Hello from Florida

straysod13 · Newbie Joined: Dec 16, 2007 Posts: 1 Location: Florida

I am a 32 year old female and have been reading posts on this site for over a year now, but never felt the need to become a member thinking that I would surpass diagnosis (since I have been having symptoms on and off for 4 years). I feel I am getting close to a diagnosis of something, and based on my DR's opinion, I won't be surprised to hear it is MS.

HISTORY:
5-6-03: Woke up with both legs numb from hip to shin. At first I thought it was effect of a cinco de mayo hangover, as I cebrated heavy the night before. It did not go away, my primary doctor suggested my pants were to too tight, even though I was wearing painter's overalls. Hmmmm.
It didn't go away, but instead numbness migrated througout all parts of my body. My hips began to ache severely, and for several days I had to "drag" my right leg with me when I walked. My muscles would spasm for days on end. I had about 8-10 UTI's per year, and severe issues with constipation developed. I would get random floaters in my eyes and halos in my vision. I had MRI's of my brain and entire spine which yielded nothing to suggest MS. Had a lumbar puncture which showed 1 oligoclonal band, but my docter reports it as inconclusive. Blood levels showed elevated ACE levels, but repeat test did not.

**Break - The women in my family have a high prevalence of auto-immune disorders. Hashimoto's Hypothyroidism (MOM), MS and Fibro (COUSIN), RA (Sister), Sarcoidosis (AUNT), Pulmonary Fibrosis (GRANDMOTHER).**

My torso from navel to bra line was numb front to back for nearly 3 months. I suffered from unbearable fatigue. My symptoms went away one month after I found out I was pregnant with my daughter, 5 months after onset of symptoms. I was 100% symptom free when I was pregnant, and never felt better.
I dscontinued seeing my neurologist.

May 31 2004 I had my daughter (my love). Had 2 UTI's back to back shortly after I gave birth to her. Remained fairly symptom free until April of next year. Got viral menengits, pneomonia and kidney infection all at once, hospitalized for a week. That summer remained nauseated all the time. Checked my heart, everything was fine, presribed phenergan. Remained symptom free until June of 2006 where I had severe pain in my wrists for 3 weeks that radiated up to my neck, unbearable pain and fatigue returned. Went away just as fast. Happened again in November, and got walking pneumonia (I have asthma). Begin having night sweats...drenching-change-your-clothes night sweats. I still suffer from those about 1-4 times a month, but was happening 2-3 times a week. May of 2007 go to new internist for burning senstations in my thights and severe toe and foot cramps. Fatigue returns an random pins and needles. Doc puts me on cymbalta for nerve pain issues and fatigue. Helped for a month...came back with a vengeance. ( I am tapering off cymbalta right now). In May I started leaking urine and quickly discovered what incontinence was. That lasted for a couple of months and rarely happens now. Sept 06, started getting hot wet burning feelings in the back of my right calf. Happened for 3-5 seconds roughly30-40 times a day for 2 weeks. It has now spread (with less freguency to my left hip and left side of my face. Sept. 07 vision went completed blurred while driving for about 5-10 seconds. Sept. 29, woke up with numb painful toes, have yet to regain feeling. Pain in hips again. Pain in knee and hip which cause me to walk with a limp. My fatigue is unbearable.
My Branin, t-spine and L-spine mri's were repeated with no change. My neurologist suggested that my shoes were too tight and he was at the end of the road. I fired him.
Saw new neurologist last week. He suspects MS with a differential of vasculitis, Lupus, RA of sarcoidosis. Repeating C-spine this week and lumbar puncture. He was concerned about the oligoclonal bands. Is one band indicative of progression to MS??? He has put me on amantadine. Does that help? I start taking it tomorrow.
What does everybody think? ANY advice would be aso appreciated.
Sorry it was so long.

Lyon · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 9:16 pm Post subject:

I'm only competent to say welcome to the site, but welcome to the site!

TwistedHelix · Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:06 am Post subject:

Hello straysod, and welcome to the site. That's a long and confusing list of symptoms, but I'm not medically qualified and it would certainly be wrong of me to try and offer any kind of diagnosis, prognosis, or medical advice based on a written description, however comprehensive.
All I can say is that I think a single oligoclonal band is considered inconclusive – it may even be normal – and two or more bands are usually needed in the CSF and NOT in the serum to confirm that IgG is being synthesised in the central nervous system.
This page gives the results of a recent trial on this subject:
ShortURL

As for amantadine, I take it because it helps with fatigue in a proportion of people with MS, and it certainly helps me. It also has antiviral properties and you certainly seem prone to infections, although of course I don't know which were bacterial or viral in origin. Give it plenty of time to work.
As for your medics, well, they certainly seem to be obsessed with the tightness of your clothes… Are you sure you didn't wander into a fetish club by mistake?
_________________
Dom