ms? brain cancer? tumor? crazzzzzy I think so - Multiple Sclerosis Message Board

lexie 2 · 03-06-2009, 11:33 AM

Hi everyone. my first post was my dr. thinks i have ms. but he also said it could be something else ranging from many things, and from what i have been reading since i stumbled on this blog it really could be one of many things. this blog or what ever it's called since it's very new to me is the best thing that has happened since my last dr. apoint. i too have had many of the symptoms that i'm having now before but they have never been this bad and because they went away and never seamd to be happening when i had an apoint. i never brought them up. well i guess thats not completely true because i did ahve to see the only dr. that i could get in that day for a unrelated issue and said oh by the way i seam to have these things happening to me but then they go away and i'm just fine again. he told me that it was a painless migrain and that i should be happy that i didn't have the pain. has anyone heard of them? i never did go back to him. i totally under*****d those who have written that they could use medacation to calm the nerves, i am such a mess because i can't seam to get my thoughts to go where i need them to go and it takes me for ever to do the simplest things. this is the worst it has ever been and i'm afraid to go out. 2 days ago my left foot dropped as i was walking with a pyrex cake pan and i fell forwards and thankfully i fell into a tv try before hitting the floor it did slow me down some. my daughter and grandson were here and i scared them half to death. i haven't told any of my family of the possibility on ms. i am just at a loss as to telling them or waiting till i know for sure. other than writing on this blog i have only told my best friend and her husband and one thinks i should tell my kids and other family members. i do know that it's becoming harder to explain away my dificulty eg. (figuring out how to spell a word) consintrating, focusing on whats being said to me or asked of me. when i do reserch when my haed will let me, what i read stresses me out but the not knowing is driving me crazy too. one thing i do know for sure is that i am diabetic and all this stress is causeing my surgers to be way too high. i'm afraid to take meds to help me sleep or calm down because i'm afraid they will make my brain work even worse but the stress is doing me in. can anyone help me, if it is ms how long can this go on before it starts to ease up? the longest it has ever been in the past is just a little over a week. man i sure hope i have made sence because i'm spent and haven't got it in me to reread this and if i do i won't get it sent again. this is my 3rd atempt to write but never got it sent.. i feel so selfish complaing when i know there are soo many out there that have things alot worse than i have it. oh ya what does a neuroligest do.

MSJayhawk · 03-06-2009, 04:53 PM

Your never ending (or seemingly so) symptoms can be MS in addition to diabetic and anxiety. The more stress on your life, the harder it is for your doctor to eliminate and separate which symptom belongs with which malady.

Foot drop, what you described with your left foot dropping, was what first hit me when I was 14 years old. Although I was not a cave painter, it seems like it was eons ago. I thought I was just clumsy. Too often we try to dismiss when something is amiss. With MS, we need to attune our body to the changes within and without.

Yes, I am sure many of us have been looked at like we were crazy or even drunk. A good doctor will be able to tell you that you are not crazy, although in reality much of MS is in the head!! LOL.

I have not experienced a painless migraine. I know that since my MS has progressed, my pain threshold has become higher while my emotional threshold has lowered.

When my doctor first ask me (in 1982) to mark on my hand and arm where the numbness started and stopped, he was testing to see if I really had neurological damage. Not knowing what I was doing, I had accurately marked where nerves branched and where they connected. He told me that my markings showed him that my symptoms were real.

Set some daily goals for yourself. I have never used sleep meds. I have found that whenever sleep is knocking in my brain, it is time to turn off my body and rest. Since last week, for example, I have been napping 30-45 minutes each day at noon and off and on from 6:00 P.M. Denying your body rest when you need it causes untold stress to your body. The more energy you are expelling, the lower your reserves. Once your reserves are depleted, it takes many days to refill. I have found that before a trip or an event, I will start adding to my reserves by resting and relaxing. Then the day after the trip/event, I will rest. This has worked very well for me .

I still have you in my prayers.

MSNik · 03-07-2009, 12:11 AM

Wow. Your post made me dizzy!

I say that with love! I have to address something though- your final words were, "what does a neurologist do?" Isnt that what you asked? May I ask you- who the heck told you that you might have MS if you didnt see a neurologist? IF it wasnt a neurologist, run the opposite direction and go find one.

