New and having questions about onset of symptoms
Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 1:35 pm
Hey all.
I've been a lurker here for a while and I really value the advice I find here. I haven't been diagnosed, but I've undergone thorough tests (everything from lupus to Lyme to West Nile and porphyria). I started having pretty basic problems 5 years ago when I was 25, and they did an MRI, but it was negative. (I don't have any more information about my results than that.) My symptoms were electric shocks and sudden weakness in my rt leg, random weakness in my rt hand for 30 minutes to several hours at a time, and then random weird sensations like ice water running down my legs. Everything went away after a few months and I would only occasionally have the weird sensations once in a while. My neuro told me not to worry about them unless the symptoms come back or something new shows up. I basically forgot all about it (though the MS diagnosis had been on the table back then).
Fast forward to July last year. I was 9 months pregnant and I developed a blind spot in my left eye, just off center. It was only really noticeable in very bright or dim light, but my eye hurt when I looked to the side or touched it. I'm kicking myself now, but I just thought it was pregnancy related. I didn't go to the doctor and it faded on its own by the end of September.
This July is when I started connecting the dots. One night I went to bed, and all of a sudden the electric pains came back but this time they made my leg spasm like crazy for half an hour. The next day my leg was weak and crampy at the same time. The spamming has happened a couple more times, all at night, and the weakness in my hand is back along with the weird feelings, though there are more this time. These things aren't constant. They usually last anywhere from 2 minutes to an hour, except for my leg tightness and weakness. That normally starts in the afternoon and then hangs around until I go to bed, sometimes really mild and sometimes incredibly painful.
Ok. So here's my question. Since my problems came back in July, I haven't ever gotten fully "better." it's just been a break for a day or two, then something hits again. But, about two weeks ago I developed something totally new. I got a sudden tightness in the front of my ribcage almost like I had gotten punched. I know it wasn't anything cardiac and it faded after a few minutes. This has happened 4 times now. But if what I'm experiencing IS an MS flare, then would it be normal to have a new symptom show up two months in?
I have moved so I am starting with a new neuro and I can't get in until October 9. I'm just curious to hear from you. I know all my symptoms would fit with an MS diagnosis, but if there are other explanations those would be great to hear, too. I just turned 30 and MS really is not what I wanted for my birthday.
I've been a lurker here for a while and I really value the advice I find here. I haven't been diagnosed, but I've undergone thorough tests (everything from lupus to Lyme to West Nile and porphyria). I started having pretty basic problems 5 years ago when I was 25, and they did an MRI, but it was negative. (I don't have any more information about my results than that.) My symptoms were electric shocks and sudden weakness in my rt leg, random weakness in my rt hand for 30 minutes to several hours at a time, and then random weird sensations like ice water running down my legs. Everything went away after a few months and I would only occasionally have the weird sensations once in a while. My neuro told me not to worry about them unless the symptoms come back or something new shows up. I basically forgot all about it (though the MS diagnosis had been on the table back then).
Fast forward to July last year. I was 9 months pregnant and I developed a blind spot in my left eye, just off center. It was only really noticeable in very bright or dim light, but my eye hurt when I looked to the side or touched it. I'm kicking myself now, but I just thought it was pregnancy related. I didn't go to the doctor and it faded on its own by the end of September.
This July is when I started connecting the dots. One night I went to bed, and all of a sudden the electric pains came back but this time they made my leg spasm like crazy for half an hour. The next day my leg was weak and crampy at the same time. The spamming has happened a couple more times, all at night, and the weakness in my hand is back along with the weird feelings, though there are more this time. These things aren't constant. They usually last anywhere from 2 minutes to an hour, except for my leg tightness and weakness. That normally starts in the afternoon and then hangs around until I go to bed, sometimes really mild and sometimes incredibly painful.
Ok. So here's my question. Since my problems came back in July, I haven't ever gotten fully "better." it's just been a break for a day or two, then something hits again. But, about two weeks ago I developed something totally new. I got a sudden tightness in the front of my ribcage almost like I had gotten punched. I know it wasn't anything cardiac and it faded after a few minutes. This has happened 4 times now. But if what I'm experiencing IS an MS flare, then would it be normal to have a new symptom show up two months in?
I have moved so I am starting with a new neuro and I can't get in until October 9. I'm just curious to hear from you. I know all my symptoms would fit with an MS diagnosis, but if there are other explanations those would be great to hear, too. I just turned 30 and MS really is not what I wanted for my birthday.