Numbness in left side of body...MS?

[tmmontgomery]

Hello all,

I have been having some miserable symptoms for over a month now, and I just don't know what to do. I wake up every day and feel miserable, most of the time worse than the day before. I have been to a neurologist who took basically an entire MRI body scan (minus my legs) to check for MS or anything else that might be causing my symptoms. Got the results back Wednesday and everything came back normal. Did a CT scan a few weeks back at the ER (went because I was feeling so awful) and came back completely normal.

Symptoms are as follows:

-Generalized weakness (feeling like I have no energy at all)
-Weakness on left side of body. Does not interfere with walking or movement, but my internal medicine doctor said my grip was slightly less on my left side than right, and my left eye, when looking all the way to the left, seems very slightly shaky.
-Heaviness in left side of body, mostly in leg. Again, this does not have an affect on my walking or balance.
-Vibrating sensation in body. Mostly in foot. Sometimes in abdomen and chest. Comes and goes it seems, or maybe I'm just not noticing it at certain times.
-Sometimes tingling in my left foot. It seems to only to do it when I'm sitting criss cross apple sauce... it might just be my foot going to sleep, I am not sure.
-Feeling that I'm in a dream. Things don't seem as real or solid as they used to. When I do a task, I have to reassure myself that I'm actually doing it. When I wake up, I have to make sure I tell myself who I am (even though I already know and never forget.) I feel sometimes like my body is foreign, my hands move but I don't know how they're moving. or I walk and I know I'm walking, but it just feels like I am on autopilot. Almost like I am loosing my mind.
-Shakiness, especially in hands. Not pronounced, but it's noticeable.
-Feeling of fullness in left side of abdomen.
-Trouble swallowing sometimes. It comes and goes. It almost seems if I think about swallowing, that's when it seems to get harder to.
-Tired, bloodshot eyes (feel like I have been looking at a computer screen all day, even though I haven't.)
-I don't feel as sharp as I usually am. Sometimes I have to read something more than one time to really get it, and I've noticed when I talk, sometimes I trip over some words. Here lately though my speech has seemed pretty much okay.

There are more symptoms, but I don't want to confuse anybody or start listing too much, as I know sometimes that can make it hard to see what's going on. As I said, my neurologist said that I checked out fine physically when he did my exam. Said there was nothing out of the ordinary, no signs of Optic Neuritis, no trouble with balance or anything like that, so I was pretty confident it was not MS at that time. His office said my MRI looked completely normal, no lesions. I was reading elsewhere in the forum about the whole no lesion MRI thing. I haven't done any type of nerve testing, and I am thinking that that would be the next step because of the heavyness and sometimes tingling. My nuero is wanting to do a tilt table test to I guess check for dysautonomia? Because I told him sometimes I feel like I'm going to pass out (MISTAKEEEE!!) even though I know I'm not really going to pass out... it's just that feeling I get. It's almost like a rush of adrenaline. Not really sure how to describe it.

I saw a very good internal medicine MD just a few days ago who said that there were tons of things that could be causing the symptoms that I'm having. I have been through a significant amount of stress lately, so he prescribed Wellbutrin 75 MG once a day to see if that would help with the brain fog/dreamy feeling. I have been on it for three days, with no affect being seen yet. I realize these types of medicines take a little while to work.

So what could this all mean??? I wake up every day feeling worse and worse, it has caused me to basically stop my life and stay at home with my mom. I want to get back to normal so bad!!! It is very frustrating because I don't feel like my normal self. I haven't driven in three weeks. It's even hard for me to ride in a car without feeling very freaky.

I have really thought about it being MS... but from what I can understand, most of the time MS isn't really debilitating in it's first stages right?. It's more just annoying. Like I said, the thing that has got me really unable to do anything is the feeling of dreamyness. I can deal with the physical symptoms all day, but when it comes to my mind and not feeling like myself, like I'm a zombie almost, it's very scary.

thanks for any type of light anyone can shed on my problem. very desperate for answers. I love the internal medicine doc, but you can't see your doctor every day so in between I'm TRYING to find anything to help.

-taylor

[Sparkysarah]

Hi Taylor

Just to welcome you to the forum and say hi.  I am sorry that you are going through all this and experiencing so many confusing symptoms.  I sense that you are quite anxious about everything and all I can say is that it is necessary to go through the testing to enable the doctors to hopefully understand what may be going on in your body.

It is good news that your MRI's appeared to be normal as you certainly do not want MS so all I can say is keep an open mind, try and be patient and keep us posted as to how you get on.

With best wishes

Sarah

[tmmontgomery]

Also deb (sorry I keep adding things!!)...

