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A little nervous..

Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 3:02 pm
by Luckynites
Hello all,
I have not yet been diagnosed with anything. I guess I should share the entire story, starting with my time in the military.

About a year and a half ago I started having problems with double vision. It would happen at random and would last for different lengths of time. Eventually I went to the doctor and told them about the issue, anyways nothing was found. It isn't surprising considering I couldn't duplicate it and it eventually stopped altogether.

About 6 months later I was getting ready for a deployment and started to notice some numbness at the right corner of my mouth every once in a while. As we started travelling to Afghanistan I started to notice that the numbness episodes, which only happened every few hours, would spread to the whole right side of my mouth. I was having neck pain at the time, so I was thinking it was related. Within a week I was noticing it starting to affect my entire right arm and hand when the episodes occurred, which was still only about three times a day. By this point I had told my fiance over the phone and obviously she said I needed to go to the doctor. But I'm a stubborn male and did not want to be taken out of the fight, and I figured it was a pinched nerve or something of that nature in relation to my neck pain. Within 3 weeks the numbness episodes were happening up to 5 times an hour, all the way through the right side of my body including my leg. When the episodes would happen, my speech would be slurred and I'd basically have to drag my right leg. Once again, I'm stubborn, and said it'll go away eventually, I'm sure. This continued for about another week and a half, and then suddenly it stopped. I stopped having the numbness episodes which were plaguing me for weeks. I figured this was all over and never went to see a doctor about it.

I am now out of the military and have told my doctor at the V.A. about the issues, and have done an MRI of which I am going to see the results on the 28th. The doctor said she just wanted to make sure because there are no nerves to your face in your neck and that wouldn't have been the cause. I should add that during the numbness I never had the double vision problems. And when I told my current doctor about it I had been as I said about a year removed from the episodes. That is to say, I kind of said it as a side note because I have not had any issues since.

Well, for about the last 4 days, out of no where, my right arm has started having these episodes again. I'm not sure if these symptoms fit something you would expect from someone with MS. Just curious to hear what others have experienced and if its typical for the symptoms to be spread out over years. Thanks.

-Tommy

(Edit) Things I should add: No family history of MS, 24 yrs old, do not smoke or drink, and physically active.

Re: A little nervous..

Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 4:46 pm
by jimmylegs
hi and welcome :) glad you found us

pain and neurological symptoms can certainly develop slowly over the course of years. it's harder to say whether or not your symptoms are ms - everyone's different and although optic neuritis is a presenting symptom in many, in my case there was nothing at all wrong with my eyes when i was diagnosed. you're on the right track seeing the doc about it all.

could i ask for a bit more detail regarding your typical level of physical activity?

Re: A little nervous..

Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 4:53 pm
by Luckynites
Thanks for the fast reply. I should say I haven't had any pain whatsoever. Just the numbness and the double vision from before. I spend about 60-90 minutes at the gym 5 days a week, 3 days weight lifting, and 2 days cardio. I guess that's not super active. I am a full time student and doing an internship in an office.

Re: A little nervous..

Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 5:41 pm
by jimmylegs
no problem :)

have any of the docs referred you to a nutrition specialist to make sure your diet and nutrition status is up to your activity level?
we get a lot of inquiries here, from active people with neurological symptoms.

the last one before you was less than two weeks ago:
http://www.thisisms.com/forum/post223858.html#p223858

this post will link you up to a list of related chats over the last few years.

http://www.thisisms.com/forum/under-25- ... ml#p221356

i suspect you're active enough to affect at least one or two critical essential minerals. think you could get a serum test or two done? if not, it's pretty easy to assess your diet.

here are some dietary targets, you can see how your daily routine measures up:

600mg daily dietary magnesium
healthy food sources http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tnam ... #foodchart
not all supplements are created equal - if you are not able to hit the target via diet, choose a product like this (ie not mag oxide or mag citrate)
http://orangenaturals.com/essential/mag ... g_60v_cap/

40 mg daily dietary zinc
healthy food sources http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tnam ... #foodchart
oysters are particularly rich in essential minerals including zinc
supplemental zinc should be balanced with copper eg 50mg copper citrate with 2mg copper citrate

a close friend of mine who's very athletic started running into pretty serious health problems. she had her levels tested. they were low normal. we revised her diet and put her on a specific supplement regimen to push her levels into the high normal range. she got better.

could be a pretty simple experiment to try, see if it helps you out :)

Re: A little nervous..

Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 5:44 pm
by jimmylegs
oh yes and we had this little chat about it last week as well

http://www.thisisms.com/forum/general-d ... ml#p224082

Re: A little nervous..

Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 5:48 pm
by lyndacarol
Welcome to ThisIsMS, Luckynites.

I encourage you to read the "Veterans and MS" forum here, http://www.thisisms.com/forum/veterans-and-ms-f51/ In it you will find good information about the fact that MS, diagnosed during service or even up to seven years after your date of discharge, qualifies as a service-related disability.

IF MS, which is a diagnosis of exclusion (and may take a while to "nail down" – initial MRIs often show no lesions), is the cause of your problems, you need to document your timeline and symptoms with a doctor.

