This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Hi everyone,

I've been doing some research because I have some weird symptoms and I am terrified of what it is. I dont know if it is MS and Im not too sure what the general symptoms of MS are or how one knows when to go to a doctor for it.

About 2 months ago, i was diagnosed with mono and a slightly high allergen level in my body, and a slightly high level of Lupus (which thru further testing turned out to be negative). However, mono is normally a high fever, swollen glands and sore throat type deal but with me it is extremely severe. I am on a mono support board online and a lot of people have experienced with I have but I am still terrified. Some of the symptoms I started off with was anxiety, heart racing, swollen tongue, swollen glands in the jaw/ear area, swollen throat, breathlessness, dizziness, extreme fatigue, confusion, etc. A lot of this severe symptoms went away and i believe a lot of it was due to the severe effects from taking amoxicillin at the time. Anyway its been almost 2 months now (more like 1.6 mo) and yesterday i was so freaked out. I could not sleep and have had days of insomnia which come and go. but yesterday i was soo tired and my entire body felt numb. and I "woke up" (from the horrible sleep) with my right arm completely numb with really stiff joints and muscles. I was really scared and not being able to sleep was just worse. I managed to doze off after taking some vitamins (they make me sleepy) and fell into really deep deep nightmare and body feeling heavy sleep.

but the reason why i am scared i might have MS is because for the past few years i have had tingling in my right arm on and off. and ive been going to the chiropractor for it. which helped. i had sleeping issues, fatigue and general weakness and stomache issues. they have been on and off for months, and some months i am really healthy and dont have any symptoms. but right now, the symptoms i am facing are general shakiness/weakness, less sensitivity and loss of touch? to the right side of my body. I can feel but is less sensitive than my left.. my right arm always falls asleep/numb when i feel. And when i walk once in a while i noticed my leg like gives out a little because i dont have strength. im dizzy if i do too much (not spinning but in the head) and cant even walk aruond in the grocery store with getting dizzy or lightheaded. I am absolutely terrified about these recent onset of symptoms. I just graduated college and was fine and great, working outand exercising, not a care in the world. And this summer has been absolutely a trainwreck for me and my family and my girlfriend.


Does anyone have any advice? should i get checked for MS or are these symptoms not really a sign of ms? I dont even know but I have the personality that is obsessive when it comes to my body and i google over and over. (at first i thought i had a thyroid issue) ANY HELP is appreciated. thank you!


david

I'm afraid that it could perhaps all sound a little bit familiar. I'd go and see a neurologist for sure and get an MRI. Maybe there's nothing going on but it's the only thing to do to get it checked.

But you can take heart in knowing that there's never been a better time to be diagnosed with MS. I mean it's a terrible thing but new therapies are promising to make it less severe and there are even pretty extreme therapies which have eradicated the illness in some people (I'm thinking of revimmune) if caught early.

But anyway, that's something to worry about if the time comes which, hopefully, it won't..

Good luck!

Hi Ya powertool4,

First thoughts that come to mind is take a few deep slow breaths and find your calm center.

El Marino is quite correct when he says it's a fortuitous time to have it -if you really do!Much good work is being done to reduce/cure MS.

Many are here to help and many here are living day by day making the best of thier lives!

Sure,your gonns have all sorts of feeling and thoughts-find your center and don't let them carry you away with angciety9sp?).

Talk to your GP and go for MRI.
Have you had any head/body traumas?These may-- explain some current symptoms.

Take it inch by inch-mile by mile it's a trial.

We are all here with you however it goes!

Warmest,A

Oh yeah powertool4,

Try to keep your "core body temp"AS low as possible.
And avoid deep exertions-at least for time being.See how that goes.

Relax and reset limitations for yourself-again,at least for timebeing.


Gotta hit the hay,A

Arthurherr,
Why is this?

