Getting older while I wait for diagnosis

[kally]

Well folks this is me. I am a 56 year old woman who really has never had symptoms until late August. I got the tingly hand, then the electrified arm, then the electrified arm and leg. Mostly I had this happen every 2 days. Got l'hermittes too.

Very stressful, big meltdown, now I am calm again. I have very few symptoms now and I seem to be doing all right.

MRI showed a lesion in my spine. So now I wait to go the MS clinic. I don't have a diagnosis. I have one symptom and today I am fine.

I have none of the fatigue or eye problems others talk about.

So I just jumped in and started the Swank diet, what could it hurt? I am a newbie at everything and always welcome advice.

I talked briefly with an MS doctor and she said 3 things seemed good to her:
1) my age
2) single symptom
3) my willingness to change my diet

So I am hopeful. Thanks for llistening

[DougL]

Welcome Kally

[kally]

Thanks, I would welcome any tips or advice from anyone here.

[mrbarlow]

Thanks, I would welcome any tips or advice from anyone here.

If you are not doing it already get plenty of vitamin D and omega 3. Putting aside MS issue Vitamin D will ward off osteoporosis and Omega 3 slow down brain decline.

[kally]

I am taking flax oil for omega 3. Is that right? And I have started vitamin D, but I am not sure how much. Something I was taking was giving me a headache, so I held off on the Vitamin D and the B complex I was taking.

I will re-introduce the Vitamin D soon.

[jimmylegs]

flax oil is great. fish oil is even better in terms of long chain fatty acids like EPA and DHA.

magnesium depletion due to imbalanced d3 supplementation could possibly result in a headache.

when i take vitamin d3 in high doses i find it drains my system's magnesium levels, among other things, with noticeable symptoms resulting - unless i significantly increase my mineral supplement intake, to compensate.

a multi-mineral with calcium, magnesium and zinc should be a must-have for anyone supplementing vitamin d3.

hope that helps!

[FLJhawk]

Hi, Kally,

I am similar to you (but male) at age 56. Started getting some numbness in the wrists a bit over a year ago (even spoke to a friend who is a neuro and he just told me to lay off the Coke Zero!) then got weakness/pain/tingly numbness in the legs and arms last summer and, in September when I checked into the ER for some faintness and tingling in my chest area, an MRI showed fogginess that could be MS. My neuro, after seeing the MRI, finally believed that something was wrong! When the symptoms started getting worse in December he finally prescribed the Solumedrol infusions and got me started on Beta.

I got better in mid January, but just now seem to be dropping back down to where I was, possibly progressing again. Don't know - this thing varies day by day and hour to hour. I have been upping my Beta dosage and that, plus coming out of a recent Solumedrol treatment, might be causing some of the symptoms I have. Part of the fun of MS!

Good idea to look at your diet and start doing what you can be doing now. Come to think of it, the last two weeks I kind of reverted back to some junkish food and gluten products, so maybe that has something to do with my not feeling so good? We can't really know, but I guess I need to watch things more carefully.

I am wondering why your doc said your age is an advantage. I have read that, at least for males who get this at a later age, we tend to catch up fast with those who get it younger, and tend to be more progressive. Don't know how true that is.

Sorry to see any new members here, but there is a lot of good info here to help.

[kally]

well it wasn't my dr. but the woman I phoned at the MS clinic. I think she was a doctor. I guess she meant that I hadn't had to suffer all the years as if I had it younger. Anyhow I have so few other symptoms, just this one. I am not fatigued, my eyes are fine and so on. So when the electric arm goes away I feel completely normal.

Ah well, a long voyage with no map is what it seems like. But at least it is a comfort to be able to come here to talk.

[icecube2]

Hi!

A problem with the cervical spine (neck) can affect your arm. Also I had l'hermittes but after having my Atlas (top bone of the spine between your head and body) I no longer have it.

Go to Chiropractors board, at the very end of Treatment section, I think there is one posting re neck and arm pain on there.

Also another option open to you is to ask Uprightdoc under ccsvi/ccsvb in ccsvi section, he is a qualified Chiropractor and will answer any query that you might have ok, he doesnt bite and is very approachable yeah!

Fiona

[kally]

could the atlas thing be good even if my leg is involved in the electric circuitry.