Hello everyone,
The reason that I am writing on this forum is that I hope that it will enlighten me regarding some questions linked to MS, as well as provide me with a platform of support for the difficult experience that is to be in limbo land. I have read some of the previous discussions on that web site, and it warmed my heart to see how people can support each others in a truly altruistic way when they understand each others.
I am going to try to both make a long story short and contextualise my concerns here before asking a couple of questions that have been on my mind since quite a while now. Basically, I developed a rash on my chest two months and a half ago (i.e. it really looked like a little shingle, 3cm in length and 1 cm in height on my middle right side, but my doctors said that it was not a shingle, without providing an alternative opinion). About one week after developing this rash, I started experiencing strong burning sensation on my upper back and shoulders, especially at night. This sensation lasted approximately two weeks and fluctuated in intensity during the day, being mostly present at night time (the rash was still there by the way; it stood for about one month). During that same time, I developed what I would call a little weakness in my right leg, which lasted about 4 days. The sensation is really hard to describe, but it felt like my leg was basically a bit more hesitant, and maybe a tiny bit numb on the calf (i.e. I am saying a bit numb as when I pinch it, it provides a bit less pain that on the left calf). Throughout this entire time, my skin was really sensitive to touch all around (doctors said presence of “dermographism”). After two weeks, the burning pain started to fade away, even though my skin both remained really sensitive to warmth/touch and started to develop little red flat dots/rash of about 2 to 7 mm on my chest (about 8 to 12), shoulders and neck that would each stay for about 5 days and then peel and leaves little discoloured marks on my skin. At that moment, I had a blood test done, which came back pretty clear except for the fact that some liver enzymes were a bit elevated and that my vitamin D were at 12. I was pretty much symptom free at that moment (about 3 weeks after the initial symptoms), and then one night (5 days later?) my right leg started to have burning sensation and tingling for no reason; these sensations made their way up to my knee. The tingling was intermittent, as well as the burning, which was nonetheless more constant. The tingling stopped after two days, and the burning continued to the extent of enveloping my entire right leg; this leg felt, again, a similar sensation of weakness, even though my walking did not appear to be affected.
A couple of days later, my left leg’s muscles started to become painful around the knee and calf area, as well as the left harm, and then the right leg as well, and sometime a bit on the chest. These pain were muscular and coming from the bone, they were also continuous and especially there when walking (not cycling). My back also started to hurt, a bit everywhere on it, but mainly where the burning sensation previously occurred. My legs’ joints started to make a lot of noise/clacking if I would stop moving them for a couple of minutes and then start to move them again. In the next days, I started to improve, but nonetheless started to develop plenty of other sensations all around my body: the tip of my tongue felt somehow a bit number, my lips felt warmer/hot, I would have a dry mouth and be super thirsty all the time for about 4 days, my right jaw would start to have burning sensation that later on substituted to leave sporadic and “fast/rapid” intermittent “shooting pains” (later on, these pains substitute to leave muscle pain, as now when I open wide my mouth it hurts on that side). All these pains, except the left over muscle pain on the right jaw, are now gone, even though my left jaw recently had similar but less aggressive sensations for a day. Recently (so about 1 month and three weeks after the onset of all of this), I felt for three days burning sensations that would move everywhere pretty much on my body and would last between 5 seconds to a couple of minutes. These burning sensations transformed themselves into shooting pains all over (like if someone would pull my nerves like guitar strings basically); this lasted about 4 days as well. The previous nerve pain of my face started also to crawl up to my upper head/skull, which lasted for a couple of days. I developed twice a sensation of humidity/water droplet on my right knee; these occurred during slightly stressful moments. These sensations all faded away (we are 2 months after the initial rash on my skin). The part under my knee felt one day some deep radiating pain that would burn for a couple of seconds then go. Anyway, all these pains are kind of gone now, but I still have my right leg that somehow still feel less “strong/confident” than before… My left leg had a similar sensation yesterday, which is now gone as well. I still feel at night occasional deep muscle/bone pains in my legs, especially the right - this became rarer, however. My temperature was during the most accute phase of these symptoms between 36.5 during the day up to 37.8/38 at night sometime.
I hope that you’re still with me. I am done now with the symptoms, and I’ll just give you a quick update regarding my visits to the doctor. I did three blood test (ordered by my GP, then neuro, then a systemic disease specialist), and these tested for autoimmune disease (e.g. Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis - ANA negative), Lyme, HIV, B12 vitamins, and plenty of viruses, potential inflammation, etc. All came back clear except Vitamin D, which have now increased to 22 since I started taking supplement four weeks ago. I also had positive “cold agglutinin” (i.e. 4), which my doctor say it could be a left over from a recent previous infection/immune response (maybe the rash stuff?). I did a EMG test yesterday, which came back normal, and did a Evoked Potential test for my lower limps today. The results should not come before quite a while unfortunately… I have a “laser test” scheduled in two weeks, as well as two MRIs test (i.e. spine and brain) in May. In the meanwhile, I am enormously stressed, and can’t seem to be able to do something else than to think about all these things.
My neurologist appears to be pretty much convince that I don’t have MS, but then why would all of that happen to me? She initially rejected the idea of MRIs, EGM, etc, but was told to do so by the “systemic disease” doctor.
My questions are the following, which I hope some of you will be able to answer…
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Is this a “typical” presentation for MS in its early stage? I am especially concerned about the super diffuse pain throughout my entire body…
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If I was to be diagnosed with MS, would the fact that my right leg is quite affected indicative that I may have ppms? Can lower limps be affected like that in RRMS?
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Is it normal to have constant symptoms in MS/RRMS? For instance, while all my sensory pains are pretty much gone, I still have, everyday, a little travelling burning sensation there or there, especially in the legs and back.
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How long does a relapse normally last in the early stage?
For the information, I am a 24 years old male.
I now realise how big my message is! Sorrry for the lenght, but I thought that who ever is patient enough to read my message should be given the chance to have an insightful contextual bit in order to have an opinion.
Sending love to everyone on this forum, and many thanks in advance for your time 
!