worried I have MS- please help!!

[AnnikaM]

Hello.  So scared I have MS and need advice.  I have experienced neurological symptoms for 12 years now- mostly tingling/numbness sensations, and headaches where my speech is sometimes impaired (these are migraines).  12 years ago I had an MRI and spinal tap- both normal.

Flash forward to present day-  had a visual disturbance last week where I had blind spots, saw zig zagging lines, and letters that were disappearing.  This lasted 20 minutes and was followed by a tingly hand (traveled up my arm) and then tingling around my mouth.  This lasted 10 minutes.  Afterwards- I felt totally fine.  

I should add that I had a possible bat exposure two weeks ago and started rabies vaccine.  Of course when I later researched vaccine I discovered that it was suspected to cause two cases of MS.  OMG- more worried now.

The visual disturbance is totally new and I cannot think of anything other than MS causing this.  I spoke with my doctor and she referred me to a ophomologist (eye doctor).

I am so scared.  PLEASE help!

[Theresalp]

Glad to hear you are getting in to see the eye dr (not sure on  the spelling either lol). Lets us know how it goes for you.  Once in awhile I will have these strange zig zag forms on the outer vision field and they are neon colored. It never lasts very long. I would say a minute or less.  Not sure what that is all about myself. I didnt realize that auras can happen without the pain. Interesting. I pretty much have headaches 24/7 but I have problems with my neck that is probably causing those headaches.

[AnnikaM]

I didn't see neon colors, but when I was reading on the computer- the sentences became wavy and zig zagging.  At first I thought there was something wrong with my computer so I turned my attention to actual paper work.  That's when I saw these flashing blind spots and letters on the page disappearing.

I have an appointment with an optaphologist (not sure of spelling) next week at the recommendation of my doctor.  Hopefully this is all migraine related and nothing more.  Read that auras can occur without migraine pain.

[Theresalp]

OMG!!! You have seen zig zags in your vision. I thought it was just me!! Were they neon colored? I mentioned this to my neurologist but he didn't seem to think anything about it. Mine when I have them are on the outer vision field. I know this sounds silly but you have no idea how happy I was to see that someone else knows what I am talking about.

[HVAC]

Chances it is MS is low. There are over 800 Neurological disorders and over 30 non neurological mimics. I have migraines which cause blindness and numbness down the left side of my body. If they have done neurological exams, reflexes, etc. and MS has not come up yet them I would not have it at the top of my list. Often people have several things wrong not just one.

Alex

[AnnikaM]

Thanks everyone- my fears a calmed a bit.  I really need to stop googling, just causes too much anxiety.  It's not the bat that I feel may be triggering MS- it's the vaccine.  It's not widely printed but I did find two different sources that state rabies vaccine is suspected in two MS cases.

I do think migraine may be what is going on with me.  Very prone to migraines with tingling and numbness.  This visual disturbance is a completely new symptom and scared me.

I will follow through with eye exam.  My doctor mentioned if eye exam is normal, then she would like to refer me to a neuro.  Guess it couldn't hurt and would definitely provide peace of mind.  

Thanks for listening to me- means a lot.  And I will stop googling now.

[immisceo]

Even if there were any remote proof of a link... rabies results in death essentially 100% of the time if not caught very quickly. I think anyone sane would have done just what you did and gone for the vaccines. "Suspected" is not a very strong term in medical research. It merely states that in taking a case history, two possibly random things happened in a time frame that can't rule out a correlation. It's only proper that those get reported, but as we know (say it with me class!) correlation does not equal causation.

Definitely report your experience to your medical team, but don't get ahead of yourself in the worry department. As per the MacDonald Criteria (and the nature of myelin-related damage itself), 10 and 20 minute spurts of a symptom or sensation would not, on their own, count as an episode. http://www.medhelp.org/tags/health_page/7687/Multiple-Sclerosis/Diagnosing-MS---The-McDonald-Criteria-Revised-2005-CHART?hp_id=506

[supermum_ms]

Hi and welcome,

I think you probably need to keep in mind that numerous different causes of MS have been 'suspected' but bat's would have to be a bit too out there for me to take seriously. I did try to find something about bats and MS but i could only find a trillion hits on anything else but MS, so i'm not sure how you came up with the connection.

Take a step back for a moment...........this all started a few weeks ago, when you were hit in the face, by what may or may not of been a bat, and since then you've basically been googling bats and it's associated medical conditions, started rabies treatment, just in case it was a bat and your anxious.....

The top of the list of causes I found googling for 'seeing zig zagging lines', was actually migraine, and maybe if not for your bat incident, it's possible that you might never of even got MS into your head space. Try to get control over your anxious thoughts and not let them spin too far off kilter, and if googling is making it all worse, then just stop googling!

Cheers...........JJ