A Neurologist specializes in the neurological system. This can be anything from Strokes, Migrane Headaches, Parkinsons Disease, Multiple Sclerosis and a thousand other diseases! A neurologist will start out by doing a neurological evaluation. This is done with everything from balance tests to spinal taps! A normal neuro eval lasts up to an hour long, is started with a very intense history and question and answer session- goes on to be a complete physical including the above mentioned balance and reaction tests, many times gait and eye tests, usually accompanied by some specifics, depending on your complaints. A neurologist usually orders an MRI, which is where he is looking for abnomalities- and blood work. This is used to determine if the cause is something treatable, or as simple as a deficiency. It can go full steam into an EMG, a nerve conductivity test and yes, the aforementioned Spinal Tap or Lumbar Puncture. Let me clearly state, a Neurologist does NOT do all of this at once...its a progressive thing (much like MS!)

MS is diagnosed by ruling out every other possiblity. Therefore, tests are done one at a time in order to make sure that something doesnt show up, giving the doctor a more specific direction to take in his diagnostics. A spinal tap is not always done however MRIs most usually are. MRIs are done of the brain and spine most commonly.....
Neurologists can specialize in any particular disorder or disease. An MS specialist is usually recommended at least during the diagnostic period, until you have confirmed you have MS, you certainly wouldnt want any other type of doctor treating you!

This is what a neurologist does....now, who scared you into believing that you might have MS? I have to say, reading your post over and over, there is very little here that screams MS; and yet there is a ton of info you provide us which might be related to sugar problems, or even anxiety! Please, go have blood work done and talk to a Neurologist! Something tells me you are going to need some ruling out before a diagnosis can be made!
Nikki

lexie 2 · 03-11-2009, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MSJayhawk

Your never ending (or seemingly so) symptoms can be MS in addition to diabetic and anxiety. The more stress on your life, the harder it is for your doctor to eliminate and separate which symptom belongs with which malady.

Foot drop, what you described with your left foot dropping, was what first hit me when I was 14 years old. Although I was not a cave painter, it seems like it was eons ago. I thought I was just clumsy. Too often we try to dismiss when something is amiss. With MS, we need to attune our body to the changes within and without.

Yes, I am sure many of us have been looked at like we were crazy or even drunk. A good doctor will be able to tell you that you are not crazy, although in reality much of MS is in the head!! LOL.

I have not experienced a painless migraine. I know that since my MS has progressed, my pain threshold has become higher while my emotional threshold has lowered.

When my doctor first ask me (in 1982) to mark on my hand and arm where the numbness started and stopped, he was testing to see if I really had neurological damage. Not knowing what I was doing, I had accurately marked where nerves branched and where they connected. He told me that my markings showed him that my symptoms were real.

Set some daily goals for yourself. I have never used sleep meds. I have found that whenever sleep is knocking in my brain, it is time to turn off my body and rest. Since last week, for example, I have been napping 30-45 minutes each day at noon and off and on from 6:00 P.M. Denying your body rest when you need it causes untold stress to your body. The more energy you are expelling, the lower your reserves. Once your reserves are depleted, it takes many days to refill. I have found that before a trip or an event, I will start adding to my reserves by resting and relaxing. Then the day after the trip/event, I will rest. This has worked very well for me .

I still have you in my prayers.

Hi there and thankyou for your kind words and advice. I was really a mess the other day but all the symptoms have subsided and I'm feeling much better. After my last post I rememberd your word about getting plenty of rest. As I said I was a mess and by the time I was finished writing I was also spent I went to bed and slept for at least 45 min. and what a differance that made. I had calmed down and was able to make it thru the rest of the day with out to much anxiety and or panic. This last round has been the worst i have ever experanced and for sure it's time to find out what has been going on, ms or not. I hear you about being looked at like I'm drunk, I have even been asked by people who know me if I am drunk or what am I on. People who know and love me of course. I too have just passed it off as being clumsy. Your advice to me is helpful and I will implument it into my daily activities. thanks for your prayers and blessing to you

ArtyTart17 · 03-12-2009, 03:06 AM

Hi, I have MS and suffer fatigue at times, since about 1988 I have practiced different forms of resting yoga and meditation. I have found that the best one for me when I am fatigued is to lie down and relax to a 10 minute tape of Nidra Yoga. After a few times you have memorised the relaxation sequence and don't need the tape. This 10-15 minute power nap revitalizes me enough to continue with what ever work I was doing before the fatigue washed over me. I hope this helps.
Love

Tanya dx. MS 1984