Numbness/tingling in hands, arms, feet or legs is the classic definition of "peripheral neuropathy." The following are the tests and suggestions from the University of Chicago for investigating peripheral neuropathy:

Description of neurological exam:

http://peripheralneuropathycenter.uchic ... #bloodtest
Blood tests

Blood tests are commonly employed to check for vitamin deficiencies, toxic elements and evidence of an abnormal immune response.

Depending on your individual situation, your doctor may request certain laboratory tests to identify potentially treatable causes for neuropathy. These include tests for:
Vitamin B12 and folate levels
• Thyroid, liver and kidney functions
• Vasculitis evaluation
• Oral glucose tolerance test
• Antibodies to nerve components (e.g., anti-MAG antibody)
• Antibodies related to celiac disease
• Lyme disease
• HIV/AIDS
• Hepatitis C and B
Please note that testing for a vitamin B12 deficiency is the first entry on the list. Jimmylegs will tell you that nutrient deficiencies can manifest with neurological symptoms. So can gluten sensitivity – the extreme case of gluten sensitivity is celiac disease; therefore testing for the antibodies related to celiac disease is also important. In fact, all these conditions listed above need to be ruled out. In addition to glucose testing, I encourage you to ask your doctor for a "fasting blood insulin test"– this is NOT the same as a glucose (a.k.a. blood sugar) test for diabetes.

Re: A little nervous..

Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 6:32 pm
by jimmylegs
zinc deficit underlies celiac disease as well as poor b12 absorption.
related recent discussion http://www.thisisms.com/forum/undiagnos ... ml#p223508
related reading: Could your gluten intolerance be the result of a mineral deficiency?
http://www.naturalnews.com/042519_glute ... _zinc.html

also, more relevant to you in particular:
Influence of Training Frequency on Serum Concentrations of Some Essential Trace Elements and Electrolytes in Male Swimmers
http://link.springer.com/article/10.100 ... 014-9912-z
Another point of note was a drop of copper, zinc, and selenium levels at 1 h after the test in elite swimmers. The decrease in serum zinc was also observed in the other groups. Results highlight the value of regular control of elemental status to provide insight into transient effects and deficiencies.

On the Significance of Magnesium in Extreme Physical Stress
http://link.springer.com/article/10.102 ... 7708918683
In a double-blind randomized study, 23 competitive triathletes competing in an event consisting of a 500-meter swim, a 20-km bicycle race, and a 5-km run were studied after 4-week supplementation with placebo or 17 mmol/d Mg orotate. The tests were carried out without a break. Blood was collected before and after the test, and between the different events for assaying energy stress and membrane metabolism. Swimming, cycling, and running times decreased in the Mg-orotate group compared with the controls. Serum glucose concentration increased 87% during the test in the control group and 118% in the Mg-orotate group, while serum insulin increased 39% in the controls and decreased 65% in the Mg-orotate group. Venous 2 partial pressure increased 126% during the test in the controls and increased 208% in the Mg-orotate group. Venous 2 partial pressure after the bicycle race decreased 66% (significantly) in the Mg-orotate group compared with 74% in the controls. Blood proton concentration decreased to 90% in the Mg-orotate group (significantly) compared with 98% in the controls. Blood leukocyte count increased from 5.92/nL to 11.0/nL in the controls and from 5.81/nL to 9.10/nL in the Mg-orotate group, a significant difference. Serum cortisol was lower in the Mg-orotate group before and after the test compared with the controls. CK catalytic concentration after the test was elevated 140% in the controls compared with 122% Mg-orotate group. The stress-induced modifications of energy and hormone metabolism described in this study indicate altered glucose utilization after Mg-orotate supplementation and a reduced stress response without affecting competitive potential.

if you eat lots of gluten grains, it could certainly be contributing to a possible nutrient depletion situation :)

Re: A little nervous..

Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 6:02 pm
by Luckynites
Well it's official. I've been diagnosed with MS.

Re: A little nervous..

Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 6:44 pm
by jimmylegs
all right, sorry to hear. it is a bummer. it'll probably take a while to let the news sink in before you're ready to start kicking its ass.
when you start to feel better, a first easy step can be to make sure you don't have any of those known ms nutrition problems. in the meantime, take care of yourself :)

Re: A little nervous..

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 2:57 am
by christobelle
Luckynites wrote:Well it's official. I've been diagnosed with MS.
I'm sorry to hear that Luckynites.

The people on here are a fountain of information - ask as many questions as you need to, and there is more than likely someone on here who will be able to offer at least something. That is one small comfort - there are people here who just might be able to help in some way. Not with the actual diagnosis, but the ways in which you can deal with various different things.

I wish you all the best, take care now.

Re: A little nervous..

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 4:44 am
by want2bike
I have experience the double vision a couple times and the numbness of the body seems to be mostly on the left side. Since you have been in the military you have been exposed to vaccines and other chemicals which are not good for the body. My problem was with my teeth. I got better after doing a detox program by Tom McGuire. His program is good for removing toxins out of the body. My belief is that toxins are responsible for all disease. For sure you need to get on a healthy diet which gives your body the nutrients it needs to deal with toxins. Check out Dr. Bergman video on how to treat all autoimmune disease. You can get your health back if you choose the right path.



http://dentalwellness4u.com/products/books.html

http://rense.com/general67/vacc.htm