ust wondring if anyone can help…i’m not yet diagnosed, still in limbo Land I have recently started on an increasing dose of Gabapentin, as Pregabalin was not very effective for me. The dose is set to increase tomorrow to 300mg three times a day, and upto nowon te lower dose, i have been ok. I still have pins/needles and tingling as well as pain, but i remain hopeful that this will decrease as my medicaion increases.
Anyway i am just recovering fom some kind of virus, which has totally wiped me out, so loads of rest for me is on the cards and yet another week off work. Before this virus started i noticed that i have an increase in Saliva, and dribbling form the right side of my mouth. This is not noticable to anyone else yet, but i am constantly wiping my mouth, and i am quite conscious of this. I find it strange that its from the right side too. From my first ever attack back in June 2013, it was noted that the left side of my body is the weaker, so why is this affecting the right side?
Does anyone else suffer from this? Is this part of MS?
My first attack affected my mouth and I had periods when my mouth was very dry and then at odd times I had too much saliva and I was dribbling from the right side of my mouth. I was also wiping it a lot and made the corner of my mouth quite sore. I was very self conscious of it but, like you, I think I noticed it more than anyone else. My mouth was also a little droopy to that side which was noticeable if I tried to smile (I didn’t have much to smile about in that few weeks so that’s probably why not many people noticed!).
Regarding having problems affecting different sides of the body, this is normal. Last year I had a relapse affecting my right leg which left me barely able to walk. I had oral steroids which worked quite well and I was just beginning to recover fully after 3 months when the left leg was affected. The symptoms were similar but not quite as severe. I refused steroids this time because I didn’t want to accept it was a new relapse and because I couldn’t face the side effects again. However a year on, the left leg is the worst one. It’s just the nature of the beast, I’m afraid. If you have MS then the lesions can appear anywhere and affect any part of your body. When you have a virus, it is likely that old symptoms will worsen for a while and new ones can appear. This may be a pseudo relapse brought on by a fever or infection or a virus can trigger a full relapse shortly after. Only time will tell which it is.
Thanks for the reply. I do notice a dry mouth occassionally, n then too much saliva at other times. its all new to me, and hopefully going to get to know more after my consultation with the MS Specialist Neurologist. The Neurologist i was seeing did not specialise in MS, and to be perfectly honest, he was only interested in new lesions and not the existing symptoms. therefore i asked to be referred to a specialist Neurologist, so will have to see what happens. Although i expect i will come out of that appointment still in Limbo-Land
I have only had the one big relapse, which i ended up in hospital, and that is where the possible diagnosis of MS came in to the picture. However the symptoms i’ve had since this have numerous. This with the Saliva been the latest one. I have wrote all these symptoms down ready for my appointment.
How long did it take people to get a diagnosis? My last MRI showed no new activity, but the old lesions were never mentioned, i had 6 or 7 on the first MRI.
I was in hospital with my first two relapses as my symptoms were quite severe so luckily (or unluckily whichever way you look at it), I was diagnosed very quickly. Just three months from first symptoms to probable dx and one month later a firm diagnosis after all the blood tests had ruled out anything else.
The old lesions are a bit misleading as I believe lesions can be caused by other things and it is possible to have several lesions which haven’t caused symptoms. Therefore they only look at the lesions which are in direct correlation to the areas of your body/brain that you are having problems with. I hope that makes sense.
It is a good idea to keep a diary of your symptoms between now and your next app’t but I wouldn’t get hung up on every little thing. Your neuro may switch off if you list every tiny thing that has happened. When you take your list in then concentrate first on the things that have caused you the most discomfort and distress and work your way down in that order. Then if you run out of time, or he/she runs out of interest, you will have covered the major things first. If a symptom has only happened the once and was only for a few seconds then it isn’t a major problem and unless it caused you to fall or some other major difficulty then the neuro probably isn’t going to be that interested. I know that seems harsh but that is the reality.
I hope you find the MS specialist a lot more understanding that a general neuro. My neuro normally asks me at annual review what symptoms I have had between relapses which is reassuring because it shows that he does understand that jst because I am not relapsing at the moment does not mean I am symptom free. We then discuss what treatments are available to help with these symptoms and whether I want to try them. Good luck, I hope you get some answers this time. I was only in limbo for 3 months and I know how frustrating it can be.
I have recently started on an increasing dose of Gabapentin, as Pregabalin was not very effective for me. The dose is set to increase tomorrow to 300mg three times a day, and upto nowon te lower dose, i have been ok. I still have pins/needles and tingling as well as pain, but i remain hopeful that this will decrease as my medicaion increases.