Do these symptoms add up to MS? Doctor says no...

[Kingme]

I have a friend who has not been diagnosed with MS but she is worried that she might have it.

She is 40 and caucasian. She first noticed symptoms about three years ago when she was pregnant.

She would suddenly get very quickly passing vertigo-like symptoms… especially is she stood up quickly or again for no reason at all.

That comes and goes still to this day. All of the symptoms below are reoccurring randomly.

Then, about two years ago her “big” toe on her left foot started feeling numb. She tried some B12 (the Internet told her to do it) and it improved but didn’t cure it.

Last year she also had weird sensations in her mouth. At first she said it was like she burned her tongue… then over the next week or so the sensation spread to the back of the mouth and part of the throat. That eventually went away. But it just came back this past week.

And now she also feels pressure in parts of her head and feels “spacey” (she can’t describe the sensation). The other day she felt “drunk” even though she didn’t drink.

She’s also been tired (but she has kids too). She’s been sneaking in naps hoping that it whatever she has would pass but it doesn’t help.

Lastly, every day is not the same. Sometimes she’s 90/100 other days 40/100.

Dizziness, tingling/numbness in extremities, burning of the tongue, tiredness, foggy/spacey feeling, pressure in the head…

She has been to a doc for all these but I don’t think he is a very good doctor.

Could she have MS?

[want2bike]

If see is having problems concerning the mouth she should consider her dental history. If she has amalgams(mercury) and root canals in her mouth that could explain it. She should consider what she was doing prior to the symptoms occurring. Did she have some dental work or a vaccination. If she wants to take steps toward healing Dr. Bergman gives a way to address autoimmune disease.

http://www.flcv.com/periodon.html

[Kingme]

She does not have any amalgams or root canals.

[ElliotB]

What kind of doctors has she seen and what kinds of testing has she had done? Why are the doctors saying it is not MS? Are they thinking it is something else? If so, what?

[euphoniaa]

I have a friend who has not been diagnosed with MS but she is worried that she might have it.

Dizziness, tingling/numbness in extremities, burning of the tongue, tiredness, foggy/spacey feeling, pressure in the head…

She has been to a doc for all these but I don’t think he is a very good doctor.

Could she have MS?

Hi Kingme, and welcome! It sounds like your friend has plenty of issues that deserve further investigation, and some sound like they may be neurological. However, 1) MS symptoms are basically unique to the individual, and 2) pretty much all neurological diseases or conditions share many of the same symptoms.

When a person has random, sometimes vague symptoms that come & go like she does, she really needs a good doctor to follow up. Symptoms alone should NOT be used to make a diagnosis, however, but should only lead to further observation & testing.

If her GP doesn't listen, she may want to try another general doctor or other specialist who will listen. I was diagnosed with both MS & a hereditary peripheral neuropathy (which explains all of MY numbness & tingling) by a physiatrist (rehab doctor). Others had eye specialists who diagnosed them from optic neuritis, etc.

There's a lot of good info & advice here (plus some pretty wild crap...it's the internet, after all), so please wander around the site, read, & feel free to ask questions. Good luck!

P.S. Heads up: I should note that I, as well as many others here, do NOT share want2bike's conspiracy theories and general attitude against the entire medical profession. Yikes!

[Kingme]

Thanks for your feedback.

Until I visited this site yesterday I had no idea how varying MS symptoms could be or how hard it is to detect. I always assumed there was a blood test or DNA examination or SOMETHING that made it an easy diagnosis.

She is going to an ENT doctor today to see what he says about her vertigo.

Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't have a chemical imbalance or something strange like an allergy to gluten.