored, and a provable injury or illness.

If you go in with MS symptoms, and say "doc, im telling ya, I have researched this, and the only thing that fits is MS!" They think you are just seeking SSDI for a disability income or way to stop working, or you want pain pills, or you want attention. If you go in with a 2 year journal saying "on Oct 3 I woke with a dropped foot, and it dragged for days! after 2 weeks, it just went back to normal, and tada! I could stop tripping on myself. then 6 months later..." it shows a clear path of breadcrumbs for the MD to follow, and be able to draw their own conclusion.

You CAN and SHOULD suggest some things like "can we check my B12 level?" or "i hear Vit D is a big issue today, can we check my level?" or My neighbors dog has Lyme disease, I have heard its in the area, is there a blood test to make sure this isnt Lyme?" so, its a leading conversation versus a demanding one. make sense? Let the MD do their job. If you find the MD dismissive, rude, condesending or feel he thinks you are just playing him, MOVE ON! I would never ever want a dismissive MD to be in charge of my care, even if he rings up as tops in his class.

Good luck and let us know. :hug:

I found talking to the local multiple sclerosis was a huge plus for me before I was dx and after too. They helped me find better doctors and sent me lititure on m.s..

I never would have found the right doctors in a larger city if not for them. They are in your phone book under Multiple Sclerosis.
Good luck