This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

Hi all,
I am looking for some input on what is to be expected with MS.

I just turned 45 and am female.

I have been experiencing deep numbness, pain, shocking and tingling in my left forearm to back side of hand. The tingling and pain & shocking come and go, but the numbness has persisted for 6 months now with no change. I just woke up like that one morning. I have had several tests and ruled out a lot of things.

I started at a chiropractor and received treatments for several weeks with no improvement. I then went to a hand surgeon who couldn’t help. Didn’t think it was a pinched nerve or any other sort of nerve entrapment. He sent me to a neurologist.

The neurologist did nerve conduction studies on my arm which have revealed abnormally slowed nerve impulses. He then sent me for a series of MRI’s of my neck, elbow and forearm to rule out a pinched nerve. All were completely unremarkable. I then had an MRI of my brain which revealed Moderate White Matter disease. I have approximately 12 white matter lesions with a most likely conclusion of demyelinating disease (MS), ischemic changes, or brain infection.

The neurologist said he doubts it is MS, based on my history and sent me for a full cardiac work up to rule out the ischemic changes. Full Cardiac work up was good. Heart is strong, with no abnormalities seen on sonogram and stress test. Even had some special scan looking for plaque buildup and came back with a score of 0! Totally good there no plaque at all.

So, back to the neurologist who said he can’t tell me why my arm is numb.

In the mean time I have been experiencing numbness in my right hand, (opposite from the one causing the issues) back of hand and pinky and ring finger. This numbness comes and goes. Sometimes lasting a day then gone. And now the other day part of my face / cheek and chin area was numb.

I have had a full blood work up which has ruled out things like vitamin B deficiency, other deficiencies, Lyme disease, syphilis.. etc. Everything is coming up totally normal except for the white matter lesions.

Neurologist says they can’t tell me why I am numb and have these painful flare-ups, that I will need to live with it. They prescribed a cream and Neurontin that I can take when it flairs up. But that’s it. Everything they came up with has been totally ruled out except MS. But this neurologists says she doesn’t think so, based on my history but can’t rule it out completely.

I don’t even feel that they took a full history to be able to say that.

Can the numbness from MS last this long? Neurologist said if it were MS that it would have come back already. How about the other numbness in the other hand or face? Neurolgist just brushed that off? I have also had a history of numbness in my fingers and toes from time to time. She also was not concerned.

On a side note... I also have horrible memory, it actually scares me sometimes with my short term memory. I have also had some intermittant weird eye pain / redness in one eye that started about 5 years ago. Havent had that in a while tho.

I would just love to figure this out. What are your opinions?

Thank you,

Kim

kimraff wrote:Hi all,
I am looking for some input on what is to be expected with MS.

I just turned 45 and am female.

I have been experiencing deep numbness, pain, shocking and tingling in my left forearm to back side of hand. The tingling and pain & shocking come and go, but the numbness has persisted for 6 months now with no change. I just woke up like that one morning. I have had several tests and ruled out a lot of things.

I started at a chiropractor and received treatments for several weeks with no improvement. I then went to a hand surgeon who couldn’t help. Didn’t think it was a pinched nerve or any other sort of nerve entrapment. He sent me to a neurologist.

The neurologist did nerve conduction studies on my arm which have revealed abnormally slowed nerve impulses. He then sent me for a series of MRI’s of my neck, elbow and forearm to rule out a pinched nerve. All were completely unremarkable. I then had an MRI of my brain which revealed Moderate White Matter disease. I have approximately 12 white matter lesions with a most likely conclusion of demyelinating disease (MS), ischemic changes, or brain infection.

The neurologist said he doubts it is MS, based on my history and sent me for a full cardiac work up to rule out the ischemic changes. Full Cardiac work up was good. Heart is strong, with no abnormalities seen on sonogram and stress test. Even had some special scan looking for plaque buildup and came back with a score of 0! Totally good there no plaque at all.

