Hello, I'm new here and just worried about
a possible MS diagnosis. It's a long story so I am apologizing in advance..
On approximately 11/03/16 I started to notice that I was felling abnormally fatigued. I am not a day time sleeper and this started to become routine. On 11/05/16 I then felt very fatigued and run down, almost as if I was getting the flu. By the next day I was having symptoms of nausea, severe fatigue where I was sleeping approximately 20 hours per day, dizziness, vertigo, severe eye pains, headaches, head pains, light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, intolerance to certain smells, lack of appetite and selective palate. I never did get a runny nose or cough, which concerned me, no fever either. By 11/09/16 morning I felt as if I could be getting better but by the afternoon, the dizziness became worst and I experienced right arm numbness for approximately 4 hours which wouldn't go away as well as right leg cramping which didn't last for too long. We went to the triage at the hospital near me but the doctors dismissed it as a panic attack after running blood work in which everything was normal even though I explained to them that I was not stressed and had simply went out a few days earlier with my mom for a walk around a shopping area near us. On 11/11/16 I wasn't getting any better so I went to a general practitioner/surgeon who said that something wasn't right and sent me to an internal medicine doctor. After seeing the internal medicine doctor, she then sent me to be tested for mosquito borne illnesses, a urine culture as I did have some burning whilst urinating and also without urinating and an MRI. I also noted that I have experienced approximately 4 UTI's in the past 18 months which isn't normal for me.
All tests came back normal except for the MRI which showed white matter lesions speficially: "NON-ENHANCING T2 AND FLAIR HYPERINTENSITIES IN BILATERAL PERITRIGONAL WHITE MATTER AND BILATERAL CORONA RADIATA. CORRELATE CLINICALLY TO RULE OUT DEMYELINATION/ DELAYED MYELINATION". I can't get my hands on a copy of the MRI as my computer wont seem to read the disk which is driving me crazy! I was beginning to get leg cramps especially in my right leg (quad) but slowly it became both legs. It would happen standing up or laying down, but as I have been laying down for most of the day, this is when I noticed it the most. It seemed to be caused more by pressure such as resting blankets or a laptop on my legs. I then saw a neurologist who after doing a contrast MRI on my brain and all three parts of my spine, which showed "Non-Enhancing T2 and FLAIR Hyperintensities in Bilateral Peritrigonal White Matter and Bilateral Corona Radiata, sent me for a lumbar puncture (which came back normal) as well as Evoked Potential Tests which also came back normal. He thinks that it just may be viral and said to get another MRI completed in 6 months unless I have more symptoms before that. We also noticed that my serum creatinine level was stated as low but he wasn't worried about
it as he said it is just a soft marker for MS.
At 26 years old, 5'3", 116lbs and quite active I want to be 100% sure that in fact their diagnosis is correct. A neurosurgeon stated that the lesions weren't normal for my age and my neurologist was concerned that it could be MS as he stated I do have some of the symptoms and the MRI is showing lesions. I know that it can in fact be nothing to worry about
as that is what he said as well, but I want to make sure of this.
My symptoms are slowly getting better, the fatigue is slowly getting better and the symptoms seem to slowly be decreasing. I still get head pains, eye pains, headaches, dizziness, vertigo, selective palate, lack of appetite. I wake up twice throughout the night now which I never did. Even with 7-8 hours of sleep, I am still tired during the day in which I can take a three hour nap which isn't normal for me. The leg cramps seem to usually come and go throughout the day. I can have a day or two possibly without them but that is it. They have gotten worst where they will just start with no apparent triggers and I don't seem to be getting many rest days in between anymore. All the other symptoms seem to come in waves and usually worsen in the afternoons. Some days they can be a little and other days worst. Exercise is also difficult and 3 flights of stairs walking has become difficult for me.
What also worries me is that on 22/01/16 I had I pin placed in my finger as I broke it. I didn't do well with the surgery and was sick upon waking up. Two days after the surgery I was doing better and finally eating pretty normally again but by that night I woke up with stomach cramps and vomiting. We thought it was food poisoning so I went to the ER but they told me that it wasn't food poisoning and that everything from all the blood work taken, came back normal. They said that it could have been due to the anesthesia but, it took me three more weeks to recover. I did not vomit after that first day when I went to the ER and I did not have any fever, but I had severe fatigue, dizziness, nausea, lack of appetite as well as a selective palate. Again, whilst this all could be coincidence and nothing to worry about
, I want to be certain of this.
I am getting a second opinion from Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis - Cleveland Clinic but I am very impatient unfortunately and was wondering if I can get any opinions from you all even though I understand you cannot give me a diagnosis. I am not one to go to the doctor unless something is wrong, I do not get sick often and with the flu or cold, I just let it run its course as I do not like to go overboard with antibiotics. I feel like I have become a hypochondriac!!! If it is something I just want to deal with it, control it or cure it if possible and get back to riding horses, training dogs and going to school (... I started a little later for college but this is something that I am determined to complete as soon as possible). I guess I am just venting... It's the not knowing that's driving me and my family crazy. I have great support and if it is something, I know there will be good days and bad, but that is life and the way I try and look at things is 10% action and 90% reaction. It is what it is and it's really how we deal with it. It seems crazy but it doesn't worry me as much as it frustrates me... I just want to know!!!
Thank you all for reading my venting and concerns!! I really appreciate it!!
Kristen
Post Edited (KAR90) : 12/6/2016 4:15:13 PM (GMT-7)