This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

I am 26 years old and have been feeling unhealthy for years. I have a variety of endocrine problems, but in the last 2 months I have been experiencing CNS problems.

I was put on a cortef medication to help with my endocrine issues about 4 months ago, but this made me feel worse. I did taper down but about 2 months ago, I started experiencing terrible headaches every day that would last all day and night. The fatigue that I am having is similar to MS fatigue where you are almost completely shut down. In the past two months I have had a variety of symptoms similar to MS such as decline in balance, vision, walking, coordination, lots of pain, ect.

For the past few days, I just started experiencing pain in my spine area which is scary and not a good sign. I also virtually went sexually numb. However during this time period, I have less pain in my head area and it seems like the majority of pain has transferred to my spine.

Does this sound like it could happen in MS. Also, could the transfer of pain and symptoms be a sign that possibitly the attack is coming to an end soon once maybe the pain in my spine goes away.

If I do have MS, I think what triggered it was probably food allergies. The sad part is that I figured out just a few months to late and may have be prevented. Not sure.

My questions to you are, does this sound like MS? And if so, which kind?

I have been trying to learn about this issue. Since I have been having symptoms for the past few months vs. a few days, I don't know if this is an attack/relapse or maybe PPMS.

Can an intial attack of MS last for months and then all of the sudden your symptoms go away like RRMS. I have not been able to find out if an attack or your intial attack can last for months.

I just got tested for lyme's and it came back negative. I am still not ruling it out though because I heard they can be false negatives alot. Also, using the cortef medication I was on maybe triggered the lime disease or another virus which was dormant.

Overall, I feel like I am dying. I feel like I only have a few months left to live and it is very scary. I am not sure it it MS or another disease. I am in the process of trying to get into a few leading hosptials in my state.

The last question is what tests to ask my neurologist to test for MS. I am scheduled to have an mri this week and meet with her next week. I probably will however be requesting that additional tests be ran this week to check for things.

A few tests I have seen are a spinal mri, lumbar puncture, evoked potentials.

I am thinking of asking her for a spinal mri due to my pain I have been feeling lately. Would this be a good idea.

Also, what tests would recommend I try to get done during the next few weeks.

Thank you and God bless.

First of all IF it is MS it was not triggered by food allergies. There are different theories as to why people get MS but I have never heard anything about the cause being food allergies. Also IF it is MS there is nothing you can or could have done to prevent it.
It sounds to me like you are going through all the proper testing up to this point and the best thing to do is try to relax(not easy I know). Although the other tests are helpful in diagnosing MS MRI's are generally considered the "gold standard". If your MRI is negative it is unlikely you have MS.
Finally, and please trust me on this, IF you have MS, you will not die in a month or two. Generally people with MS have a normal life expectancy minus a couple of years. I hope this answered some of your questions and please continue to use this board for support and to keep us posted on how your tests go. No one this board will be able to tell you if this is MS or not, only your neurologist will know for sure. Good luck!!!!

BP, sorry you are going through this nerve wracking, scary process. i have been in that place where you think you are going to die. it is awful and i hope you get some answers soon.

all i can say is, go through the process, get all the mainstream testing done.

but seriously, from where i sit, just from this first post of yours, please get an expert to look at your nutritional status, including bloodwork. i don't mean a naturopath, or a dietician to tell you about the food guide and healthy eating. somebody that wants a diet diary and does a detailed analysis on your intake over a short period of time.

see if you can talk to someone near you who knows how to interpret lab results for nutrients more finely than 'the normal range'.

if you want a list of some usual suspects in ms (which can cross over into a variety of other conditions, you can start with
-vitamin b12
-vitamin d3
-zinc
-uric acid

other tests you could go for:
-magnesium
-selenium
-vitamin b1
-vitamin e
-polyunsaturated fatty acids
-potassium

i don't know the details of your endocrine issues or allergic symptoms, but the above tests might be very illuminating.

HTH,
JL