I’m 23, don’t have an MS dx, but I’m starting to experience symptoms, but trying to research them is a nightmare. Most of the symptoms listed (including on this website) are so vague. Fatigue? Pins and needles? What do they mean by this? Do they mean fatigue lasting all day, for like a week? Or do they mean falling asleep on the bus on the way home from work. And pins and needles…really bad and constant, lating days/weeks/months? Or just the occassional tingle that is solved by uncrossing your legs.
If anyone has the time to listen to the ravings of a crazy woman, I’d really appricate some input from people who actually know what they’re talking about, unlike Dr. Google.
My recent symptoms:
2 months ago I woke up with full on vertigo, room was spinning, terrifed me as I’ve never experienced it before. However, I did wake up with my head on the pillow which had mostly fallen off the bed, so I’d had my head upside down for several hours - could this have been the cause? The vertigo itself was over in about 3 minutes, and I was a bit shaken for the rest of the day but didn’t suffer another attack, and haven’t since then.
In the last month I’ve noticed pins and needles more, I used to cross my legs for hours and be ok, now I have to move them after 5-10 minutes, and I’m very aware of any tingling sensations in my hands and legs.
This time last year I suffered from stress related shingles on my right thigh, shingles causes nerve damage and can result in the occassional attack of tingling and pain (often like sunburn) months or even years afterwards, so that’s complicated when trying to notice MS symptoms.
Itchiness on my legs, sometimes very itchy lasting a good part of the day, I switched to loose fititng trousers thinking it was dry skin being irritated (even though my skin was fine) and that helped, in the last couple of weeks I haven’t had any itchiness.
Leg jerks - occassionally my leg or foot will suddenly jerk to a different position when I’m sitting or lying down, it’s very noticeable, but I only get it once a day (if that).
Tiny muscle twitches, these can happen anywhere on my body.
Occassionally feeling like my fingers or toes have been poked with a needle or something hot.
All of these are mild, when I get these “attacks” they last for a few minutes and no more, but they are happening more frequently (but certainly not all day everyday, and never when I’m standing or walking) I can’t tell if these are hapening more because I’m tensed up and looking/waiting for them?
Older symptoms:
Had bad growing pains at night since I was a small child, still get them today but no way near as much, a dull ache in my left leg or up the left side of my back, requires paracetamol, often triggered by exercise or cold, so I wear thick socks at night at that usually prevents it.
Had a twitch/tic as a child, but this wasn’t involuntary, I was the one moving/twitching, got over it with age/relaxation therapy
Astigamatism in one eye for 3 years, vision is very blurry in that eye, but the other eye is alright so compensates meaning I don’t need glasses.
Get tired during the day (but not enough that I can’t function) have trouble getting to sleep at night, feel tired in the mornings.
A bit about me:
23, female, slightly underweight, don’t do nearly enough exercise, don’t eat enough, always had trouble sleeping, always had a problem with nerves and anxiety, suffered from mild depression for the last 6 years - untreated, oh and the world’s biggest hypochondriac.
If you read all that you deserve a medal. I did mention some of these symptoms to my GP when I last went to get the birth control pill, she didn’t seem concerned at all and said they were normal, but I only had about 3 minutes to briefly explain things to her before I was dismissed, so I certianly didn’t mention everything, mostly just asked her about pins and needles.