So, back to the neurologist who said he can’t tell me why my arm is numb.

In the mean time I have been experiencing numbness in my right hand, (opposite from the one causing the issues) back of hand and pinky and ring finger. This numbness comes and goes. Sometimes lasting a day then gone. And now the other day part of my face / cheek and chin area was numb.

I have had a full blood work up which has ruled out things like vitamin B deficiency, other deficiencies, Lyme disease, syphilis.. etc. Everything is coming up totally normal except for the white matter lesions.

Neurologist says they can’t tell me why I am numb and have these painful flare-ups, that I will need to live with it. They prescribed a cream and Neurontin that I can take when it flairs up. But that’s it. Everything they came up with has been totally ruled out except MS. But this neurologists says she doesn’t think so, based on my history but can’t rule it out completely.

I don’t even feel that they took a full history to be able to say that.

Can the numbness from MS last this long? Neurologist said if it were MS that it would have come back already. How about the other numbness in the other hand or face? Neurolgist just brushed that off? I have also had a history of numbness in my fingers and toes from time to time. She also was not concerned.

On a side note... I also have horrible memory, it actually scares me sometimes with my short term memory. I have also had some intermittant weird eye pain / redness in one eye that started about 5 years ago. Havent had that in a while tho.

I would just love to figure this out. What are your opinions?

Thank you,

Kim

Welcome to ThisIsMS, Kim.

I will assume that you are sincere in posing your last question, "What are your opinions?". Here is mine. After reading the book, Could It Be B12? An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses by Sally Pacholok, RN, BSN, and Jeffrey Stuart, D.O., I believe that many cases of neurological symptoms begin with a vitamin B12 deficiency. A B12 deficiency can develop in any person at any time.

Since tingling/numbness/even pain is the most common symptom of a vitamin B12 deficiency, I wonder if these tests were done to rule it out in your case (The serum B12 test alone may not be adequate to identify a deficiency.). A B12 deficiency is possible if the following four tests were done with these results (I hope you got your own copy of all test results.):

#1 your serum B12 test level is below 550 pg/mL
#2 your serum folic acid test level is low
#3 your serum homocysteine test level is elevated
#4 your serum or urinary methylmalonic acid test level is elevated

In the CBC testing, if the MCV (mean corpuscular volume) was at the high-end of the standard range, this shows enlarged red cells, which also indicates a possible B12 deficiency.

By the way, lesions are a possible symptom of B12 deficiency also.

I am only encouraging you to have ruled out a B12 deficiency thoroughly. We wish you all the best. We are here to answer your questions as best we can.

Have you checked out your vitamin D level. Not sure what your diet consist of but you should consider eating raw fruits and vegetables which have the vitamins and minerals your body needs. Dr. Bergman has a video which explains treatment for autoimmune disease.



http://ezinearticles.com/?Vitamin-D:-Ho ... id=5402187

Hi LyndaCarol,

thank you for your reply. I went back and checked my Vitamin B test results. They were done twice recently. The last one the Vit B serum was actually alittle high at 1074 (normal 211 - 946) the time before it was 865. My Folic Acid was at 19.9. (Normal > 3.0) I do not believe the other two were ran. In light of the results of the first two being normal or slightly high I think we can rule out Vit B ddeficiency. Oh.. my MCV was 90 (normal 79 - 97).
Thank you for the information. I truly appreciate your response.

=)

Kim

Hi want2bike,

thank you for your reply. We havent checked my Vit D levels. I will ask the doctor to add that next time. =)

thank you7 for the videos as well. Very informative.

Kim

Each persons symptoms can vary as can recovery and recovery time. There are many things you can do yourself to help yourself recover as quickly and as effectively as possible from an attack. Diet, exercise, supplements, lifestyle changes (removing all stresses) and DMDs can all influence MS. There is an abundance of info on this site.

FWIW, I have had a terrible memory all my life (now 55, diagnosed just over a year ago) and after battling through a very tough year, my memory is actually quite good now, amazingly good!

