Hey, I’m Nate, 18 Male (trans from Female) from the south. For about three months now I’ve been getting widespread pain in my body, mostly in my legs and arms. Right leg is somewhat worse than the left, in that my knee is more painful and my thigh act up more, but my left leg also hurts, the ankle more and I also get numbness followed by pins and needles in my left foot at random points for seemingly no reason. Again, right arm is somewhat worse than left. Both hurt in the shoulder, sometimes upper arm, but mostly in the lower arm and in the hand. It makes writing during a pain episode really difficult. Walking is also difficult and very painful right now, I’m just about giving up on stairs. My back has been aching for about 3 years now, and my hands have started shaking non stop within the last 2 weeks. The doctor has currently been through diagnosises of: Shin splints Tennis elbow Heavy backpack Kneecap moving as my leg does Growing pains Hormones You get it. I’m frustrated, in pain and really fed up. Can people who have a diagnosis give me an idea of if this sounds vaugly like MS. All the pain is pretty constant, certain areas will flare up throughout the day but I’m never not in pain.
Hello Nate
It doesn’t sound too much like MS to me, but I’m not a neurologist, so that’s pretty irrelevant. From your description, it’s your bones and muscles that seem to be affected more than the nerves (obviously I could be wrong).
However, as you’ve already been seeing your GP about your symptoms, all you can really do is ask him/her whether the problem could possibly be neurological. If so, get a referral to a neurologist and see what they think. You might find your doctor is more inclined to refer you to a rheumatologist as it could be something like rheumatoid arthritis rather than MS. Or of course, something completely different.
Meanwhile, start keeping a diary of what you experience and when. Note when symptoms improve, or how long they last. Also, whether anything is permanently painful or uncomfortable. This will come in handy when you see your GP and if you are referred to a specialist.
Best of luck.
Sue