I don’t know where to start, not sure why I’m doing this but I’m a bit upset about the appointment I had today with the Orthopaedic Consultant and just needed to get my head straight.
Do any of these symptoms sound like MS? I know a bit about MS as both my brother and aunt have the condition. My brother started with blurred vision and partial paralysis so my symptoms seem pretty mild in comparison, which makes me think it can’t be MS.
My feet started to go numb usually whilst walking over 15 years ago, I didn’t think much of it as I have high arches and just assumed that this was the cause.
I started to fall over/sprain my ankles on a regular basis around the same time but was told that this was due to hyper mobility in my ankles. I still fall over or go over on my ankle whilst walking but it seems to happen in phases. Sometimes I trip up over something that isn’t there.
After my second child was born 13 years ago, my hands started to go numb every so often at night and then in the day too. A few years later, if I went walking (hill walking) my hands would sometimes swell up to the point of painfulness if I left my hands down at the side of my body whilst walking. My hands were going numb more often but when I spoke to the GP, he suggested it was Carpal Tunnel syndrome. I received some splints but this didn’t stop the numbness occurring so I stopped using them.
About six years ago, I noticed that the grip in my hands seemed to be getting weaker and I had a couple of months where I would pick up a plate and it would slip out of my hand. However it seemed to get better by itself, so I didn’t give it much thought.
I liked to use the elliptical trainers in the gym but found that my feet went numb if I tried to use them for more than 10-15mins.
My GP never seemed that interested/concerned about the the numbness or weakness and it wasn’t a huge issue to me, more an irritation so I just left it. I did mention my family members with MS but was told that it wasn’t an hereditary condition.
Fast forward to last year and my hands are going numb multiple times during the night and both hands and feet are going numb whilst cycling. It starts at the outside edge of my fingers/toes and then works it’s way down. I try flexing my fingers/toes but it will come to the point where my hands and feet become very numb and then painful and I have to stop cycling. The last time I tried to do more than 6 miles 2 of my fingers stayed numb for approximately 2 weeks.
It was this issue which sent me back to my GP as I do enjoy my cycling. She told me that some people just have a more sensitive nervous system but she’d refer me to an Orthopaedic Consultant if I wanted her to. her off hand manner is probably the only reason why I insisted on a referral! She didn’t even think to get blood tests done to rule out diabetes etc, I had to ask for these myself.
Since seeing my Consultant I’m wondering whether the other things I’ve noticed are related? I have a tingling/stiffness feeling across my upper back, this started about 6 months ago but I just put it down to bad posture.
My eyesight has deteriorated noticeably in the last two months.
My hands and feet have become maddeningly itchy for no apparent reason, not all the time as it comes and goes. I do have allergies but can’t understand why only that part of my body is itching.
I feel exhausted all of the time, regardless of how much sleep I’ve had.
Sometimes I feel as though I have cramp in one of my feet and it feels like my toes are ‘stuck’ in the wrong position and I can’t move them back to their normal position but unlike cramp I can’t stretch the muscle out to release it.
In the last 6 months or so I’ve started to choke whilst having a drink, you know like that feeling you had when you were little and your drink went ‘down the wrong way’.
I’ve recently had a nerve conduction test, which was ‘nothing much out of the ordinary’ but my Orthopaedic Consultant has told me that he thinks that I have MS and has today referred me to a Neurologist for further tests.
Sorry for the long list of random and probably unconnected symptoms, any answers would be greatly appreciated.