This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

Hi,

I have noticed some of the symptoms associated with MS but some also that I am not sure if they are or not.

I have a slight swelling to the left side of my face and inside my mouth there is a white line. I don't know if it's a nerve or blood vessel or what.

So my question is does this look like a symptom of MS? I know it causes swelling in the brain, but does it also cause swelling outside the brain like this?

Does anyone know what the white line may be? Is it part of the facial nerve? Would that be visible inside the mouth? Towards the back at the side?

The next unusual symptom I have is shivering. It's been reasonably cold here, but I still think this is related to my illness. Does MS cause this?
(I also feel my head may be slightly warm but not burning, and am wondering if these could indicate a viral infection rather than MS?)

I have not noticed any adverse reaction from having a hot bath. How reliable is this as a test? I understand it's supposed to make the symptoms temporarily worse. Does it have to be taken during an attack?

I know you can't diagnose me, but if you were able to tell me these things aren't usual for MS I think I'd feel a whole lot better.

Thanks

Unfortunately, MS symptoms differ from one person to another, so it's hard to say. I personally think that there are symptoms that are common to those with MS, but if you get 10 of us together, we can all name at least 1 symptom that the other doesn't have.

Have you seen a neuro yet? If so, what did he/she say and what tests have you had?

There are so many great (and experienced) people on this forum who can better say if what you're describing sounds like symptoms of MS.

All the best to you.

I am not a neuro or doctor but this does not sound like symptoms of ms to me, especially the swelling in the mouth. It sounds like a virus or even an abcess tooth??? I would get it checked out.

this sounds like a viral infection to me too. maybe in the sinuses. these things can be aggressive so don't delay, get to a doctor, please.

good luck. let us know how things go.

Thank you for your replies. I haven't seen any doctors yet. At first I just thought it would go away.

The swelling in my face isn't that bad to be very visible to other people. The swelling is in my face below the cheek rather than in my mouth, but I can see this white line inside my mouth which I think is related. I don't think it's my teeth causing it and my sinus seems ok.

The reason I have become worried about it being MS has been that I started getting strange sensations on that side of my face. At first I thought this was down to the local injury, but then I got tingling in my fingers too, headache, and tired eyes. I know these all correlate with MS symptoms.

I was kind of hoping someone would say that swelling in the face is unheard of as an MS symptom and that the other's could just be a virus that would go away. It's quite possible the swelling in the face is causing the sensations in my face but it can't be the cause of the tingling fingers.

I understand there are a lot of other things that cause similar symptoms to MS, but nowhere does it outline what they are or how you can test for them. Is there a virus that could cause this and then just get better on it's own?

What I read online is that feelings/pain in the face is not uncommon with MS, but that it was caused by something attacking the nerves in the brain. It didn't mention attacking the nerves directly in the face(or anywhere in the body).

Thank you once again, I feel a little better from your posts.

If I were in your shoes right now, I would visit my GP to see if I had a virus that's causing all the issues in my face. He/She will probably request some blood to be drawn to see if anything comes up there, or they may just know of something that causes that.

Although a (or most) GP's knowledge of MS is slim, they may be able to talk to you about your symptoms and discuss why they are/aren't related to MS. If they think somethings up, they should refer you to a neurologist.

With the tingling in your fingers, that could be many things. The one thing that comes to mind is peripheral nerve damage, only because I've heard it before.

Try to relax and get an appointment with your GP asap. I hope for you that it's just something easy, and not MS.

Thanks LoveActually,

You talk a lot of sense. I just hate going to the doctors to be prodded and poked but I suppose they are the only ones who can really tell me. Reading all this medical mumbo jumbo online will drive me crazy and turn me into a massive hypochondriac if I keep it up any longer.

In the meantime I'm dosing up on just about every vitamin supplement there is and crossing my fingers that it gets better on it's own.

Thank you for taking the time to try to help me. I hope the researchers find a cure for MS soon.