Do my symptoms indicate MS?
Hello everyone! I've been having a variety of symptoms for the past 6 weeks and was wondering if they are indicative of MS.
It all started with really bad fatigue and chest tightness and pain on my sternum. (My heart has been cleared by a cardiologist since)
Then I started having restless legs at night that began continuing into the day. I had a deep aching pressure sort of pain around my lower leg that would shoot into the bottom of my foot. This pain comes and goes.
Then I began to have off and on shooting pains in my lower arms/hands and and feet. Mostly on my left side. This progressed into a tingling pins and needles feeling in my left hand. Also my fingertips will occasionally have a warm sensation. Last night I began having a tremor in my left hand and I had less grip strength in my left hand when I was lifting weights at the gym. All of these symptoms seem to come and go and vary in intensity throughout the day.
I've also noticed that my eyes go out of focus a lot. It's not like I can't focus them but I notice when I'm watching something or reading all of a sudden my eyes will be out of focus and I'm just staring off into space.
I've also over the years noticed that my ability to focus and concentrate has decreased. I also had a time period where I was having urinary urge incontinence and peed about every 30 minutes if I was drinking enough water. If I couldn't get to a bathroom right away I would pee myself. I drink a lot less water now because I was sick of peeing my pants, so I don't notice this as much. But every once in a while I'll all of sudden need to pee and within 5 minutes I feel like I'm going to pee myself.
Lastly, I get intermittent twinges if pain in my ears (mostly left side).
My neurologist told me there is minimal likelihood of MS because I don't have significant weakness and my symptoms are mostly unilateral.
Does this sound like MS to any of you? Has anyone had similar symptoms?? I really appreciate the help!
Hi
. While many of those symptoms are shared by people with MS, there are also several other health conditions that mimic MS, like Lyme disease and Lupus. So it is important to talk to your doctor about all of these symptoms. You might want to write them down first or keep a journal to make the appointment more productive. Most doctors will run a few tests first to rule out other health conditions. If all those test come back negative, your doctor might order and MRI of your brain, and then refer you to a neurologist. Here is an article about health conditions that mimic MS: https://multiplesclerosis.net/diagnosis/ruling-out-other-health-conditions. Here is an article about the diagnostic process for MS: https://multiplesclerosis.net/diagnosis. I hope it turns out to be something other than MS, something that is more manageable or curable, but if it is MS, know that we are here for you whenever you need support or a place to vent. I hope this all helps. Keep us posted about your journey if you feel comfortable doing so. I will be thinking of you. - Lori Team Member) thank you so much for your help! I definitely think writing out my symptoms will help create a clearer picture for my doctors! So far all my bloodwork has come back normal including an AMA test which I think is usually elevated in Lupus. I havnt been tested for lyme yet though! You are very welcome,
. I hope you get some answers and some relief soon. Warmly, Lori (Team Member)
