Numbness and pain and pins and needles - Multiple Sclerosis Message Board

Mark_B · 01-02-2007, 12:16 PM

Hi! I was wondering if you can help me? I have a MRI in a few weeks and have "rotating" symptoms in every catagory, daily. But my question has to do with the numbness, pain, pins and needles in my right arm and hand.

This is pretty "normal" all the time symptom. But I can make it come on or off by the position of my arm. Any pressure on the bottom of my fore arm will make my arm numb and pins and needles. Like right now typing this. I still get the symptoms in other positions, like letting my arm hang down. But I always get them in a typing position. As to pain, my wife and I walked about a total of one hour and I got pain in my arm that was similar to "working out" with weights and really working that arm hard. Like muscle pain - deep muscle pain. Then it went a away after about 10 mins.

IS THIS NORMAL? Or just normal for MS?

Also I was so fatigued later in the day that I dropped into my recliner and did not move for about an hour. After that hour I felt GREAT.

IS THIS NORMAL?

Thank you very much for your time and help, I wish you'all knew the help and service you provide to us!!

Mark

NathanMc · 01-02-2007, 03:16 PM

Hi Mark,

While MS is an individualised disease making a 'normal' symptom hard to describe, the underlying nature of the beast is that the Central Nervous System (brain and spine) tends to be affected, whilst other worker nerves are not.

This means that generally there shouldn't be anything that can be done to mediate or change the symptoms externally. Scratching the itch doesn't make it go away, rubbing the numb leg doesn't increase the level of feeling.

My gut says that a neurological symptom that can be manipulated or changed externally via positioning smells more like a pinched nerve or something other than MS.

That's not to say that its impossible for MS to manifest in the way you're talking about. I imagine that it is plausible that when your arms are outstretched this is activating a diferent set of neural pathways and bypassing (or being more acutely impaired) by an MS lesion. It just doesn't seem that likely - but I'm just a guy with MS not a neurologist, who could better answer such questions.

Heavy fatigue is a common symptom in MS, as you described it (although personally its more an afternoon nap for me!). However its also a fairly common thing to encounter normally as a healthy active adult.

Good luck with your MRI and with the future - let us know the results! Fingers crossed that its something nice and treatable!

MSNik · 01-06-2007, 12:56 PM

I agree with Nate on this one, it doesnt sound like MS. Sounds neurological though, and possibly like fibromyalgia? Just guess...you should defiantely see a neurologist and get tested...I wouldnt freak over MS though, this isnt lining up with MS symptoms..and, yes, I have an MS dx.
Nikki