Input on Unusual Symptoms

[Abbeelane]

Hi Everyone,

I am a newbie here and this is my very first post (sorry in advance for the length), so let me start off by telling you that I am a 41 year old female. I had mono when I was 10 and was out of school for six weeks. I also contracted the chicken pox at the age of 21 and again was very sick for six weeks. I believe that really knocked my immune system down more than a few pegs. Since then I have exhibited several neurological signs of MS but have yet to seek professional help. There have been many reasons for this, some excuses more valid that others; however, I have recently been subjected to one symptom that may now force me to face these issues head on. My ophthalmologist scheduled my first MRI of the brain this last Wednesday after I complained of suffering with diplopia since April. I thought it was likely a side effect of a new sleeping medication I started taking around that time. The doctor didn't seem so sure. I should get the results on Friday.

I have done quite a bit of research on MS just to learn what I can (especially when it comes to the symptoms). My problem is that I have most of the main symptoms you can find on the internet, but I also noticed a few other strange neurological things that I can find very little about. I am hoping some of you here can tell me if you have experienced these things too:


1. One of the absolute worst, debilitating, and mortifying issues I deal with is my poor handwriting. It used to flow smoothly and appear appealing to the eye. It is now awful. Downright horrendous. It looks like the scribble of a two year old. I have essential tremors in my hands, but this isn't just shaky handwriting, it's very jerky. It's like I've totally lost control of how to guide a pen. I've tried angling and holding the pen differently but nothing helps. Now, in order to write legibly I must write very slow, hover my face over the paper, and keep my elbow on the writing surface. It's very labor intensive and becomes painful in my hand and arm after a very short time and I frequently end up dropping the pen as it simply flips out of my fingers. It's humiliating all the way around.

2. Episodes of buzzing sensations perfectly akin to that of a cell phone vibrating. In fact, my automatic response is to reach for that area looking for my phone. This happens all over my body-- soles of feet, torso, butt, extremities, and scalp. I haven't experienced this in about a year, but during the episodes the buzzing would happen many times a day.

3. (This one is more for the women, I guess) When walking down a set of stairs in high heels I can't just place my foot flat on the next step below. I have to kick my foot out before placing it where it should be. This slows me down quite a bit so I will avoid walking down any stairs when I can. The only people I have ever seen do this are women wearing long, flowy gowns who need to kick out the hem to ensure they don't trip over the front of the gown.

4. Fear of escalators. Hate, hate, hate them! Regardless of whether it's long or short, once I get near the end I get extremely unsteady and feel like I'm going to fall backwards (both going up as well as down). My friends think I'm nuts for this!

5. I also get sensations of a magnetic pull in my toes that feels like it's pulling them out and away from my body. I can actually feel this a little in the balls of my feet as well, but it's mostly concentrated in the toes. It can be just one toe or all of them. A lot of times I feel like my big toe is trying to separate from the others and the sensation originates in a callous under the big toe.

6. An extreme sensation on my toes only at night (usually starts when I am in bed). It's almost hard for me to describe this sensation. It's so extreme I can't tell if they feel frozen to the point of pain or if they are burning like they're on fire. They don't feel particularly hot or cold to the touch, but at that point it's so painful that even a silky sheet brushing over them causes much pain and will keep me awake.

7. A feeling of tight rubber bands wrapped around my legs just underneath the knees. My lower legs then become very tingly and my feet sometimes appear swollen too. Also, I've experienced something similar on my arms, but the bands are not as tight.

8. Parts of my body feel like they are in motion when they remain perfectly still. Not sure how to elaborate further on this one. But, it can certainly be an unsettling feeling.

9. Whenever I have the urge to curl my toes, such as when getting a full pedicure, my toes will curl down normally on my right foot but the ones on my left foot will will reach upward and spread. My left foot will do the complete opposite of the right. It's all so weird.


Well, those are the ones I can come up with for now. I'm sure I will think of a few more the minute I hit the submit button. If anyone has experienced these or any other strange/odd occurrences or sensations, I would really be interested in hearing about them and if they have found any ways of easing the discomfort.

Also, any advice anyone might have for me as I begin my search for a diagnosis would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you all for your time!

Abbeelane

[NHE]

Hi Abbeelane,
Welcome to ThisIsMS.

My ophthalmologist scheduled my first MRI of the brain this last Wednesday after I complained of suffering with diplopia since April. I thought it was likely a side effect of a new sleeping medication I started taking around that time. The doctor didn't seem so sure. I should get the results on Friday.

Have you tried stopping the sleeping pills to see if that helps? With regards to the MRI, you should ask the facility where you had the imaging done for a copy of the MRI on a CD as well as a copy of the radiologist's report. By doing so, you will always have a copy on hand for your own records. This is very helpful if you go to a new doctor or if some time, e.g., several years, has gone by and your original scan is no longer available. Also, with my last MRI, the neurologist never looked at the images and relied solely on the radiologist's report. Being able to review the images myself, or have them available for a different doctor, has been very helpful.

2. Episodes of buzzing sensations perfectly akin to that of a cell phone vibrating. In fact, my automatic response is to reach for that area looking for my phone. This happens all over my body-- soles of feet, torso, butt, extremities, and scalp. I haven't experienced this in about a year, but during the episodes the buzzing would happen many times a day.

Buzzing sensations sound consistent with peripheral neuropathy which can have many causes. You may wish to read another member's recent post discussing peripheral neuropathy.

http://www.thisisms.com/forum/undiagnos ... ml#p236071

9. Whenever I have the urge to curl my toes, such as when getting a full pedicure, my toes will curl down normally on my right foot but the ones on my left foot will will reach upward and spread. My left foot will do the complete opposite of the right. It's all so weird.

That sounds quite a bit like a Babinski Reflex.

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/enc ... 003294.htm

NHE

[Scott1]

Hi,

I can empathise with a number of those issues. The symptoms can be very annoying but at this stage I think I would want to know about the infections that may be influencing your symptoms. In particular the mono.
Can you arrange a uric acid test? Its a simple blood test. If your level is below the labs expected range then there are few things to do. I would also get a fasting amino acid test and look, in particular, at which readings are lower than the expected range.
If you can, also get tested mycoplasma and chlamydia infections. They can be treated but you need to be tested first.
Others might suggest a range of tests for other deficiencies but the ones I have suggested will indicate what you may have address as chronic infections.
Regards