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MS and fibromyalgia symptoms

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DoctorQuestion
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MS and fibromyalgia symptoms
Posted: 07-18-08 11:55am
Some weird things have been happening for 5 years...I am not sure if this is ms or not but I was diagnosed with fibromalgia(no tests were done he just decided I must have it do to the pain)My symptoms are as follows: On back xray,scars were present on spine as if I had back surgery,Bouts of dizzyness and vertigo,extreme exhaustion(i actually had mono and was not aware of it at the time until blood test was done,I still feel exhaustion 1 year later), tingling in extremeties,feeling like bugs are on me and biting me, joint pain and my knees lock up(xray of bones show no signs of arhritis), extreme muscle (charlie horses) thruout body, chest and back spasm, uncontrollable twitching, I am having blurred vsion in rt eye and extreme pain(I will have this for periods and then gets better,sometimes I have to cover my eye to make it feel better) Bouts of decreased hearing for no reason,memory fog(i have trouble spelling things), very grumpy, weak reflexes and in arms and legs. Heat intolerance.
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Multiple Sclerosis Answer A4449
Posted: 07-24-08 22:08pm
Multiple sclerosis and fibromyalgia have one similarity: for both disorders there are no specific medical tests and they can be diagnosed only after certain other disorders with similar symptoms are excluded.


Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune neurological disorder and can have similar symptoms with other disorders that also affect the brain. Major diagnostic tests for confirming MS are: neurological examination, eye examination (if the vision is affected), MRI of the head and spine, evoked potentials tests and a spinal tap.


Fibromyalgia is defined as a disorder classified by the presence of chronic widespread pain and heightened painful response to gentle touch (allodynia).

There aren’t specific tests that will confirm fibromyalgia. Medical tests are important to rule out diseases that have similar manifestations: rheumatic disorders ; endocrine/metabolic disorders ; gynecological disorders, Digestive disorders ; psychiatric disorders and other disorders like Chronic fatigue syndrome, TMJ-syndrome, migraine, etc. Diagnostic tests to distinguish fibromyalgia from all these conditions are: blood tests (ESR, TSH, T4, RF, ANA, feritin, transferin,…), algometry, sleep studies, psychometric testing, etc.

Given your symptoms, it is more likely for you to have fibromyalgia than multiple sclerosis.





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