Multiple Sclerosis Forum - Multiple Sclerosis And My Symptoms

Should I seek medical help to determine if I have ms?

I am 52, female with symptoms starting when I was about 40-42. Should I contact a specialist to rule out or in ms? The following is my brief history.

Starting ten years ago, I have periodically suffered from the sensation of a knife being stabbed in my upper left harm muscle/bone area; burning pain (arm, leg/knee) aching, throbbing, periodic shooting, tingling, tightness and numbness. All problems are on the left side of my body.

Swallowing problems: certain foods will trigger a very painful reaction in my esophagus where the food becomes stuck and will not go down. Sometimes, at night while trying to sleep, I can’t swallow which causes a panic for a few seconds. The problems are all on the left side which I first noticed 10 years ago with the sudden onset of a knife-like pain in my upper left arm. Doctors gave me pain pills to try, but never mentioned ms nor tested for it. I have flare up times. Can’t sleep when pain goes from neck to lower leg/arm—no comfortable position can be found to alleviate the pain but I do use ice packs which feel very good.

Thank you,

dianeb

Replies(5)

oopoopoop

replied on January 13th, 2005

Extremely eHealthy

What you describe doesn't sound like "classic" ms symptoms -- although the disease manifests itself in so many ways, it's difficult to say. But if it has been more or less the same over 10 years, it probably is something else, perhaps some other neurological thing.

DianeB

replied on January 13th, 2005

New User

Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis symptoms: I went through my medical records and found the first symptom was when I was 30 or so. My left eye would become blurry for a few minutes, twitch, and have severe pain. This lasted about an hour each episode. It was soon after that I felt sudden pain in my left leg that felt electrical in nature. I also jerk suddenly when I am sleeping and it wakes me up. I have reviewed my medical files more thoroughly, and the symptoms seem to have included 1978 - current date.

Thank you,

dianeb

oopoopoop

replied on January 13th, 2005

Extremely eHealthy

If you have had sporadic symptoms of the same kind that come and go for 26 years, it doesn't sound really like ms. As I said, it could be you have some kind of neurological problem, other than ms. The vision disturbances you describe are not really what one would expect: optic neuritis, which involves blurring and loss of colour vision, and often pain, would normally continue for a number of days, and then take 3 to 6 months for the vision to return to normal, if it does at all. Ms symptoms do not usually come and go again within an hour.

If your symptoms do just keep coming and going, there is absolutely no benefit to being diagnosed with ms anyway. It is not something that can be cured. The medications that are prescribed only try to reduce the number or severity of attacks, and they can have considerable side effects.

You might consider a brain scan or mri anyway.

poky43

replied on January 18th, 2005

New User

Reply Please

This is directed at diane b. Those symptoms in the beginning of your ms are pretty close to what I have experienced the last 6 months. My left eyes vision is a little blurry now and then, but I always thought it was due to something in my eye or early morning. My eye on the left side though is hard to open certain mornings. I have had a funny pressure on the left side of my head, rolling over the top of it. Thought it might be sinus's, but I have no real sinus infection? The part that hit me was the sudden jerks you got when you slept. I had such a jerk on new years night I thought I had been yanked out of bed! I have these periodically. Please let me know if this sounds funny to you. And if you had any other symtoms. I have also been very tired in the last 6 months. I am a 41 yr old guy and have been active my whole life. My wife thinks I am a hypo and should shut up. I just went for a physical and am waiting for the tests to come back. If anyone has advice or ideas, I welcome them. I forgot to add, I get a numb feeling in my lip and fronth teeth area when I lay down at night every so often.

athensmomof3

replied on January 24th, 2005

New User

Diane B

Just a thought about your symptoms - I agree it is likely not ms, and if it is and it has been going on for 26 years without treatment and without progression, it is likely benign ms. My neurologist told me that ms generally (always) has symptoms on both sides of the body. If your symptoms are solely left sided it would be much more suggestive of a stroke or transient ischemic attack. Given your symptoms, however, I would suggest you seek a referral to a neurologist to confirm. Good luck! :d

Learn About Us

Get Help

Join In

Do More

We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health
information:
verify here.

The site is not a replacement for professional medical opinion, examination, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your medical doctor or other qualified health professional before starting any new treatment or making any changes to existing treatment. Do not delay seeking or disregard medical advice based on information written by any author on this site. No health questions and information on eHealth Forum is regulated or evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and therefore the information should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease without the supervision of a medical doctor. Posts made to these forums express the views and opinions of the author, and not the administrators, moderators, or editorial staff and hence eHealth Forum and its principals will accept no liabilities or responsibilities for the statements made. Schizophrenia health sitemap.
This page was last updated on January 1, 2009.
© 2008 eForums, Inc