This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Does anyone else have transitory sensory symptoms? What I mean is tingling, numbness or pins/needles that is passing in nature. Sometimes I will get a wave of feelings on my right side that will come and go within 30 seconds. This might happen a couple of times during the day over a couple of days then be gone. It doesn't affect me in any way since they are so fleeting in nature. Is this normal with MS or should I be looking at other issues along with MS?

My husbands company has a free program with Best Doctors where they will collect all your medical records and do a review. I did this since it was free, but I can see the disadvantage because you never meet the doctor who does the review. He felt some of this transitory symptoms might be anxiety based and not MS related. If he had ever met me, he would know that he couldn't be farther from the truth. No anxiety and stress over here. What this review did help with is questions to ask my neurologist. I never really asked for specifics...numbers in test results etc. Best Doctors has compiled all my tests and records and are giving me a copy which is great...this is something I should have been doing, but this is new to me since I was only diagnosed in 2010. The doctor who reviewed the case did feel as though my lab tests point to MS...11 o-bands and an IgG synthesis rate of 19.9%, which he called impressive...I could think I a better term to use I guess 11 o-bands is a lot and those diagnosed with MS often have a synthesis rate of over 8%...I guess 19.9% would be impressive to a doctor. Though he feels that the transitory symptoms I experience are atypical of MS...so I gotta ask, anyone else have those kinds of issues?

Anyhow I'm glad I haven't had any major issues since my initial clinical episode in 2010...I was having spasms along the whole right side of my body...at it's worst 50 times an hour periodically throughout the day...it was tough. Took about 2 months to find a drug that worked...tegretol. The spasms were caused by a lesion on the left internal capsule. After it resolved, I was able to stop the medication. The doctor who did the review thought the lesion might have been caused by an ishemic event. He found my MRIs to be "unimpressive" though between the first MRI and the second one (6 months later) there were 7 new lesions. I think I'll ask my neurologist about that. I wasn't overly impressed with the doctor who did the Best Doctors review. I had asked for the review based on an MS diagnosis, so you would have thought they would send it to a doctor who was an MS specialist or at least well versed in MS. The doctor reviewing is a specialist in dementia and a masters in psychology. He is well credentialed, but his writing comes off a bit pompous. Had he not been trained in psychology, I don't think that he would have came up with an assessment that part of my problem might be psychologically based. I guess that is the assessment that makes me the most irritated.

welcome stacey. that's great that you're getting copies of your bloodwork.

if you're interested in reading up on the nutrition angle, i can link you up to two threads, the meanderings of which you might find interesting. these are not diagnosed folks, but their experiences and information are interesting and relatively recent additions to the forum content:

MS symptoms?: general-discussion-f1/topic19575.html

Please tell me what you think about my symptoms: introductions-f20/topic20280.html

there's some info on nutritional lab work that may be of interest, in the 'signature' links below. again, welcome to the forum

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my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

My symptoms began just as you described – one finger with pins and needles, feet going numb for a while, etc. After a few years of this, my symptoms came to stay.

The Tegretol may have influenced your spasms. Or not. In the beginning most MS is relapsing and remitting – the spasms may have disappeared simply as part of the cycle, the natural course of the disease.

In respect to the review doctor, his specialty, and his assessment – it is not uncommon to take a problem to a doctor, who will determine it to be only in his area of expertise; e.g., a surgeon thinks you need surgery, a physical therapist thinks you need physical therapy, etc.

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My hypothesis: excess insulin (hyperinsulinemia) plays a major role in MS, as developed in my initial post: http://www.thisisms.com/forum/general-discussion-f1/topic1878.html "Insulin – Could This Be the Key?"