Total Left Side numbness ~ MS related or TIA?

[MelRaeJ]

Hi, everyone.  I am still in the pre-Dx phase.  
My symptoms started in 2009 when it became painful to walk.  The foot pain (deep aching) and uber fatigue came and went in episodes.  Then my hands began the same thing, growing to include wrists and arms, only much more intense, in 2011.  In the last yr the episodes have gotten more frequent, more intense and now last longer.  After my last episode, I developed new symptoms that have not remitted:  tingly, over-blown, and burning arms, hands, and feet,  a left leg numb from the knee down on the outside, super mental confusion and a REALLY stiff neck.  We have ruled out many other conditions, and the EMG of my arms and hands came back normal, the legs are tomorrow morning.  
My question is that one night recently, I awoke with my entire left side dead as a cucumber; cheek, arm hand, leg and foot...totally numb.
My neuro said he thought I might have had a TIA.
I have no diabetes, great HDL/LDL levels, kidney function, liver function...etc... I look healthy as a horse on paper and picture.....
So, has anyone had this type of symptom determined to stem from MS?
My MRI is this coming week.  
I am weary with this journey, and my continually weakening condition, and really need a place to be supported.
Thanks for any input you all can provide.

[kwarendorf]

Hi Mel- July is not so far off. If it is MS, it moves very slowly. I had it for 20 years befiore I even knew I should be looking for it. So it went untreated for 20 years and I'm doing pretty good :-)

Kyle

[MelRaeJ]

Thank you all very much for your input.
I had MRI and MRA today, but the insurance only approved contrast on the cervical spine.  ..... ahhh...
I have heeded your advice, Kyle, and have an appointment with an MS Specialist at a reputable hospital in July (ahhh... the waiting).
Hoping I can be blessed to avoid another big flare up between now and then.
This forum is amazing and I am continually impressed with the knowledge and caring I read in the threads.
Best to all,
Mel

[kwarendorf]

Hi Mel  -

You're frustration is understandable. It sounds to me like it may be time for a new neurologist. His saying that MS doesn't involve pain is, as we know, simplhy not true. If he is this uninformed about MS, what else is he clueless about? It also aounds like he's decided that TIA/stroke is the diagnosis and is now looking for evidence to back up his theory. He should be letting the evidence guide him to a diagnosis.

If you suspect MS, the best way to find out is by seeing an MS specialist. They will have seen far more cases than any general neurologist. I wouldn't see the current neuro again. He will only prolong your frustration.

Kyle

[MelRaeJ]

Thank you.  I will look it up now.  
We decided this morning, that if the MRI didn't include MRI Protocol, then I wasn't paying to have it done by this doctor.
Thank you for the support.
Mel

[CheyTag]

Did you say you have migraines or "severe headaches"? If all your tests come back neg you may want to mention Hemiplegic Migraines... I suffer from these and everything you say can be "aura".. they "mimic TIA and stroke"... just google it... good luck with everything but if I were u I would ask for MRI with MS Protocol...

[MelRaeJ]

Thank you for sharing your experience.  It helped calm me.

[MelRaeJ]

Oh thank you.  I need help anew.

Today I had the EMG on my legs and feet.  It came back normal, as was the EMG on hands and arms.
I thought my Neuro and I were on the same page, until I asked him what Dx he was considering and why.  He honestly said that I didn't fit into any specific category.  When I pressed him to Why on Earth he wasn't considering MS he told me it was because MS didn't cause pain.  If my head wasn't hurting so badly that my eyes were seeing black tracers, I would have come up out of the chair.  REALLY?

I do have an MRI order and am waiting for the hospital to call to schedule.  As the Neuro told me that he was more interested in looking for signs of a stroke, I am interested to get the specifics on the MRI protocols and machine info on the order.  The only thing he told me was that it was going to be done with contrast and that if by chance there were any lesions, that they would be seen.

He even told me to make an appointment with the Rheumatologist again, even though all the related tests came back negative.  
I really want someone to tell me what's happening before the next "episode".  The last one included 4 separate falls, one down the stairs in the barn, aching pain in my hands arms and feet that was an 8 rocking on the couch (I don't take narcotics).  
I'm not reaching for a Dx of doom.  BUT I am progressively getting worse, and have for the last 5 years been sent to orthopedic drs for both hands and feet at different times and to the rheumatologist for the hands and feet to no avail, and seen my PCP for the anxiety, depression, and extreme fatigue on more than a few occasions.
It was an orthopeadic surgeon I saw to get clearance after a car accident that said I needed to get to a neurologist fast when I told him about the horribly painfull episodes with my hands, arms and feet, the slurred speech, the falling, the complete lack of clear cognition, the dizziness, blurry vision.....the weakness, the overwhelming fatigue.
I'm not a doctor, but I would think that with all the blood tests to rule out absolutely everything else, one wouldn't be only looking for stroke damage in the MRI.
......Please excuse my rambling.  I am scared....

Mel

[zerodegrees]

Hello,
Yes. One sided numbness is what led to my diagnosis of MS. I feared I was having a stroke as well, but an MRI in the ER said otherwise.

I am really surprised they have not done an MRI yet. Especially if they were considering TIA or Stroke.

[nyangel60]

You are describing a lot of what I have been through and is going through. I also look healthy as a horse on paper. I had different symptoms for years but chalked it up to nerves or other things. I experienced for years the burning on arms and shoulders.

Anyway one morning June 2012 I woke up, placed my feet on the ground and hardly felt anything. I was numb from my waist down. I went to emerg twice and was admitted the second time where MRIs LP etc were done and lesions found in brain, t spine and c spine.

I do get the onesided numbness on my left side. From my feet all the way up to my head. The others have given you great advice so I won't add to it. I just wanted to tell you  your symptoms do sound familiar. Even as I type my hands and shoulders and back is on fire with the burning and I noticed numbness since last night also.

Good luck in getting to the bottom of all this. :-)

Dee

[MelRaeJ]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply and doing it so quickly.
I'm shocked at how emotional I am right now at just being heard and validated. Big cyber hug.
I have been tested for all the above mentioned conditions, lupus and also the relatively newly talked about tick born disease that is similar to Lyme.  Truly, I look healthy as a horse on paper so far.
Thank you very much for the info on the types of MRIs.  I am writing it down now, and will call the hospital tomorrow regarding those details.
Again.  Thank you.

[essdipity]

Welcome to the forum. I think you should have had an MRI, ideally MRIs, of brain, neck and thoracic spine, long before now. These should be done using the MS protocol on a good machine, possibly 3T, and with contrast used after the first pass on each area. At a minimum a 1.5T machine, MS protocol, of these areas. Make sure this is what will happen this week.

MRIs are not the whole picture in MS, but still they are very important. If they are done as described and nothing abnormal is found, it is highly unlikely you have MS. Still minimally possible, though.

With MS, many other conditions need to be ruled out. These include those you've mentioned, but make sure you've been tested for various vitamin deficiencies, thyroid problems, and especially considering where you live, Lyme disease. There are other mimics as well. Many neuros order tests such as evoked potentials, which are good MS indicators if abnormal. The lumbar puncture is still used, but less often than previously.

If there were one or more tests that definitively show MS, things would be a lot simpler. Since this is not so, it's a combination of factors that lead to diagnosis, with the McDonald criteria being the medical standard. As said above, MRIs continue to be extremely important, and equally important is the office neurological examination, which should be long and detailed.

If you continue to be without answers, make sure you are seen by a neuro who specializes in MS. There should be quite a few within a reasonable driving distance of your area.

Good luck.

ess