This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

amyjocaruso wrote:Hello. I have MS. I have lost 15 pounds in the past year, have been tested for "everything" under the sun. They have found I have protein deficiencies. I have a very good appetite. I have always been a small-framed person, tiny as a child, largest size I have ever worn as a woman (after having children) is a size 4. I wear a size 1 to size 2 now and do not like it at all. I would like some suggestions, advice, comments from anyone. My neurologist has such a bad bedside manner.

Welcome to ThisIsMS, amyjo.

I assume that the list of "everything" tested included a fasting blood insulin test? Insulin is necessary for the human body to put on weight (muscle or fat).

I hope that testing for a possible vitamin B12 deficiency was also done. (Even if the serum B12 test, the serum folic acid test, the serum homocysteine test, and the urinary methylmalonic acid test did not indicate a deficiency, there can still be a functional deficiency in the tissues.)

Since you have protein deficiencies, is it possible that you have a gluten sensitivity? A gluten sensitivity can develop at any age; it can damage the intestines and interfere with nutrient absorption (this is not necessarily accompanied by "typical" GI symptoms) – so you may be eating enough, without absorbing enough.

These are the starting guidelines for testing from the University of Chicago:

http://peripheralneuropathycenter.uchic ... #bloodtest

Blood tests

Blood tests are commonly employed to check for vitamin deficiencies, toxic elements and evidence of an abnormal immune response.

Depending on your individual situation, your doctor may request certain laboratory tests to identify potentially treatable causes for neuropathy. These include tests for:
Vitamin B12 and folate levels
Thyroid, liver and kidney functions
Vasculitis evaluation
Oral glucose tolerance test
Antibodies to nerve components (e.g., anti-MAG antibody)
Antibodies related to celiac disease
Lyme disease
HIV/AIDS
Hepatitis C and B

All the best to you.

hi amyjo, have any of the docs run a serum zinc test or for any of the other nutrients commonly found to be low normal in ms patients? vit b12 and vit d3 are pretty mainstream so you are most likely to have had those run, but it would be good to look at a few other essential nutrient levels.

if any nutrient tests have been run, do you have a copy of results? when tests come back 'normal', many docs don't realize the significance of high vs low normal levels. ms patients tend to be low normal for an array of essential nutrients, while healthy controls have high normal levels.

a closer look at one relevant piece of the essential nutrient puzzle:

Clinical, endocrinological and biochemical effects of zinc deficiency (Prasad, 1985)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3905080.
Abstract
"The essentiality of zinc for humans was recognized in the early 1960s. The causes of zinc deficiency include malnutrition [jl: which can also be an effect of zinc deficiency, creating a positive feedback loop], alcoholism, malabsorption, extensive burns, chronic debilitating disorders, chronic renal disease, certain diuretics, the use of chelating agents such as penicillamine for Wilson's disease, and genetic disorders such as acrodermatitis enteropathica and sickle cell disease. The requirement of zinc is increased in pregnancy and during the growing age period. The clinical manifestations in severe cases of zinc deficiency included bullous-pustular dermatitis, alopecia, diarrhoea, emotional disorder, weight loss, intercurrent infections, hypogonadism in males and it is fatal if untreated. A moderate deficiency of zinc is characterized by growth retardation and delayed puberty in adolescents, hypogonadism in males, rough skin, poor appetite, mental lethargy, delayed wound healing, taste abnormalities and abnormal dark adaptation. In mild cases of zinc deficiency in human subjects, we have observed oligospermia, slight weight loss and hyperammonaemia. Zinc is a growth factor. As a result of its deficiency, growth is affected adversely in many animal species and in man. Inasmuch as zinc is needed for protein and DNA synthesis and cell division, it is believed that the growth effect of zinc is related to its effect on protein synthesis. Testicular functions are affected adversely as a result of zinc deficiency in both humans and experimental animals. This effect of zinc is at the end organ level and the hypothalamic--pituitary axis is intact in zinc-deficient subjects. Inasmuch as zinc is intimately involved in a cell division, its deficiency may adversely affect testicular size and thus its function. In mice, the incidence of degenerate oocytes, and hypohaploidy and hyperhaploidy in metaphase II oocytes were increased due to zinc deficiency. Zinc at physiological concentrations reduced prolactin secretion from the pituitary in vitro and it has been suggested that this trace element may have a role in the in vivo regulation of prolactin release. Thymopoietin, a hormone needed for T-cell maturation, has also been shown to be zinc dependent. It is clear that zinc may have several roles in biochemical and hormonal functions of various endocrine organs. Future research in this area is very much needed."

re the author: Dr. Prasad recognized by Congress for zinc studies
http://prognosis.med.wayne.edu/article/ ... nc-studies

Hello, this is Amy Jo. The Family Editor and Jimmy Logo, responded to my weight loss question. I will be going to the hospital tomorrow as I feel I am in a relapse now (severe weakness, tingling, pain in right arm, loss of control in my right arm and right leg). I am typing this with my left hand! This woke me up in the middle of the night. I have been under heavy stress. I am hoping it will be better tomorrow. I'm allergic anaphylactically, to interferons, and am scared.

that's lyndacarol and jimmylegs sorry to hear you're feeling poorly atm amyjo. i hope you will be able to have the docs run a serum zinc test for you, while you are in the hospital! hope you are better soon.