This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

Hi. I'm pretty terrified that I have MS. My doc hasn't even mentioned it, but I seem to have psyched myself out and now I can't stop thinking about it. Also, I haven't been seeing this doc very long, and I feel like i always forget to mention things to her, so I don't know if she has the whole pictue (which is my fault, not hers). If i list all of my symptoms in a row, it's scary. But some of them haven't happened in a long time. Others have been coming and going for years. And still others are brand new. Here's a brief list of everything weird that has happened to me in my adult life that I've ignored (as is my habit when if comes to seeking medical advice):
numbness/tingling in left fingers/hand/arm. Aching arms. Painful feet (clenched up?) Clenched calf muscles (or at least always on the verge of clenching. Clenched shoulders/back/neck muscles. Headaches. Tingly scalp. Jaw pain. Ear Pain. Tooth pain. Numb toes. numb hips. feeling like imaginary "bugs" are crawling on my legs. Itching. urgency to pee (sometimes with nothing coming out). Twitching? Rib cage pain (not sure how to explain that one). Eyeball pain... i feel like there are a lot more, but I'm tired...

I just need answers... Thoughts?

hi there, welcome to the forum a good first step might be to get your doc up to speed.

if you start keeping a very concise daily journal of symptoms so that your doc can get a sense of a week in your life by glancing over a short single-page list, that might help.

at the bottom of that page you could include a brief section on less frequent symptoms you have experienced over the course of months or years.

to help keep this reference concise, I would suggest grouping symptoms together under headings like so (I've tried to categorize your list in a logical way):

pain (headache, eyes, jaw, ears, teeth, ribs, arms, feet),
tension/cramps (neck, shoulders, back, calves),
numbness (left fingers, hand, arm, hips, toes) and tingling/crawling sensation (scalp, legs)
general fatigue(?) itching, twitching
urinary difficulty/urgency

in general it can also help to write down all your questions and info for the doc so that you arrive at appointments with a sort of meeting agenda. if you take two copies, you can give one to the doc and take notes on the other if needed.

Thank you so much for the helpful suggestions. I think keeping a symptom journal will help me get a clearer view of how often things are going on, as well as helping me communicate them accurately to my doctor without feeling like I'm being whiny. I really appreciate the reply!

no probs! if I had it all to do over, I would be way more systematic with my record keeping. i can be more diligent in future at least

After reading up on MS and posting on this and another forum, I had successfully convinced myself that I do not have MS, and that all my symptoms are related to the minor fender bender I was in and the resulting muscle spasms. However, I have now been having more and more frequent occurrences of extreme facial pain that I feels like it's in my teeth, or my jaw, or my cheekbone. The pain comes out of nowhere and swells quickly into an intense, hard, extremely painful sensation. It's hard to describe. Pressure, maybe? Whatever it is, it hurts. It gains intensity rapidly, then fades. Sometimes it lasts 10-20 seconds. Sometimes for several minutes. I don't know whether I'd call it "electric." I'm not sure what that means. I've been on gabapentin for numbness/pain in my arm/hand. I can't tell if this is helping with the tooth/face pain. It's intermittent, and it happened once... then once every couple of days... now, several times a day. Today, it's probably come and gone 7 or 8 times. I'm worried about trigeminal neuralgia. Can anyone describe their experiences with TN? Thanks.

because of your trauma stressor, I would have a look at magnesium status. a serum magnesium test could confirm whether this essential mineral is part of the problem in your case. the result would be 'normal', but ranges vary lab to lab and 'normal' is a far cry from 'optimal'. you want your level to be very high compared to average joe. so don't accept mid or lower normal range at all.

if you want to experiment without testing, ensure that your daily intake of elemental magnesium from food and supplements is at LEAST 600mgs.

mgs per serving of magnesium for a list of healthy food choices:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tnam ... #foodchart

if you do buy one, choose magnesium glycinate. many other magnesium supplements are less soluble and are therefore difficult to absorb, making them a waste of money given that absorption and retention are your goal.

personally I do not have TN but I do have plenty of experience managing pain with magnesium.

Thanks so much. So magnesium alleviates pain? I never knew that. So, if I'm having a migraine or facial pain, will I see an immediate decrease in pain if I go eat foods high in magnesium?

it can be a factor in several different types of pain. there are a few things at play with migraine. it's certainly possible magnesium is a factor in your case

I am not sure using magnesium foods the same way we might use pain pills is the best way of thinking about it.
rather, assuming that magnesium is at least part of the problem, you want to work daily to maintain proper nutrient status so that the pain does not occur. if pain does occur, it means day to day behavior needs adjustment

common reasons for magnesium to be low include: dietary insufficiency, consumption of softened water, carbonated beverages (phosphorus), coffee and alcohol, processed grains (the majority of the magnesium is in the bran/germ), any kind of stress, the list goes on.

yes food is the best way to improve your magnesium status, due to the cofactors that are provided in unprocessed whole foods. although depending on your serum level and how long you have been dealing with indicators of poor mag status, a therapeutic boost using supplements may be beneficial.

you might want to consider bulking up your dietary magnesium intake to 400mg per day minimum, and adding 200-300mg of supplemental magnesium glycinate.

all that said, if I were to find myself with a headache I would probably hydrate first and then consider a magnesium pill as well if the water didn't correct the problem.