New Here...Doc Wants To Wait It Out - Multiple Sclerosis Message Board

Kris06 · 06-09-2006, 09:10 PM

Hello Everyone!

I have not officially been diagnosed with MS yet, but I think it's coming. I will try to not make this post super long but here is some info about me. I'm 27 and I've always had a little bit of a wacky immune system. Since I was a small child I've always battled with ongoing canker sores (horrible outbreaks). As a teenager and young adult I've dealt with anemia, chronic fatigue, bowel problems, unexplained urinary problems (I get symptoms of a UTI but then my cultures come back negative), headaches, ocular migraines, lower back pain, anxiety disorder problems, and muscle & joint pain (the pain gets so bad it feels like it goes all the way into the bone if that makes any sense, and a tingling sensation in my arms, legs, hands and feet.

A few weeks ago things started going really downhill. It started off with a horrible sore throat. It wasn't your typical sore throat because I had no other symptoms of being sick. It felt like I had small lumps inside my throat and I couldn't swallow very easily. I assumed I had strep throat or canker sores in my throat and tried to wait it out in hopes that it would heal soon. The lumps in my throat lasted about a week and then the muscle and joint pain started. I also had burning and tingling in my arms, legs, feet, and even my mouth a couple of times. It feels like pins and needles all over my skin. I've had these episodes before, but the doctors could never give me an explanation. I have also been feeling really run down and fatigued. I finally went to see a doctor on Friday, June 2nd because I just couldn't take it anymore. I just switched to a new doctor this month so Friday was the first day I've ever seen this particular doctor. When I started telling her about my symptoms she said it sounded like a virus and that she would run some blood tests and if she couldn't find anything then the next step would be to test me for MS. I was really surprised because I've never even considered that I could have MS. I've known 3 people that I've been fairly close to growing up and they had a lot of problems and complications from their MS.

Then last Tuesday while I was at work a really scary incident happened. I was sitting down at a restaurant with my clients (I work as a caregiver) and I stood up and everything started spinning 100 miles an hour. I didn't want to scare my clients so I excused myself and tried to walk to the bathroom. I felt like I was walking sideways and I was falling over into tables on my way to the bathroom. The most frustrating part was that I couldn't get the spinning to stop. I literally had no control over my body and was stumbling around like an idiot! I rounded the corner to the bathroom and completely lost my balance and took a tumble onto the floor. It took a few minutes before I could stand up because everything kept spinning. I have NEVER had anything like this happen to me before. I haven't had any other serious episodes since Tuesday, but i've still been feeling really dizzy and lightheaded all week so I went back to my doctor today.

My doctor said that all of my labwork looks great. I don't have mono or strep throat. My bloodwork didn't show anything out of the ordinary so my doc thinks that I have BPV-Benign Positional Vertigo. She wants to wait it out about 2 months before sending me to a Neurologist for an MRI. She is concerned that I may have MS because of the tingling sensation in my body.

I am really scared and don't know what to think. I have 3 children and my husband and I have been trying to conceive another baby. Do any of these things sound like they could be symptoms of MS? I really don't want to have to wait 2 months to get the MRI done but my doctor wants me to wait it out.

Anyway I just thought I'd introduce myself. Take care everyone

lestoby · 06-09-2006, 09:33 PM

Insist on the MRI. If that proves to be too expensive, try to get a CAT scan. My CAT scan was able to identify an "infarct", which led to me having an MRI, which found 2 lesions.

Still no dx for me, but hey.... at least its a start!

iluvsiamese · 06-09-2006, 09:59 PM

I'd push for the MRI too... she can order it up, it doesn't have to be ordered by a neuro... then you'll have it when you visit one. Just make sure they do both Brain and Spinal MRI... when I was initially dx'd I didn't have any lesions in my brain, but my spine was caked with them. Most people show plaques in their brain first, but that isn't always the case, so make sure there is an order for both. My brain has since caught up, but one look at my spine and they gave me a positive dx. I had two kids before I was firmly dx'd... we pretty much knew that I had it, but the neuro didn't want to give me a positive dx because of my age. After I had my second son at 26 they gave me an actual dx and started me on the meds... I had terrible attacks after both of my kids were born, but I wouldn't trade them for anything. They have to make some sacrifices because mom doesn't feel good... but they do very well, and I think they are a lot more compassionate than most kids today because of my problems. I'm 36 now and they are 9 and 10... if you are looking to have another baby, the sooner the better because you shouldn't take the meds while you're pregnant and they will want to start them as soon as you are able. They are usually really good about dealing with us poor women that have higher priorities in life than ourselves. Best of luck with whatever you decide to do.