worried i have ms symptoms

New diagnosis and before diagnosis
1

evening everyone.

joined this forum tonight, on reading your threads you all seem to support each other really well, so nice to see. x

i recently went to my dr about my addiction to 30/500mg co-codamol, it was very bad, i agreed with her to go cold turkey and i am now into week 6 and i feel so much better being me again.

but unfortunatly my body is telling me there is something wrong… i have had these symptoms for a few years but ignored them, or blamed the addiction…

i have bad cramps, tingling, numbness in legs… tingling & numbness in hands & arms, my face has the most tingling ( all the time).

top off my spine hurts along with stiffness, and bottom of spine is really bad when im walking, my left leg is weak and gives out at times.

my balance and coordination is all over the place.

my eyesight seems blurry at times, and seems like little black things passing at side of eyes. ( thought i was seeing spirits. lol. ).

dr tested my sensory’s and she said they seemed fine, but not happy with balance and coordination.

she has asked that we leave it for a couple more weeks to make sure the addiction meds are out my system, and if my balance and coordination is still bad will send me to see a neurologist,

am deeply concerned that i have maybe damaged my own nervous system by having an addiction if the neurology tests come back negative.??

it is so warming that there is this forum for people with ms or suspected ms and people are so supportive to each other.

thank you for reading and wishing you all the best. xx

2

Hi Channelgirl, I’m waiting for my first neuro appointment too. It seems like you’re going in the right direction. Do you keep a symptom diary? I’ve been writing one for 15 months and from that information, have written an outline of five main symptoms, a few notes on my concerns and a few questions. Poor memory is one of my symptoms so this was a helpful suggestion from my GP and the good folk on here helped me to structure it (otherwise my neuro would be getting 15 pages of homework!!) I’ve seen the little black shapes and thought exactly the same!! I think it might be optic nerves short-circuiting though. I wish you all the best with your appointment. My brother takes co-codamol for really bad migraines…I hadn’t realised that it could be addictive. I wish you luck in staying of it and hope that the reason for which you took it in the first place improves. :heart:

3

Hi and welcome. Well done on going cold turkey on the co-codomol, can’t have been easy. I obviously can’t say whether you have MS as there are loads of things that could explain your symptoms, but it is great that you are being taken seriously and will be referred to a neurologist if your symptoms don’t improve. I know some people really have to fight for this referral. One thing I would say is that you description of the shapes at the sides of your eyes do sound a bit like floaters. Look them up on Google as the have photos. Lots if people have them as they get older (you don’t mention your age). I started getting them when I smacked myself in the the eye trying to get a tight wetsuit off (don’t ask!). I don’t actually know if they are common in ms sufferers but they are certainly common in non ms sufferers too. I wish you well with finding a diagnosis.

4

Unfortunately coming off from medication and something that is addictive can have very weird side effects. I think you’re lucky that your GP is willing to wait and do a referral if nothing gets better. I came off antidepressants and I thought a lot of my sensitivity to heat and not feeling well was due to that, but it’s carried on and I got a referral.

I’d advise not to panic, it could go away, but then keep your mind open to the possibility of other things should it not ease up. Unfortunately the symptoms of MS can be caused by many other things and I wouldn’t worry too much about floaters. I got told at the opticians that it’s normal and everyone experiences them. I’d only be alarmed if they were black or bright flashing light type (could be sign of migraine, etc). But then that’s my opinion, so take with pinch of salt :wink:

I hope you find the forum useful- it’s been a major help in the journey I’ve been on in limboland. I’m still waiting to see a neuro (Monday coming up) and am yet undiagnosed.

I hope the best for you,

Tsuki xx

5

Hi,

Well done you for going cold turkey for so long.

I can only really echo the above, it’s good that your GP is understanding so take their advice and also make sure you keep a list of symptoms too.

With regards to the shapes in your eyes, a visit to your optician should be able to identify whether it’s floaters or not. I have odd little spots all over my vision - they are more visible when I look at a large bright area (like up at the sky). I am only 27, but am quite shortsighted and apparently these floaters are perfectly normal.

Sending you best wishes xx

6

Thank you so much for your replies, it’s so warming that there is people on here that understand us…

i have an emergency appointment with dr tomorrow, due to my symptoms getting bad worse as days have gone on. ?

balance has got worse, tingling, and my body feels so wobbly, my head shakes, my body shakes when i walk, topof my spine is so painful…

see what dr has to say tomorrow aye…

all the best to you all. x

7

I am new to this forum but I am also worried about several symptoms that I have been experiencing lately and wonder whether they might be related to MS. I am 37, female and I experience dull aching pains in my thighs intermidently and also sometimes have a very strong sensation that someone is giving me a chinese burn around my calves. This has happened more frequently when I have been running recently something that I have never experienced before in all my years of running. Also this week I have been experiencing real sensitivity to light, looking at the PC screen or even just being out in the daylight has made my eyes very sensitive, I feel like I need to wear dark glasses all the time during the day.

If anyone could offer me any advice on whether these symptoms sound familiar to MS symptoms, I would be really grateful.

Thanks x

8

I am new to this forum but I am also worried about several symptoms that I have been experiencing lately and wonder whether they might be related to MS. I am 37, female and I experience dull aching pains in my thighs intermidently and also sometimes have a very strong sensation that someone is giving me a chinese burn around my calves. This has happened more frequently when I have been running recently something that I have never experienced before in all my years of running. Also this week I have been experiencing real sensitivity to light, looking at the PC screen or even just being out in the daylight has made my eyes very sensitive, I feel like I need to wear dark glasses all the time during the day.

If anyone could offer me any advice on whether these symptoms sound familiar to MS symptoms, I would be really grateful.

Thanks x