I am 34 and have had migraines since adolescence and always with the full works - would normally cause total loss of sensation down one side (usually right). As a result I got slightly complacent and very good at ignoring weird feelings in my body.
Lately though, things have been persistent…
Tingling and numbness in my big toe for quite some time. Quite often a touch of restless leg syndrome.
Tingling in my little and ring fingers - I had always attributed this to cubital tunnel syndrome but the feeling also sometimes occurs in my middle finger which would be inconsistent with that diagnosis!
Tingling on right side of face - mainly around the cheek.
Sometimes difficulty with words - very subtle but just not normal.
All these things can happen with the migraines but normally go at the end of the attack. The ones above, with the exception of the word trouble, don’t seem to be shifting… as a result I Googled them (!) - now everything seems to be pointing towards MS, which is how I came across this fine forum and all you good people
I have been prone to anxiety (leaning on health anxiety) in the past and know that the body can do the most extraordinary job of materialising symptoms for the mind to panic over! However, the consistency of these is really beginning to bug me.
I actually had an MRI of my head at the end of 2011 (anxiety induced!) and it showed nothing remarkable apparently.
I appreciate that the first advice anyone will give me is to go to the doctors asap and I will, I just can’t get this out of my head at the moment and needed to air - going through the ringer of emotions
I would say at this point your symptoms do not point to MS.
There are literally hundreds of conditions that can give similar symptoms to those you describe. Most of them can be very easily treated by your GP.
I would think at this stage you should have a chat with your doctor and suggest some blood tests. Vitamin deficiencies are common and can cause these symptoms (exp B12 and D) and actually can even cause worse symptoms, but are easily remedied.
Also of course anxiety itself can cause the same symptoms as you describe… and it’s easy to get into a catch 22 situation where you are anxious about health, the anxiety causes physical symptoms, then you are even more anxious (believe me I’ve been there!)
I am not making light of your symptoms. I know how distressing they can be and anxiety is a very hard thing to cope with. But I think for now, blood tests and a chat with GP would be your best course of action.
IF things did develop further than your GP would refer you to a neurologist, but I think that right now that is unnecessary.
Hi everyone i am terrible for googling things lol including husbands symptoms he is now talking like elma fudd,googled it found out condition called rhotacism also has apraxia he will be needing speach therapy soon .xx julie.HI PAT HOPE YOUR HOMETOWN VISIT WENT WELL OTHER WEEK XX
Hi. I have migraine and burning pain, tingling, forgetting words etc all can be associated with migraine. Good person to read is articles on migraine by Dr Nicholas Silver. Saying that it doesn’t mean you can’t have ms as well as. X
I completely agree with Pat that the best thing to do is see your GP and get a thorough battery of blood tests done as these may well show up the reason for everything. If your bloods look fine, then it would certainly be worth asking for a referral to neurology - it may be that there is something new happening with your migraine, that your migraine has resulted in some lesions in your brain (like MS) or that something else completely different is going on - and working out which needs an expert opinion.
Pat - thank you so much. Yes, anxiety really can be the enemy! So frustrating that things are never straight forward. Add to that the joy of Google and it really can be a recipe for disaster. And of course you are right - the GP is the way forward. I have steadily been winding myself up for the past few days about all this - the combination and persistance of the symptoms is just odd and, having stepped away from the migraine complaceny, they have really caught my attention. To the doctors with me
Hi Arwen - I will look Dr Silver up, thank you! Migraines really are odd things and, having had them for so long, I have really seen every aspect of them. This is why I am here - this all just seems off. In my experiance, my migraine symptoms have never lasted more than 48 hrs. This has been going on for months.
Karen - thank you! All very good points - as you all say, the doctor is the way forward. I think it is worth seing a neurologist, if anything I can get some answers about unusual and extreme migraine effects. The fear brought on from not knowing or understanding what your body is doing is horrid!
Anyway - thank you all so much. What a fantastic forum this is and so welcoming!
Yep Slider they are odd things migraine but I think its best to get checked out too . Its what I’m doing as my migraine symptoms have changed and a few new things added in. My optician laughs because I have a migraine eye actually, or its my name for it, its the one I might lose vision in with a migraine even with no headache or get pain in but if the other eye did it I’d really worry. Hope you get some answers X
Thanks arwen - I totally emapathize. I have a migraine side and if I were to have one on the other side, I would freak out a little!
Definitely looking forward answers. Annoyingly I have recently moved so am registering with a new GP - won’t get an appointment till next week I suspect. Am trying to stay calm but this is all really bothering me.
