Hello, I’ve been concerned about possible
MS now for some time. My symptoms started a couple of years back with an itching crawling sensation on my left foot that kept me awake at night. The I started with tingling hands and pins and needles. Every so often I get a strong burning sensation on 3 toes on my right foot which is very painful. I am constantly tired and take thyroxine did a low thyroid and also have Vitamin B12 injections but I still feel unbearably tired a lot of the time. I have problems with bladder control especially during any type of exercise. From time to time I feel very unsteady and can only describe it like walking on a ship!
ive just recently started with a vibrating sensation in my left elbow, it’s not painful but it is a bit weird. I have finally been to my doctors to voice my concerns re MS and he is going to speak to a consultant to see if they think my symptoms need investigating. Am I silly to be concerned?
Hello
Welcome to the forum.
You should know that MS has many symptoms associated with it that are also shared with other diagnoses.
So while you may have certain symptoms that ‘could’ be caused by MS, they could also be due to other causes.
It’s good that you’ve talked to your GP about your symptoms and concerns. But don’t get too hung up on MS, you have a long way to go before talking about specific diagnoses.
Assuming you are referred to a neurologist, s/he will want to go through your history, your general health, what symptoms you’ve had and how long they’ve lasted. It’s worth writing yourself a timeline of what has happened and when, this will be helpful. Then I’d expect a physical examination, your reflexes, following what your eyes are doing, walking heel to toe, hopping (!) and many other tests.
After listening to your symptoms and doing the physical exam, the neurologist will have some ideas - some neuros share their thoughts, and others don’t. That’s the point at which they’ll either declare that you have nothing to worry about, or will refer you for more tests. These could include MRI scans, lumbar puncture, nerve conduction, visual evoked potentials, bloods, many other tests.
After all this, you might get a diagnosis of some sort. Which could be MS, but is actually more likely not to be.
So, while you are of course right to be seeing your doctor and following up on these odd symptoms, don’t anticipate a diagnosis of MS in the near future.
Best of luck.
Sue