question about symptoms

I wonder if anyone can help with a question about symptoms. Apart from some tingling in my hands, all my symptoms previously (other than general fatigue) have been in my back, torso or legs. But recently I feel like my arms are weaker than they used to be and I have an odd feeling of tightness in my shoulders. My arms feel really strange. I have never had this experience before and I don’t know if it has anything to do with MS. I also have a crunching sound every time I move my neck. I can actually hear it inside my head and it feels like bones are grating against each other. I looked this up and apparently it might be nothing, although the fact that it happens every time I move my neck might mean something.

Could it be I am getting arthritis in my neck? Also I know that my dad has some spinal stenosis, so could it be related to that? Or might it just be that I have MS symptoms in my arms now? I am not due to see neurologist for 9 months at least, so I don’t know who to ask. (My GP will just tell me they don’t know and advise me to speak to neuro at next visit.)

The arm weakness has been getting worse over the past fortnight. Tonight I was making a hot water bottle and my hand shook and I poured the water from the kettle all over the other hand. I immediately threw the bottle into the sink and started to run cold water on my hand. Because the water was off the boil there is no bad damage done. I have a minor burn on my thumb, but it has not blistered or anything. But it did give me a fright. My shoulders feel like they are too high up and really tight and my arms are jellyish and shakey.

Is this a normal MS thing?

hiya

https://www.superdrug.com/Dreamland/Dreamland-Cordless-Heat-Pod-Brown-Faux-Fur-Cover/p/621503

cant say re symptoms but i have had a heat pod for several years-brill thing! this one is out of stock but maybe you can find one elsewhere.

ellie

Hi Space-monkey,

I was diagnosed in 2011 & in 2013 told I have PPMS. My health has deteriorated ever since. The chronic pain I have 24/7 is relieved with morphine tablets & topped up with liquid morphine medicine to try to manage the pain.

I have very little strength to get up from the armchair or bed, my hands, arms, wrists and legs are too weak. My shoulders affect me too so my anxiety levels are through the roof most days.

Trembling legs, arms & hands mean I no longer make hot drinks & I keep clear of a kettle. The tremors can be extreme.

I don’t know what the pain you have giving creaking noise could be, but I think arthritis can be either dismissed or confirmed via a blood test. Ask your GP directly where you can have a blood test done quickly. You could try making notes each time you feel or hear the creaks, then present the evidence to your GP.

I really hope you get the answers you need. M.S is such a cruel disease, it affects each of us differently.

Good luck,

Chrissie x

Thanks for the link ellie. The heat pod looks really useful actually. I’ll ask Santa…!

Thanks Chrissie. I’m sorry to hear it’s so bad for you, especially the pain aspect. I do empathise with the pain, I’ve experienced various kinds of pain and also sensory symptoms for years but the weakness in my arms is definitely new.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I did think trembling hands/shakes might be MS-related, but I’m still at the stage where I don’t know what might be MS and what might be something else. Whatever the case, I think I will be steering clear of kettles too, at least for hot water bottles, and I’m going to look into ellie’s suggestion of a heat pod. My partner made the hot water bottle tonight.

Thanks again