This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Hi there,

My name is Kate and I am trying to remain calm and not think the worst.

History - nearly 39yo with 2 beautiful boys - 9 & 3yo. Sometime after my 9yo
was born (maybe a few years after) I started getting some weird sensations in my
hand/arm & on one ocassion face. Basically I will wake up and notice that my
skin has an altered sensation, very sensitive to cold (hard to describe) but the
skin on these patches feels different to other 'normal' limb/hand etc eg. if I
were to run something cold, say metalic (like cutlery) over my skin on the
affected area, it feels different to the 'normal' part. It will last for a few
days and then go. I have had these sensations in parts of hand, left side of
face, inner left arm. These episodes come maybe 3-4 times a year - in different
areas.

Other strange things - about 4mths ago (not sure whether the wierd skin thing
was happening at the same time (now keeping a diary!) I was at work and all of a
sudden my computer screen went blurry. I was training someone at the time and
said 'how strange, the screen is all blurry and I can't make anything out' I
even took off my glasses and rubbed my eyes - looked at something out the window
(at a distance) and then tried to re-focus, still blurry. My boss who sits close
to me even came out of his office to ask whether I was ok. At the time I just
thought it was strange and didn't think too much more of it - after a while,
maybe 1/2 hour after I grabbed a cuppa, it just righted itself and my sight was
back to normal. I do wear glasses as I am short-sighted, but that's it - no
other eye condition or anything.

I mentioned the above eye thing to my optometrist a few months back at a
routine check and he made a note of it, checked my vision and the health of my eyes and all ok - only slight variation to my last script.

I did ask a GP a few years ago re-numb/weird thing when it happened to my face and she just fluffed it off really, said sometimes we can get some strange things happening - no other symptoms were present at that GP visit so I guess
she didn't think much of it.

For some reason in Feb this year I thought I should really ask another GP
about it - which I did. The new GP referred me to a Neurologist for a Nerve
Conduction Study and a Consult. I had the test done last Tuesday which came back all ok, the Professor came in at the end of the test and said that
unfortunately the test didn't indicate anything obvious like carpal tunnel (I
hadn't even thought of that!) and that I would still need to see him for full
consult - which I am doing on 19/4.

Questions - are these things I am describing any MS type stuff and what
usually happens at a consult - I am assuming alot of questions, but surely he
will need to order other tests given the Nerve Test came back ok.

There are various other 'bits and pieces' but not sure whether related at all
- mind is a fog most of the time (maybe normal 'Mum fog'?) everytime I get up to move - I am stiff in the legs/ankles (could just need a good stretch?) I have also had pins and needles in feet from time to time.

Any help/advice would be appreciated as I am pretty concerned at this stage!

Regards
Kate

Welcome to ThisIsMS, Kate. The symptoms you describe COULD be MS, but they could easily be due to another condition.

Since you asked for any advice, I offer my standard action plan recommendation:

First, take a deep breath. You may not have MS at all. IF you do, you have found many supportive friends at this site. You will find many different ideas at this website--as a group, I think we agree on a few basic steps.

Second, work with the GP with whom you are most comfortable, who is compassionate and who enjoys be a "disease detective." Begins with a thorough baseline examination including blood tests for your cortisol level, glucose AND insulin levels, thyroid hormone levels (TSH, Free T4, Free T3, Reserve T3), etc. Ask for a copy of all your test results for your own file.

Third, if you do have MS, start your reading with two books: "Multiple Sclerosis: The History of a Disease" by T. Jock Murray, OC, MD and I think "The Multiple Sclerosis Diet Book" by Roy Swank, MD, PhD and Barbara Dugan is a good second book to read or even have. You may be able to get these through your local library.

Fourth, from this day forward, I encourage you to eat a healthy diet. Many people find that diet can influence the symptoms of MS. In my opinion, this means a low-carb diet -- removing all sugar (including beer, wine, etc. which have sugar), all artificial sweeteners (These promote insulin production, too.), all trans fats (These also increase insulin.), and white flour, white bread, white potatoes, white rice (in fact, all carbs so far as possible) from your family's diet. Personally, I think that excess insulin plays a great part in MS.

All the best to you.

first, to answer your question, optic neuritis is a typical presenting symptom for ms, but it can occur on its own.

i second what LC is saying about diet - specifically i'm curious about your zinc status from what you describe (ie having kids -pregnancy is a major zinc drain- plus eye symptoms, and brain fog).

there are a lot of known nutritional problems seen in ms patients, and zinc is a biggie (among others also very important).

from what i've seen the foods typically omitted in ms diets, like grains, sugar, alcohol, and high phytate foods, all of these foods are known zinc depleters. taking them out does allow your body to retain zinc more easily, but i prefer an approach which involves optimizing the nutrient levels using a variety of foods, and monitoring nutrient levels with bloodwork. for that to work, you need to pay careful attention to balance, rather than making sweeping cuts and removing foods we could otherwise enjoy (within limits).

if you have a peek through the following automatic links in my TIMS 'signature' you might find some info you can use.

here is a link to a site with lots of info about zinc-rich foods (and lots of other nutrients too)

if you have any questions about the nutrition side of things, feel free to ask, either here or via private message

welcome to the site!

_________________
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

Diet is the key to curing disease. Find what works for you and you can get well.

http://www.franksherwood.com/tnms.htm

I would add getting tested for Vit D along with other bloodwork, and immediately start supplememting with a few thousand mg's a day.

I had both a GP and Neurologist, at first, brush aside my symptoms. When symptoms are relatively mild it is easy to dismiss as being something minor. Glad your doc's are willing to take a look.

I second that, in the meantime, along with taking Vit D, improve your diet. If you are in a very early stage of some type of disease, a good diet can go a long way to helping your recover or slow things down. If you are found to have MS, there are still things you can do, so while it is depressing and shocking, there is hope.

just to clarify, "a few thousand mg per day" of vit d3 might kill you. i'm sure F meant a few thousand IU

_________________
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