Does this sound like MS?

New diagnosis and before diagnosis
1

Hi All,

I have recently been feeling some symptoms which have triggered me to look up MS, I would like to state right now that I have been under insane amount of stress for the past year or more, slightly more recently I guess, as well as that I have had/have Anxiety disorder(I have it more under control these days).

I think the best way for me to list my symtomps is by the order of when I felt/had them and the severity of said symptom - Also that I work in IT and I play a lot of games when I’m home - so I am sitting a lot of my days.

One and half years ago I started having odd sensations of my head wobbling or shaking, it’s not so much a tremor but just like my head shaking back and forth VERY lightly (not really noticable visially) - this would cause me to feel weak like my sugars are low when they are not. (I still have it to this day but it’s one of those things which if I’m not concentrating on it then it doesn’t cause much problems - also gets worse with stress.)

They done blood tests on me to rule out different htings and results came back with my Neutrophils being slightly lower, I was told this could be from Autoimmune disease but Neutrophils can randomly go low - I had another test a week or 2 after which came back fine.

I use to have very tight neck/shoulder muscles, I was put on a muscle relaxant which I came off a week after due to tachycardia - my muscles in my neck are still tight but not to the point of pain. I have pulled my hamstring a few times in football, I would struggle playing due to very stiff and tired leg muscles.

A few weeks ago I had an outburst of muscle spasms for 2 days all over my body, just random places where I would have spasms, this calmed down after a few days by it self.

I also had blood test results showing I had inflammation which they thought could be to do with my stomach, so I had a colonoscopy which was fine but nothing was done to check for the other causes of inflammation.

I feel I have been a bit more clumsier with my hand holding things and such, but I see it more as it’s just me being clumsy and not anything else.

What I am experiencing right now is few days ago I would feel a sort of partial numbness on left side of abdomen when sitting down, seems to get better when I stand, this has progressed to a partial numbness moving to the right side of abdomen that just seems to come on randomly and not related to my position.

Also one last thing is having massages hurts every single part of my body, if my finger is being massage I get a lot of pain on the end, this happens all over my body.

Sorry for the long list and I’m sure this is nothing compared to what people with MS have to cope with so I apologise for that, but maybe you guys can help me by telling me if this sounds like it or far from it.

Thanks for your time.

2

Hi Godeh! I have read your symptom description a couple of times and to be honest I think your problem is ‘mechanical’ rather than anything to do with the central nervous system. HOWEVER I am no expert - just someone who has been in limbo and on this forum reading many many initial symptom stories!!

I think you are recognising this already - stress & anxiety cause a lot of physical symptoms - all that chronic adrenalin we produce - something often has to 'give!

Your work and leisure actvities mean your spine is in prolonged and repetitive positions - putting strain on your neck - the cervical vertebrae and all the muscles, ligaments & nerves in that area This can cause all the MS like symptoms you describe - munbness, weakness, tremors, altered senstauion etc - even affecting your grip.

Your blood test are abnormal so this should be cleared up - I was under a haematologist for over a year having blood tests every few weeks because mine were also constantly showing abnormal inflammatory markers - I ended up having my digestive system checked with an endoscopy & ultrasound - saw an endocrinologist for a year as my pituitary gland was enlarged - I then saw an orthopaedic spinal then a neurospinal surgeon - these ruled pretty well everything out and here I am in MS limbo under a neurologist!

What I’m trying to say is - there are a million and one things that can cause your symptoms! If you keep getting these and new ones then keep going to your GP! Hope this has helped & not stressed you out more - it’s normal to worry xxxjenxxx

3

Thanks for your response, I’m leaning more towards what you said, being the tension from stress and my daily activities, but I just had so many symtomps which I guess could relate that made me feel what if…

The numbness I have been feeling the last few days is not a complete numbness, it just feels like there is a stick stuck on my stomach, its just a patch the just suddenly feels partially numb, also it happens mostly when im sitting and hunched. Today I have a new patch which is slighly beside the one I have been experiencing but it can happen when standing or sitting, doesn’'t seem related to position although it could be. This numbness sensation is intermittent, like it happens for literally a few seconds then goes, and comes back for few and goes. Are these what people with MS experience or far from it?

In terms of my blood test, my inflammation levels were just a bit over, so I guess that should be fine as they have not brought me back in to look more into it?

Again, thank you for your reply, really appreciate it!

4

Is MS numbness symptoms based on movement or is it something that comes and goes randomly? - the patch of numbness I get on stomach is mostly when im bending or sitting so is that how MS works or not at all?

5

No MS numbness symptoms are very rarely based on movement - the fact that your numbness is mostly when bending or sitting ie it’s positional leans more towards something probably a nerve being compressed xxjenx

6

Thank you so much Kizzydane - and I do apologise to everyone who actually are going through life with MS, being a hypocondriac made me looking into it a lot more than I needed to and I feel somewhat stupid for thinking it’s what I have when what I’m feeling is nothing close to the majority here.

I wish you all the best.

7

Hey Godeh x Please don’t feel that what you are going through is any less or more than anyone else!!! There are always people worse off but that does NOT diminish what you are going through!!

You asked for opinions on whether your particular set of symptoms sound like MS or not and I gave my ‘unqualified’ opinion x I could be totally wrong!

To feel stupid and to describe yourself as a hypochondriac is not right!!! You have REAL symptoms so get back to the doctor and find out what is going on!!! xxjenxx

8

You shouldn’t fee a hypochondriac at all and should go back to the doctor it could be any number of things have you had mri to look for narrow nerve outlets in your spine for example? A