Hi All,

Thanks for the response. I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared or anxious, yesterday I broke down crying in my room because it is absolutely terrifying for me to have all these weird symptoms (especially the ones that disrupt my sleep and eating, the very basic of living) and having no explanation for it or any form of guidance on how to look to get it checked. Thanks for the kind words, I am going to gather and refocus myself and get it together for my family's sake. Its been a hard time for all of us. So, is the MRI checking for any degeneration in my nerves? And i am curious (and hopeful), why do you say that this is a good time for me to find out? From what I understand, MS is not curable right? Are there different treatments that work really well that don't require medication? Which symptoms in particular sounds like MS? Recently I have had some trouble with the urge to urinate and ability to control my urine (it is very embarassing, im only 22). Its extremely stressful.

I have a million questions and my mind is going crazy but I am taking my parents' advice and not looking into it too much because worry and anxiety itself can cause other problems.

Thanks so much


Arthurherr, I haven't had any head or body traumas. The only "trauma" I can think of is the severe side effects from the amoxicillin. I was 100% completely fine, 5'10" 165lbs, bench pressing 230 lbs, running everyday, and thought of myself as a healthy college student, and then.. 2 days on amoxicillin I have a 6 hours anxiety attack and ever since I have not been the same. It has been 2 months now.. But thank you for the help.

Amoxicillin can make you feel pretty lousy.
I think there's a few things going on for you. Illness can be stressful, espcially when you're young and think of yourself as invincible!
Mono can make you feel severly below par for years - I got it at age 19. and it took me about 2 years before my energy was back to normal because I didn't want to admit I had to slow down

I think you need to take a deep breath and realise that your anxiety is doing you no favours at the moment. I'd talk to your GP about it and take whatever advice they give you. You have had mono but at the moment a lot of your symptoms sound anxiety based, or at least made worse by anxiety. Get that under control before you go to the worst-case scenario for you.
On a general level I'd go to a nutritionist and see what vitamins/minerals you might be lacking in and rectify and deficiencies. Allow your body time to heal from the mono before you start expecting to be back to where you were before. Go easy!

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Concussus Resurgo
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RR-MS dx 1998 and Coeliac dx 2003
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Copaxone, Cymbalta. EPO, Fish Oils, Vitamin D3 2000 IU daily, Cal/Mag/Zinc, Multivitamin/mineral, Co-Enzyme Q10, Probiotics, Milk Thistle.

Hey there
The stiff joints/numbness/weakness and urgency peeing sound like they could be MS.
The MRI will show if there is inflammation/disease activity.
It is terrifying at first. I was having all these symptoms, I thought that they were all separate complaints. Then I read an article in the Observer, written by a newly diagnosed MS sufferer and it all sounded too familiar. I must say that I felt absolutely devastated. But it's got better since, I mean you do come to terms with something like this.
It's good to be optimistic. If it is MS then it may clear up lots and not bother you too much..
There are no reliable treatments. I fooled myself into thinking that Ashton Embury's 'Best Bet Diet' would solve my problems and so I turned down the offer of disease modifying therapies. Unfortunately (although I am still convinced saturated fat is poison to people with MS) it didn't stop the relapses and so I accrued damage.
Vitamin D is the closest thing that I have found. Following the publication of a small study investigating very high doses of vitamin D cutting relapse rates I've been taking 14,000 international units on days that aren't sunny enough for getting it through sunbathing. Beware though, many doctors might see this dose as toxic so investigate thoroughly first.
We're saying that it's a better time to be diagnosed then any before because it seems to me, at least from almost obsessive news searching, that research is gathering pace. It's not curable but things are looking better and better. Soon there will be a pill, as opposed to an injection. There are B cell therapies, Campath and Rituxan, which are proving effective. There is even the option of High Dose Cyclophosphamide. Chemotherapy for four days which has been reported to have eradicated the disease (although hdc is not without toxicity - it's pretty hardcore). Stem cell research is beginning to look promising.
Your current symptoms are more than likely to abate within a few weeks. Your body has the ability to repair itself still and, hopefully the repair will eradicate the symptoms. This is all assuming you have MS.
Now, I don't know if this is too much information and I feel like maybe I'm just scaring you! If so then I'm really sorry. It's a really horrid illness but I'm so used to thinking about it all the time that I forget how terrifying your uncertainty must be.
If I were you I'd look into taking high doses of vitamin D and I'd cut saturated fat out of my diet (some might disagree but that's just what I do). And I you should go and see your GP too and have a chat with him or her.
I sent you a PM..