super scared please help ALS/MS......

[salsajas1]

I'll try not to post alot but my anxiety is at all time high...just left hospital after spending two days...with chest tightness and mild shortness of breath. They thought heart related did cath nothing.. I have also noticed slight muscle twitching on right calf, right hamstring and left hamstring, slight numbness or riggt calf comes and goes,facial itching at night especially around nose, now I have lump sensation on throat again like something is stuck....I find myself clearing my throat alot. My vision is blurry at times and eyes feels pressurre, I also feel slight numbness around outside of eyes closed to cheekbones, extreme fatigue, trouble sleeping, left hand slightly weaker than right ....I find my hands go numb if I rest my elbows on anything, get that ant tingly feeling. I get pain on outside of left elbow and radiates to hand making it hard to pick up heavy things because I'll get pain. Headaches alot, slight confusion at times, and short term memory loss, anxiety and depression due to undiagnosed....I can also hear my heart beating in ears.joint and muscle pains on most joints come and go...wrists, knees......bones feel tender.....maybe not related but alot of gas.. no trouble walking...can walk on tiptoes toes and heels painful but can do it fine. Please forward last time I need several experts to weigh in on this. I have no insurance using VA so worried...primary symptoms that started 2 1/2 plus years ago was joint pain, headaches, and fatigue.... they have done 2 mris good, spinal tap clean, emg (good) last year on hands, legs, and feet good just minor desensitization on toes, and countless of blood tests nothing. Please put this to rest ......

[lyndacarol]

I have no insurance using VA so worried...primary symptoms that started 2 1/2 plus years ago was joint pain, headaches, and fatigue.... they have done 2 mris good, spinal tap clean, emg (good) last year on hands, legs, and feet good just minor desensitization on toes, and countless of blood tests nothing. Please put this to rest ......

Welcome to ThisIsMS, salsajas1.

Your symptoms are consistent with many conditions. In my opinion (I have no medical background), since vitamin D deficiency is so widespread (up to 63% of the population worldwide is vitamin D deficient), I think this is the first of many likely conditions that need to be tested. (The MS diagnosis can only be considered after the others have been ruled out.)

Your GP (or any doctor, even at the VA) can order the vitamin D test (the "25-hydroxyvitamin D test"). It is relatively inexpensive (approximately $50-$70) – a WHOLE lot less expensive than even ONE MRI. It is not usually done routinely and must be specifically requested.

If this test was included in your "countless of blood tests," please share your actual test result numbers with us. (It is a good idea to request your own copy of any test results – it is useful to have the actual number results.)

If this test has NOT been done, request one of your doctors to order it for you. (By the way, do not take vitamin D supplements before testing – doing so will skew the results.)

Vitamin D is used in every cell in the body; it affects every system in the body, even the neurological system, cardiovascular, the muscles – everything. A Vit D deficiency may be the cause of all your symptoms; on the other hand, it may not be the cause – but it should be investigated.

[salsajas1]

Vitamin d was good please help does this sound like ALS OR MS?

[lyndacarol]

Vitamin d was good please help does this sound like ALS OR MS?

In my opinion, I think the odds are against having either ALS or MS. Cases of ALS or MS are simply not as prevalent as vitamin deficiency.

In a lecture by Dr. Michael Holick (a world-renowned expert in vitamin D) in 2013 at Boston University, he stated that 77% of the US population is deficient in vitamin D; worldwide, up to 63% were deficient or insufficient.

You say that your vitamin D level was good… A vitamin D level of 80-100 ng/mL is often recommended by neurologists for people who have neurological symptoms. Most Americans have levels below 40 ng/mL. Compare your serum level to these.

[NHE]

Welcome to ThisIsMS Salsajas1,
Have you been tested for a vitamin B12 deficiency yet? A deficiency can cause both cardiovascular and neurological symptoms. A complete test inludes B12, red blood cell (RBC) folate, homocysteine and methylmalonic acid (MMA). Homocysteine and MMA are two metabolites of the B12 pathway that can be elevated if your body is not processing B12 well. Homocysteine is a cardiotoxic amino acid when present in high levels that is associated with high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, stroke and heart attack. As you're experiencing neurological symptoms, you'll want your B12 level to be between 600-1000 pg/mL. Homocysteine should be between 4-12 µmol/L. Please see the following discussion topic for more information, http://www.thisisms.com/forum/natural-a ... 24857.html

NHE