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Could this be MS? Help please!

I will try to keep this as brief as possible - thanks for any advice/help!

I'm a 28 year old female with a fairly nonexistent medical history. I started having strange symptoms about 8 weeks ago and would like any insight to either help me be at ease, or to start pestering my PCP a little more. Let me preface this by saying I do not suffer from anxiety, hypochondria,etc. (hate when doctors hint at this). Nor do I have a history of headaches/migraines.

I had a double ear and sinus infection in November (I get these whenever the seasons change- pretty routinely), given round of antibiotics but still had lingering headache/pressure- specific to back of head.

Beginning of December I left a lunch hour work out class- mild weight lifting and remember not feeling comfortable with a certain lift - especially in my neck. I get back to my office and immediately feel horrible - piercing back of head pain, floaters in both eyes, really shaky, and general out of it feeling. I went to a medexpress pretty immediately and they said sounded like a classic migraine, administered toradol shot- felt better within the hour. I've not had any floaters or visual disturbances since then.

Felt alright for a week, took a break from the gym. Noticed a lot of neck tightness and thought I had just pinched something or stress/muscle tension (work was stressful, holidays, I'm a mom to a one year old and four year old). Also started getting not quite vertigo because not dizzy- but not brain fog because didn't seem cognitively impaired. Just really spaced out feeling- almost a drunk feeling (I only drink socially- so not much at all regularly).

About a week and a half after "migraine" start getting head tingling. Pretty mild at first, noticed an ibuprofen helped. Couple days after that it got really annoying- not painful. Spread to left side of face and I kind of freaked out it may be a stroke and went to the ER. They ran a standard CBC panel, did an EEG, ct scan- cleared me as "fine". Cue health anxiety. Tingling and headache persistant over next several days and newly found insomnia. My now former PCP just threw a headache trigger journal and how to manage stress pamphlet at me. Ended up back in ER - felt like absolute death (tingling and visibly trembling) - elevated blood pressure (said related to "stress") and was sent home with an...ear infection. Started another round of antibiotics.

Made appointment with new PCP- he ran a gamut of blood panels not originally done - some thyroid, deficiencies. Came back borderline low vitamin d, and a low TSH- so ran more thyroid panels (inconclusive?). I mentioned web mding and freaking myself out with MS- he said not likely but wanted to run an MRI to rule a few things out. He thought I just had a really nasty persistence sinus infection.

MRI clear- but showed sinus infection still present. That's it.

MRI was done 12/30. Head tingling a lot better, but also sleeping and not allowing myself to stress out so maybe that's why.

I do now how feet tingling (both feet, fairly consistent for 4 weeks), and occasional right leg weirdness- almost like goosebumps but not cold. I'm not bothered by the heat (showers, bath, running, sauna). I feel pretty shaky - but have really cut gluten and processed foods out of my diet to try and feel better- not sure if that could be related. I'm not visibly shaking.

Any advice? Would love if someone could explain how MS isn't probable. Lyme? Really all just vitamin d deficiency? Thyroid?

I'm finding myself obsessing over what could be wrong? I don't have any debilitating symptoms, just enough annoyance to know something isn't quite right.

I do want to throw out there that I did have what was diagnosed as Bell's palsy from May to June of 2008, completely cleared up. It has made given me a bit of worry though over strange health issues.


Best Answer
382218 tn?1341181487
Amanda here is a good overview of what's covered in a typical neurological exam. Reflexes and vision are included but there's a lot more to it than that.

https://multiplesclerosis.net/diagnosis/nerurological-exam/
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Avatar universal
I just had a follow up with my PCP to make sure my vitamin D levels were back within an acceptable range, now at 45. I still have weird symptoms that just keep changing- my doctor is adamant it's a mixture of low D symptoms, perhaps a pinched nerve, and anxiety. He did what he said was a neurological exam- was pretty brief though and not as thorough as what I've read it should be. Said he didn't see any issues. He is referring to a neurologist, more for my ease of mind I guess since he doesn't think it's anything too serious.

I'm still having a hard time calming down and not going down the "oh gosh, it's MS, or ALS" or something to that effect.

Is it common to have such constant, but changing, symptoms with MS? For example:

Shaky hands, but not all day, somedays not at all.
Right leg pain (feels like joint pain- hip and putter knee) - few times a week, lasts a couple hours- never a correlation between working out and sore or anything like that.
Feet tingling - at least a couple hours during the day- definitely present after a hard work out, or when laying down.
Head tingling, Used to be a lot more constant, now a few times a week for a couple hours at each time. Definitely whenever I think my blood pressure is elevated.
Here and there other feelings such as just one toe tingling, or goosebumps feeling (usually right leg), twitching, joint pain and general achiness.

Again, none of this is debilitating- just nerve wrecking and sick of worrying.

Just seeing what yalls experience has been.
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Avatar universal
Thanks doublevision! Can your PCP perform a neurological exam or does it have to be done by a neurologist? He doesn't think I have MS symptoms, clean MRI, it sounds like he doesn't want to refer me over. Which is fine with me- just worrying myself with what if scenarios I suppose.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Your PCP can do a neurological exam. Mine found my MS. What you describe just does not seem like MS to me. You do have a lot off odd things going on. The neurological exam will rule neurological in or out. They are very accurate in showing neurological deficits. I got MS long before MRIs were invented. My neuro exams were always abnormal.
Alex
Avatar universal
Hi immisceo- thanks for response! I'm hoping it's all unrelated- just that dang Google search had me worried and then perhaps over analyzing every body oddity. What all is included in neuro exam? My PCP did reflex and eye check type of things and no issues.
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1 Comments
Amanda here is a good overview of what&#39;s covered in a typical neurological exam. Reflexes and vision are included but there&#39;s a lot more to it than that. <br/> <br/>https://multiplesclerosis.net/diagnosis/nerurological-exam/ <br/>
5112396 tn?1378017983
Because MS effects the central nervous system and can therefore have a wide range of manifestations, it's pretty much guaranteed to pop up in anyone's google search whether they actually have a virus, a sports injury, slept wrong on a limb, are dehydrated, etc. It shows up all. the. time. Google is a pretty crappy diagnostic tool. It will only ever freak you out.

Vitamin deficiency can manifest in the ways you describe. I'm not saying I'm certain what you are dealing with, just that it's something worth treating and seeing how you respond.

Also, it's not guarenteed that the things you mention are related to one another. If things happen in quick succession, it's human nature to assume they are interconnected. However, it's entirely possible that you have had several unrelated issues arise at similar times - a vitamin deficiency, a migraine, a sinus infection, a gym injury. This is just an example form what you stated. We're just laymen here, so I can't say what is or isn't going on with you.

You do not mention having a neurological exam. This can give a lot of information in terms of establishing if there is or isn't a central nervous system issue going on. Have you had one?
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Avatar universal
Also- I hope my question doesn't offend anyone in that it seems to not be as big of a deal as what some of you are dealing with. It's just googling symptom causes for what's going on and MS keeps popping up. Would just like some peace of mind or some great advice to take back to my doctor. Thanks again :)
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