I am very proactive with everything having to do with my health. Aside from DMDs, there is very little the medical field can do for those with MS. There is a saying "If its meant to be, its up to me." Now more than ever I live by this philosophy.

Assume the worst and plan/act accordingly.

Hi, Kim,

Just curious...why does the neurologist say MS is unlikely? What does he/she think is going on?

I have similar issues with my left arm, and my neuro keeps insisting that I don't have MS, even though I have some classic symptoms. I had clear brain and cervical spine MRI's on 3t a few months after symptoms started early last year, but I feel worse now than I did a year ago.

Keep us up to date with what happens...I hope you don't have MS and that you find healing very soon.

Best,

Michele

Elliot,

Thank you for getting back to me. I absolutely love your quote!!

What are your symptoms? Have you had any symptoms that have lasted longer than 6 months?

Thanks again!

Kim

Michelle,

I am not sure why the neurologist is saying that. She has said, based on your history, it is unlikely. I don't feel like she ever got a full history to be able to say that at all. After my appointments I have read up on symptoms of MS and I feel like I actually have a few of them. They are all things I have just learned to live with. I also have incontinence and dizzy spells which are questions they never asked nor did I think to tell them. They didn't seem related to my arm.

She also said that based on the fact that my numbness is still present 6 months later that it makes it less likely it is MS. She says my symptoms should have gotten better by now. Anyone else have long lasting numbness?

She has said that she has no explanations for me, and has no recommendations about what I can do to help alleviate my symptoms. Just give it more time. It is now going on 7 months.

I am not looking to be diagnosed with MS... I just want to know what is going on. The docs put MS on the table along with other possibilities. The rest of the possibilities have all been ruled out after extensive testing. MS is the only thing left on the table. I don't like that they can't tell me anything and say that I just need to live with it at this point.

Sigh....

That is the same thing my doctor told me when I was experiencing symptoms of MS. It was just old age and I had to learn to live with it. It was a lie. My solution was a detoxification program I followed. You are sick because you have too many toxins in your body. Detoxification is a quick was of getting the toxins out of the body. We are suppose to be healthy and the only reason we are sick because we have bad things in our bodies. If you want to be well again you have to get them out.

want2bike wrote:That is the same thing my doctor told me when I was experiencing symptoms of MS. It was just old age and I had to learn to live with it. It was a lie. My solution was a detoxification program I followed. You are sick because you have too many toxins in your body. Detoxification is a quick was of getting the toxins out of the body. We are suppose to be healthy and the only reason we are sick because we have bad things in our bodies. If you want to be well again you have to get them out.

It's great that detox worked for you. However, did you examine this person, review their blood work, etc? How can you definitively say why they are sick?

Disease is caused by toxins in the body. If there is a better reason we have disease I haven't heard it. Toxins can be heavy metals, viruses, bacteria, pesticides, herbicides, fluoride, drugs................etc. When the doctor tell you their is no treatment and you have to learn to live with it, it is time to find another way. The way I found was detoxification. I do not believe we need to learn to live with disease just because a doctor tell us to. After the doctors have run all the test and tells you there is no hope, find another way.

http://www.howtoxicareyou.com/toxins_disease.html

Want2bike, have you cured yourself of whatever you have following the various suggestions you give?

kimraff, I had many of the classic symptoms such as brain fog for a short period of time, concentration issues, coordination issues affecting my left arm and left leg, sensitivity to heat (and to a lesser extent cold) and balance issues to name a few. Most of the symptoms have gone into remission. I still have some minor balance problems and a couple of other minor issues, but overall I am doing quite well and I am happy with my progress. My first attack was about 1 1/2 years ago. I am fortunate compared to many. But I do work very hard for my health, exercising hours daily and eat a very strict and calculated diet and take a lot of supplements.

I hope you are doing better very soon!

I consider myself cured. All the symptoms I had are gone.