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I have had a rather bad week. It started with vision problems in my left eye where it is noticably more fuzzy than my right eye. I have also had periods where my legs feel tingly (like as I speak) and problems walking, feeling "wobbly". I also noticed that when I walk my left foot seems to turn outwards making my look a little clumsy.

In addition to all this, I had an episode last night that was very embarrasing. I have aways had problems with diarrhea, but this time it snuck up on me... to where I didn't even know I had to go until it was too late. I couldn't stop it from coming and... well I created a huge mess. I was so humiliated. Could this be a sign of incontinence?

Also, should I go to the doctor and tell him about all this? I have had a period of 3 years of related symptoms but this has been a rather bad attack. Before doctors have told me I don't have MS and it's all in my head. Will this new "evidence" persuade them otherwise to maybe look again into the possibility of MS?

I am a 27 YO male, with a history of 3 years of unexplained symptoms like tingling in my legs, severe panic attacks etc..

Thanks in advance for your help. This is very distressing for me. My wife is not at all supportive, she just gets frustrated with me and tells me it's all anxiety.

every new thing i hear jml...

how would you describe the general condition of your skin, if i may ask?

Curr Gastroenterol Rep. 1999 Oct;1(5):398-403.
Zinc and intestinal function.
Semrad CE.

Zinc is an abundant trace element in the human body that is essential for growth and development and immune function. It is important for the formation of biomembranes ... The intestine is the site of zinc absorption and the major route of zinc excretion. Dietary inadequacy or conditions that decrease zinc absorption or increase its losses from the gastrointestinal tract, urine, or skin may quickly cause zinc deficiency... Diarrhea is both a sign and a cause of zinc deficiency... In some individuals with diarrheal disease, zinc supplementation lessens diarrhea. Those receiving prolonged supplemental zinc therapy need to be monitored for copper deficiency.

the article quoted above, also says it's hard to test zinc - but i get mine tested and it works fine, i know if i'm deficient, low, or optimal with no hassle.

and YES, go to your doctor. keep a daily journal and take it with you to the appointment. it will help give the doc a much clearer idea of what you live with 24/7. and it might possibly help you make some cause and effect connections too.

My husband had loose stool issues for years. (He is now mid 40's) Most of the time he managed it, but occasionally it was like your situation. When I went gluten free a couple of years ago, he decided to eliminate gluten to show support to me.

But to his surprise, he found that anytime that he ate gluten (because that was my deal, not his) he had bowel issues. We both found ourselves more energetic as well as his chronic eczema that he had since his teens cleared up. His primary care doctor tested for celiac but it didn't show that he had it. Thus, despite no official diagnosis, he has gone gluten free and now only has diarrhea and brain fog if he accidentally eats gluten. Just an idea for you to consider.....

j and p, the gluten aspect ties in.

gluten digestion requires high amounts of zinc. also foods with gluten also tend to be foods with high phytate levels.

there is debate over the pros and cons of phytates, but it is known that phytates can interfere with zinc absorption.

it has been shown that diets with higher cereals consumption can result in generally lower zinc levels.

HTH,
JL

wow i just noticed the eczema reference, p.

when you stop eating gluten, your body doesn't suffer the same zinc drain from digestion. you can absorb and use more zinc from the other foods you eat.

zinc is important for skin health. when i corrected my zinc deficiency, a chronic skin problem disappeared for good.

Gluten issue is potentially a very relevant one for you.

Coeliac disease can actually cause neurological symptoms.

I am unlucky enough to be both a coeliac and have MS but I agree with the others you should get tested for coeliac disease asap.

Do not give up gluten right now - do not give up gluten before you go through the full test because it would then show up as a false-negative to coeliac disease. You have to have been eating sufficient gluten (a few slices of bread a day and/or bowl of wheat cereal) for a few months prior to the first blood test your doctor can run.

This link is interesting - explains how coeliac disease can manifest as neurological symptoms: http://www.ehow.com/about_4596538_neuro ... sease.html . Hope you find out the cause and are feeling better much soon. [/b]

This just makes me a lot more confused than I was before....

hey there ww, do you have any zinc levels in your medical file at all?

(by the way, no offense, but i don't think we (p&i) said anything about testing for coeliac disease asap... i agree that we've discussed zinc, gluten, and celiac disease being things to think about, and that a trip to the doc is in order).

hey there ww, do you have any zinc levels in your medical file at all?

No I don't JL...I added some zinc to the mix recently. Why?

(by the way, no offense, but i don't think we (p&i) said anything about testing for coeliac disease asap

No you're right JL you didn't - I just meant that it should be something Jml945 should do soon, I didn't mean to panic you Jml. It's just that my father got to age 58 without being diagnosed as a coeliac and he'd had it since childhood if the symptoms are anything to go by. There are a lot of potentially undiagnosed coeliacs out there.
Jml - I'm sorry if my post sounded off, but it just sounds from your symptoms like you should rule out coeliac disease if nothing else because it can cause both diarrhoea and neurological symptoms, and you start with a simple blood test from your GP for anti-gliaden antibodies.

ww, i'd be interested to know what your zinc level is, given the double dx of celiac and ms. i know zinc is low in ms-ers, i know what optimal zinc in healthy controls is, and i know celiac disease can impair zinc status too. i'm really curious to learn whether optimizing zinc status can improve your celiac symptoms.

jml, no need to be confused.. but it would be wise to get to the doc. if you take a journal it can help make it clear to them that these things are not in your head.

in my amateur view, the eye and bowel problems you suffer have a potential common denominator in zinc. you may want to think about having that level checked. the chronic diarrhea is reason enough by itself, but your other problems make it even more worth your while. your doc might also think the anti-gliaden test suggested by ww is worth while too.

hope you're not still confused!
JL