Multiple Sclerosis And My Symptoms Posted: 01-07-05 15:25pm
Should I seek medical help to determine if
I have ms?
I am 52, female with symptoms starting
when I was about 40-42. Should I contact
a specialist to rule out or in ms? The
following is my brief history.
Starting ten years ago, I have
periodically suffered from the sensation
of a knife being stabbed in my upper left
harm muscle/bone area; burning pain (arm,
leg/knee) aching, throbbing, periodic
shooting, tingling, tightness and
numbness. All problems are on the left
side of my body.
Swallowing problems: certain foods will
trigger a very painful reaction in my
esophagus where the food becomes stuck and
will not go down. Sometimes, at night
while trying to sleep, I can’t swallow
which causes a panic for a few seconds.
The problems are all on the left side
which I first noticed 10 years ago with
the sudden onset of a knife-like pain in
my upper left arm. Doctors gave me pain
pills to try, but never mentioned ms nor
tested for it. I have flare up times.
Can’t sleep when pain goes from neck to
lower leg/arm—no comfortable position can
be found to alleviate the pain but I do
use ice packs which feel very good.
Thank you,
dianeb
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oopoopoop
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Posted: 01-13-05 06:49am
What you describe doesn't sound like
"classic" ms symptoms -- although the
disease manifests itself in so many ways,
it's difficult to say. But if it has been
more or less the same over 10 years, it
probably is something else, perhaps some
other neurological thing.
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DianeB
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 07 Jan 2005 Posts: 2 Location: Florida
Multiple Sclerosis Posted: 01-13-05 07:15am
Multiple sclerosis symptoms: I went
through my medical records and found the
first symptom was when I was 30 or so.
My left eye would become blurry for a few
minutes, twitch, and have severe pain.
This lasted about an hour each episode.
It was soon after that I felt sudden pain
in my left leg that felt electrical in
nature. I also jerk suddenly when I am
sleeping and it wakes me up. I have
reviewed my medical files more thoroughly,
and the symptoms seem to have included
1978 - current date.
Thank you,
dianeb
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oopoopoop
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Posted: 01-13-05 12:43pm
If you have had sporadic symptoms of the
same kind that come and go for 26 years,
it doesn't sound really like ms. As I
said, it could be you have some kind of
neurological problem, other than ms. The
vision disturbances you describe are not
really what one would expect: optic
neuritis, which involves blurring and loss
of colour vision, and often pain, would
normally continue for a number of days,
and then take 3 to 6 months for the vision
to return to normal, if it does at all.
Ms symptoms do not usually come and go
again within an hour.
If your symptoms do just keep coming and
going, there is absolutely no benefit to
being diagnosed with ms anyway. It is not
something that can be cured. The
medications that are prescribed only try
to reduce the number or severity of
attacks, and they can have considerable
side effects.
You might consider a brain scan or mri
anyway.
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poky43
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 18 Jan 2005 Posts: 1 Location: wisconsin
Reply Please Posted: 01-18-05 16:35pm
This is directed at diane b. Those
symptoms in the beginning of your ms are
pretty close to what I have experienced
the last 6 months. My left eyes vision
is a little blurry now and then, but I
always thought it was due to something in
my eye or early morning. My eye on the
left side though is hard to open certain
mornings. I have had a funny pressure on
the left side of my head, rolling over the
top of it. Thought it might be sinus's,
but I have no real sinus infection? The
part that hit me was the sudden jerks you
got when you slept. I had such a jerk on
new years night I thought I had been
yanked out of bed! I have these
periodically. Please let me know if this
sounds funny to you. And if you had any
other symtoms. I have also been very
tired in the last 6 months. I am a 41 yr
old guy and have been active my whole
life. My wife thinks I am a hypo and
should shut up. I just went for a
physical and am waiting for the tests to
come back. If anyone has advice or
ideas, I welcome them. I forgot to add, I
get a numb feeling in my lip and fronth
teeth area when I lay down at night every
so often.
Last edited by poky43 on 01-18-05 16:38pm; edited 1 time in total
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athensmomof3
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 24 Jan 2005 Posts: 1 Location: Athens, GA
Diane B Posted: 01-24-05 21:04pm
Just a thought about your symptoms - I
agree it is likely not ms, and if it is
and it has been going on for 26 years
without treatment and without progression,
it is likely benign ms. My neurologist
told me that ms generally (always) has
symptoms on both sides of the body. If
your symptoms are solely left sided it
would be much more suggestive of a stroke
or transient ischemic attack. Given your
symptoms, however, I would suggest you
seek a referral to a neurologist to
confirm. Good luck! :d
