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Odd symptoms for a while - could it be MS?

New diagnosis and before diagnosis
#1

Hi everybody, I’ve been having strange symptoms for 10 months now - starting with a numb and sometimes aching right arm which then spread to my right leg/foot - mainly foot - pins and needles and feels as if I have several pairs of socks on. Headaches - frequently - so much that I was taking paracetomol nearly every day (have stopped this as I got so groggy). Also blurry vision and my eyes sometimes move side to side rapidly - especially at night. The latter symptoms have come on more frequently in the last few months or so. I also feel as if I need to pee, even when I’ve just ‘been’. Doctor and everyone says its stress. (I don’t feel stress and actually took a week off from work and did nothing just to prove it!) I insisted on blood tests - all clear. So the doc has sent me for an MRI, but I think she thinks I’m a hypochondriac (I’m not - it’s the first time I’ve seen a doc for six years - apart from asthma meds) or that I’m ‘stressed’ or depressed. I don’t feel either stressed or depressed - well I do now - but only because my symptoms are making me stressed/fed up!

I stumble a lot, my balance is awful - I used to play darts (albeit badly) but gave up as I couldn’t even throw a dart without almost killing someone… In short, I’m a tad fed up.

I also remember feeling like this about 10 years ago - but before the doctor finally sent me to a specialist I felt better and didn’t bother going. I have an aunt with MS and I remember her having remissions/relapses - this is why I’m on here. But is it normal for symptoms (mainly affecting one side - in my case my right side) to come and go - sometimes from day to day? I’m far worse if I’m tired and sometimes I literally feel as if I’m in a ‘fog’ - or there’s a net curtain over my eyes and my brain is woolly.

Sorry about this long post, hope everyone is okay.

#2

The short answer to your question is yes, MS symptoms do come and go. Tiredness makes my balance and walking worse and I notice the tingling in my hands and strange sensations in my feet more when I’m tired.

Keep a symptom diary and use it when you see your doctor to help you remember what has changed, when and by how much.

Have you considered getting yourself a walking stick? I got a fold-up one from a mail-order company and it has been worth every penny. It has preserved my dignity (stopped me from falling over) any number of times, and a quick google gave me a website of useful advice on how best to use it - which side to hold it, how to manage stairs with it etc. Unfortunately, I can’t now remember the name of the website!

This time, if your GP refers you to a specialist, I recommend you go and see him even if you feel better by the time the appointment comes round. If what you have is MS, then there will still be signs of it in test results even if you feel fine at the time the tests are done. And if it is MS, there are medications available now to reduce the frequency and severity of relapses.

Please keep us posted on how you get on.

#3

Thank you for the reply. It’s nice to talk on here.

I have an MRI appointment next week and although I obviously don’t want anything found, I’m hoping to get some answers. I’m in my 40s, relatively fit and shouldn’t really be having constant cramps/tingling in my leg/arm.

I’ve about given up saying anything to anyone as people think I’m mad - i.e. one day I feel ‘okay’ the next I feel dreadful. The idea of a stick is a good one - particularly when I’m out with my dog - I stumble sometimes on uneven paths. I will keep a diary of my symptoms (my daughter - the only person who seems to take it seriously, suggested this) but I feel as if I’m over analysing it then! I’m sat at my desk at work and I can barely feel the left hand side of my face - it’s tingly and numb, and my right leg has pins and needles…

Better get back to work… Thanks for listening again.