kimmy2431

i'm sure you see these kind of posts all the time. i'll try to be as brief as possible..i haven't been diagnosed with ms, but some research set off some red flags, and i was hoping to get some reassurance from ppl who have been there, as i am sick of being looked at like i'm a hypochondriac. i need a bit of a boost to see a dr - i am definately not looking to be diagnosed on here.

in 1999 i went through a severely traumatic experience..my health has deteriorated from then - immediately following, i had what felt like a very heavy jaw. i wouldn't really call it numb, i just felt like i needed to clench my teeth all the time - this lasted for 2 months and required physio (my jaw was too stiff from all the clenching). at the same time, acid reflux kicked in. no rhyme or reason. it lasted for a long while, and will subside for months at a time. my last bout with acid reflux was last month - lasted 2 excruciating days. nothing helps it.

in the same year i was suddenly struck with diarrhea - it was so bad that i lost 30 pounds in a month. a barium enema was done - chrohn's was ruled out and no other explanation given.

in the summer of 2002, shortly after a friend passed away, vertigo kicked in. it was paralyzing. balance tests were done...nothing. i was told that when tests come out ok, they figure that it's a virus in the inner ear and that it can take up to a year to go away. it lasted for 5 months. i still get vertigo, though much milder both in severity and duration.


my bladder is a tricky thing. my urine has a strong odor to it - my dr can't give me an explanation, as i have never had a bladder infection. last year i had a pain on my left side - thought it was a kidney issue. ultrasound showed nothing. the pain returned this past tuesday - went to the dr..he said that because i have no bladder infection symptoms, i should wait it out a couple days. the pain went away on wednesday (this is when i decided to check my kidney issue online..i stumbled upon an ms site and it felt like all of my other issues were staring right back at me).

constipation is horrible - some days/weeks/months worse than others. horrible cramping and very bloated.

numbness - hard to describe. i will get this very strange buzzing feeling, mainly in my legs (only one at a time) - this is almost constant. my arms and legs (mainly toes, fingers and my palms) fall asleep all the time, for no reason at all. out of nowhere, i get a very sharp nerve pain in my toes (big toes). can't walk on it.

i've battled depression and anxiety off and on since '99.

the fatigue is probably the worst of all symptoms. i was always an early riser up until my vertigo experience in '02. now, i feel like dead weight all the time. if it weren't for my kids, i'd stay in bed all day. 2 weeks ago was the first time in a year that i had a bounce to my step. it was the first time in a year that i didn't need a nap - for the entire week!! no nap!! i thought that i was the luckiest person in the world if i had 3 days in a month where i didn't feel like sleeping the month away..2 weeks ago was a gift from god.


the craziest thing is that i know that there are more things to list - part of me is drawing a blank...the other part is not wanting you guys to think that i'm a total whacko. re reading this makes it look like i'm a hypochondriac..i can assure you that nothing could be farther from the truth.

if anyone can help me in any way - through advice, personal experiences, etc., i'd be forever indebted to you.

thank you so much.
kim