I’ve been having very odd localised numbness and wondered what you guys thought.
I’ve been stressed out my mind with uni work and helping my mum with a new business venture, and all the PIP/ESA/DSA appointments etc.
I noticed a few days ago that my right hand fingers were pretty numb. I woke up the next day and my right arm was uncoordinated. It wasn’t quite doing what I wanted it to do, but it was more the feeling of it. It felt like I had slept on it all night, but the feeling lasted much longer than it would had that been the case.
I shook it off and it wasn’t major. I reckoned RSI because I’ve been working so much writing etc.
I wake up today and it’s decided to localise the numbness into my right thumb and right index finger.
I also have partial numbness in my right big toe and the tips of the toes on that foot!
How odd, eh? Anyway I reckoned after it spread like that it’s probably not RSI, but y’never know.
So I thought I’d pull you out the woodwork. Anyone else had it?
Got a meeting with my MS nurse on 12/Feb so I won’t bother with it until then (unless I start having to drag my right body around after me)
I’m afraid I can’t tell you what your symptoms mean, but you say you’re seeing your MS nurse in a fortnight, so why not give him/her a ring now. He/she might appreciate a bit of advance notice. They might even plan some tests, or arrange an appointment with your neuro.
You say you have an MS nurse, so presumably you have MS?
Well here is a news flash for you… the numbness might suggest that you have… MS!!!
It’s all part and parcel of the ride we are all one. this form of peripheral neuropathy is the primary symptom i have.
The onset was in the fingers and toes on one side which gradually spread throughout the limbs and into the trunk; all on my right hand side. Then it started a similar pattern on the left, but to a lesser extent and duration.
After six weeks of progression it plateaued and then started to melt away.
Seven months later, my right hand still feels odd (like it has been pruned from being in a swimming pool for too long) but remains sensitive to temperature and texture. the left hand too is similar but less severe, but my right arm can occasional feel the same sensation.
like you, it is not painful nor life inhibiting; i can use chop sticks and write okay (which was not always the case) and so for that, i am grateful!
if nothing else, these mild symptoms allow me to focus on what i CAN still do, instead of lamenting what i feel i cannot.
I was officially diagnosed in December last year after MRIs etc.
The point of my post wasn’t to question if I had MS, it was if the symptoms are MS related. I think people are all too quick to judge a new symptom as MS related when in fact, we are also human and it’s not impossible that things happen to us outwith the bounds of MS.
Anyway, I think the progression to toes would suggest that it is indeed a new symptom. It’s just a little worrying to me that my flare ups have happened within a relatively short period of time.
Optic neuritis in September. Left side burning and sensitivity in December. Now right side numbness in (effectively) February.
I start tecfidera in a fortnight. Whether it has any direct consequence is another matter.
sorry db, i was trying to be flippant; it was just my poor attempt at humour.
i think the new symptom could be MS related, given my own very similar experiences. you also mentioned a current endurance of stress and i too was under very stress filled circumstances when i went numb (although six weeks prior to onset).
but as you say, just because we have MS, it doesn’t mean we are immune to all other conditions and ailments and so yes, of course, what you have might be attributable to something else.
good to hear you will start tecfidera shortly. i eat it twice daily and find it easily tolerable. whether it works (for me) remains to be seen.
Sorry! It can be sorry hard to judge tone by the written word!
I genuinely thought you were saying “Well… You might have MS?!” Haha. Apologies.
It’s one of those great things that doctors get to say when you go and see them:
“You know, stress is a contributing factor to your MS. You should just avoid getting stressed…”
“Ah, of course! Previously it was a choice to be stressed, but now that you say that, I suppose I’ll just give it then”
I ask every one of the medical professionals I met (neurologist, head of neurology for a clinical trial I’m in, MS nurses) What would you do if you were in my position. Every one of them has said they would take tecfidera. So I suppose we are doing the right thing for the moment. For the moment. Things move so fast in the medical world that they might find out something better next year. They may find a cure. They might find a drug that causes remyelination (<that would be great)
Was dx 7 years ago with SPMS. Yeah can’t remember what it’s like not to have numbness. My thumb index finger and toes are permanently numb and sensitive to heat. If I touch anything hot or hurt them they go into spasm.
I also have numbness and pins and needles in my fingers and toes, both sides, not as bad on my right side though.
Constantly there, some times quite mild, other times really bad. I think its just one of those MS things for me, confirmed by my neuro when I got dx, that it was MS causing this (along with many other weird and wonderful things!!)
I’m sure there is medication for this can’t remember what it’s called, but I don’t want to take anything else other than my DMD until I have to though.
HI HUN, yes I do get the odd dead end of finger sometimes on my left hand and sometimes it might be one on the right hand, usually left though, its odd really odd like the tip of my finger is just dead…
My left toe next to big one feels weird and is MOVING towards the left lol…
I do get dead arm sometimes it wakes me up, and i am not laying on it, its just dead and heavy and takes ages to come back, i cant hold anything straight away then i can…
I think its triggered by stress to be honest. Mine is always worse when i am stressed. You seem to be stressed right now i expect its your MS just kicking you to remind you hey slow down lol…
Like you say its not debilitating just there… good luck with your treatment. xx
It has now spread to my right side including flank, right knee and face. Feels like I’m wearing a thin layer of clothing on top of my skin. I remembered a test my neuro did to see if I could differentiate between ‘blunt’ and ‘sharp’, so I got a mechanical pencil and tried it myself. I can still differentiate but it’s number on my left side.
A very odd consequences is that the parts that are numb are colder than the rest of my body. There’s a distinct temperature difference between that which is ‘numb’ and that’s not.
Ahwell, a fortnight til I see my MS nurse so I’ll just hold off. Although, there’s nothing that can be done anyway!
Just nice to know that I’m not utterly mad. Just as mad as the rest of you
I’m not wishing to add to any worries, but that sounds like a circulatory situation.
anyway… the ‘thin layer of clothing on the skin’ is a familiar sensation for me. similarly, is the feeling of a million ants having a rave party in various patches over my body. once i get over the anxiety of being conscious of it, it can be quite pleasant really…
