I’m new and a little lost, My name is Cheryl I’m 33 and after pins and needles/numbness down my legs and feet and the same sensation 12 months before that in my tummy,arm and hand I was refered to a neurologist who thought it common for women of my age to have unexplained pins and needles.He wanted to be cautious and did an mri scan of my brain and neck.I went for the results today and was gobsmacked when he told me that the scan was abnormal and he was 90 percent sure that I have ms,he wants to do a lumber puncture and eye test to back up his diagnosis.I feel shocked,scared,worried yet a slight relief that I know what the symptoms are being caused by.I’ve googled so much information that its frightening! I was just wondering if anyone else has had the lumber puncture and if it came as such a shock as it did me today?
im in same boat hun, awaing LP and 2nd mri. Im still hoping its an infection but havs been told the same and yes it was a shock. Ive been reassured by people on here that the LP isnt that bad so i think after all the time waiting with these symptoms we’ll be alright if it gets us a step closer to help
As for google, its best not, youll only get a list of every eventuality, but in reality MS is very indevidual depending on your own inflammation so youll never be able to second guess the future, only live in the moment, which lets face it is no different to now, hey?
Stick to this forum is my advice, the people on here know what theyre talking about and can offer much sounder advice and more importantly support.
im in same boat hun, awaing LP and 2nd mri. Im still hoping its an infection but havs been told the same and yes it was a shock. Ive been reassured by people on here that the LP isnt that bad so i think after all the time waiting with these symptoms we’ll be alright if it gets us a step closer to help
As for google, its best not, youll only get a list of every eventuality, but in reality MS is very indevidual depending on your own inflammation so youll never be able to second guess the future, only live in the moment, which lets face it is no different to now, hey?
Stick to this forum is my advice, the people on here know what theyre talking about and can offer much sounder advice and more importantly support.
Hi Cheryl, I’m new to this site as well but I was seeking advice for my partner who is going through the process of being diagnosed with ms. Exactly the same as you, pins and needles, tightening feeling in legs etc. MRI done and found lesion on spine and now just had lumbar puncture. The lumbar puncture he found painful, but I think my husband had damage to one of the vertebrae which made ignore difficult, they had to go in twice ( typical him). Most people just say its an uncomfortable feeling. Plenty of fluids after lumbar puncture and it can be a bit painful round the site. I don’t know much about ms as we are in the same position s you. I’m starting to research now. However the reason why I joined this forum was because I was panicking and needed to vent. The response I had was great, supportive and gave me good advice. I feel a bit calmer now xx Em
Hi. I’m new on here too. I have been doctors on and off over the course of the last year amd then again 2 weeks ago and don’t know what else to do as docs don’t have any answers for me other than my age of 33. For wear and tear. I started with a bit of numbness in my feet and legs occasionally when in bed and when getting up could not feel my legs. But this got gradually worse. Then a few months ago i noticed that my feet and toes were getting achy and numb, i was mean’t to have blood tests but never made it to app as son was ill. But just recently i,ve had tingling in my fingers. My toes and feet go numb whether resting or walking and feel heavy and achy. And very recently my left leg especially has been getting numb and heavy. I originally thought it might of been an issue with circulation but now find that this happens even in a hot bath where circulation should be better. I get worn out easier too. My grandad was diagnosed about 10 years ago with ms, and i am a bit worried it could be that, as it has gradually got worse over a period of time. I am taking naproxen at the minute to help. Any ideas olz guys
I think it’s probably fair to say that quite a lot of people get told MS out of the blue Tbh, expecting it doesn’t make things all that easier - either way it’s a hard thing to hear and very difficult to get one’s head around I can tell you that it gets very much easier as time goes on, but for now the best thing to do is to take it one day at a time, don’t bottle things up and be kind to yourself.
LPs are normally no trouble at all. The most painful bit should be the local anaesthetic so you’ll know what to expect if you’ve had one of them before (“sharp scratch” e.g.). Some people get a bad headache afterwards. This can be helped by lying down afterwards for several hours, drinking lots of fluid (preferably with caffeine in it, e.g. coke, if you can) and taking painkillers. Ideally, you could ask for the hospital to use an “atraumatic needle” to do the LP - this significantly reduces the possibility of the headache.
As far as googling MS goes, please don’t! There are an awful lot of bad websites and an awful lot of bad advice out there! Best to stick to reading the MS Society and MS Trust booklets on MS. These are free to download and to order in hard copy. One thing you really need to keep firmly in mind when you’re reading though: MS is massively variable. That means that you will NOT get everything that the booklets mention: they have to cover every possibility; no one gets everything! And even the things that people do get vary massively in severity so may only affect them very mildly.
The thought of MS is a very scary thing. For the vast majority of us though, the reality is nowhere near as bad. People with MS can still do all the important things in life (and most of the unimportant ones too :-)) and can honestly have long, happy and fulfilling lives. We’d none of us ask for MS, and life may work out different with MS than we’d planned, but life can still be good. It is NOT the end of the world by any means. Promise
It’s usually best to start your own thread so that everyone sees and can reply to your post, but since I’m here already…
I’m wondering who prescribed the naproxen? If it was your GP, then I’m wondering why he/she hasn’t referred you to a neuro? I would think that they certainly should have done before now.
Your symptoms are certainly found in MS, but they are also found in a load of other conditions (including relatively easy to treat things like vitamin deficiencies) so until you see a neuro and get it all properly investigated, there is no way of knowing what’s causing them. In which case, I would urge you to go and see your GP and request a referral to a neurologist. Make a concise list of symptoms and stand your ground: you are having neurological symptoms; it’s all very well taking a neuropathic painkiller to ease them, but you want to know what is causing them and that means seeing an expert. (Best not to mention MS - medics aren’t keen on self-diagnosing patients!)
Thankyou so much for your replies I feel much better after reading them and thankyou Karen for showing me that it isn’t all doom and gloom! I’m carrying on as normal with life,work,my family and fun! It’s better to be positive and I will wait and see what results the lumber puncture show and see what the ms specialist has to say instead of randomly googling!
Tbh, expecting it doesn’t make things all that easier - either way it’s a hard thing to hear and very difficult to get one’s head around