Abdominal weakness and fatigue...anyone else?

[momofseven]

Good early morning, folks! As I am about to have lumbar puncture in ten days (lesions already discovered on brain scan) I have been thinking about how a diagnosis could tie up all the loose ends of my health picture from the last 15 years or so. So I'v/e been posting some questions about random symptoms to see if they could be related to undiagnosed MS all this time. For instance, two years ago I was having the worst pain/sensation in my torso and abdomen. Because I've given birth to seven children, it was natural to just assume that my back is messed up because of that. I was given two MRIs which turned up some scraps of degenerative discs, disc herniations, etc, but nothing to really correlate with my symptoms. I remember my frustration and trying to describe my problem: it was like WEAKNESS in my back and abdomen, not really pain. And with just five minutes of activity, I became SO fatigued that I had to lie down for an hour or more. I also started with sensations of pins and needles across my abdomen...it was like my stomach was falling asleep! Very strange sensation. Eventually my doctor put me on Cymbalta for depression, but all the above symptoms almost totally left within hours of beginning the meds, even though I had had the symptoms for about a year. HAS ANYONE ELSE EXPERIENCED ANY OR ALL OF THESE THINGS WITH MS???

Pam

[lyndacarol]

Pam (momofseven), as I responded to your March posting (http://www.thisisms.com/forum/general-d ... ml#p233022), you have symptoms consistent with many conditions that need to be investigated and ruled out before the MS diagnosis can be given. MS is a diagnosis of exclusion.

I hope your doctor has screened for all the possibilities on the list suggested by the University of Chicago, starting with thorough B12 screening. By the way, the fluid taken in a lumbar puncture can be tested for the B12 level.

[momofseven]

Lyndacarol, I do understand about the overlap of symptoms and of course, through all of this my neuro has ruled out most other diagnoses. B-12 was among the first thing he looked for. I am pretty new to facing the reality that I might actually have MS, since for about twelve years I've had so many symptoms yet never put two and two together. Even I began to wonder if I was a hypochondriac because everything was all just so random, yet life altering and bewildering. It took a girlfriend finally suggesting I look into MS when I told her about my pervasive numbness of my toes. I'm hoping for a definitive answer next week after my lumbar puncture.
Good evening!

[NHE]

I'm hoping for a definitive answer next week after my lumbar puncture.

Spinal taps results are not definitive for MS. The presence of oligoclonal bands in the CSF is indicative of inflammation in the CNS. It's evidence consistent with an MS diagnosis adding another piece to the puzzle. However, it doesn't in itself exclude other conditions.

By the way, when your doctor suggests that you stay lying down after the spinal tap, follow their advice. I didn't. I got a spinal tap headache that prohibited me from standing up for more than 4 or 5 minutes at a time. This lasted for a week until I went back to the doctor for a blood patch. The headache is no fun at all. Please see the following post which has links to research papers discussing the needle bevel orientation which, when parallel with the fibers of the dura, minimizes damage and thereby reduces the risk of the post-tap headache.

http://www.thisisms.com/forum/general-d ... ml#p196861