In my blood work, my lymphocyte count has been just below the low range, averaging about 14%.... do the Thyroid T3 and T4 cells fall into this lymphocyte range? Because if so... I think we could possibly have an answer.  :)

[tmmontgomery]

And also Deb... Do you have any experience of knowledge with how long a flair up could last? I mean... I have been having these symptoms for over a month now... and the only real thing that has gotten worse is the feeling of disreality... my strength, ability to walk fine, etc all are fine. It is the increased heart rate and blood pressure that have got me concerned.  

[tmmontgomery]

Deb!

Thank you so much for all of your information. I feel like you are going to be a great source through all of this.

Actually, I have not had any thyroid tests done. I have been seriously thinking about it, and it is going to be the first thing that I mention to my doctor when I go back for my next appointment, because I agree some of my symptoms do line up with hyperthyroidism. Very interesting. Is your blood pressure/heartrate up or down? So I guess I need to definitely have that test done.

I have actually been doing (so far) a pretty fabulous job of keeping up with my own records. Granted I haven't gotten any of the imaging studies for myself, but I do certainly have all of my bloodwork that I've had done and also my ER visit record which has EKG results and lots of other fun stuff with it.

I am having a real problem with the disreality feeling that I am having... it feels like I am not here... like I am in a dream. I would really, really love to get that eased up before I continue on with stuff... because it is the most debilitating symptom that I am having. Back when I was having this feeling in 2006... when I was about 14 or 15... I went to so many specialists, and they could never find anything, so I went to a psyche who prescribed me Lexapro and it actually helped me alot. So I am thinking that I might ask my doctor if I could possibly get on that rather than this Wellbutrin that I am on now.  

It is interesting to note that over the last few days, I have noticed that the weakness in my left side is less pronounced. I am not sure if it has to do with the fact that I am just so tired and fatigued in my entire body or what, but I have seemed to notice it less. I have noticed though that my left foot seems to go to sleep quicker for some reason than my right. If I am sitting in one spot for a long time, like with my legs criss cross apple-sauce, it will go to sleep quicker, maybe in, I don't know, 15 or 20 minutes or so?

About my MRI, my neurologist ordered it, and it was in a GE 1.5T closed with my entire head and C and T spines I think. So it was pretty much my entire body minus my legs. Do you think that was sufficient? I think you are right though... I should definitely get a copy of it... How much did you have to pay for that?

I definitely agree though... it is just awful Deb!! I do not know what to do... If only I could have some type of relief. Everyday I wake up and just feel so awful. I did actually get some sleep last night thanks to Lunesta (was so scared but it is seeming to help and no sleep walking so YAY! haha) so maybe getting some good sleep over the next few days will help me to start to calm down a little bit. I think my body is just very tired at this point.

thank you so much for all of your well wishes.

Any more comment/thoughts from you Deb or anybody else are so welcomed, I never ever get tired of commenting or posting back... it kind of gets my mind off how I am feeling for a little while.

-taylor

[Deb61]

Hi Taylor!

I bet the heat of the summer doesn't help your neurological symptoms one bit, either!  I am wondering something. Have you had a thyroid test with your bloodwork?  Your heart rate, bloodwork, neurological symptoms, shakiness, fatigue, lack of sleep, eye issues, etc. seem to go along with a thyroid disorder or metabolic symptom.  Your symptoms seem to support hyperthyroidism.  I have the oppositie--hypothyroidism.  I have problems with my blood pressure, irregular heart beat, fatigue, cognitive issues.   Hashimoto's is an autoimmune disorder.  It  typically starts out as hyperthyroidism before turning into hypothyroidsm.  As it turns out, many people with MS, from what I've learned in this forum, have thyroid disease.  I probably had hyperthyroidism when I was younger because I was very thin and just couldn't gain weight.  Well, enough of the thyroid stuff.  Your tests probably normal and I'm just rambling on and on about it.

The echocardiogram will rule out a few things, too.  They found something on it, and I can't remember what it was--but it was minor and was not going to be an issue.  My sister had the tilt table test, and someone is with you the whole time.  She does have some autonomic dysfunction that the neuro said to her that probably goes along with her MS.  I would explain your fear to the cardiologist before you start the test.  Maybe he will stick around in the room to help relieve the anxiety about the test.  Maybe have someone go with you, too.

To answer your question about the MRI.  My first MRI was negative.  When I had the first one, my GP order it and was not looking specifically for MS.  He ordered it to rule out a brain tumor.  I was having many headaches and had an array of symptoms.  The MRI I had was done on a weak open MRI machine.  Lots of things can be missed when MS protocol isn't used.  My second MRI on a 1.5T machine with MS protocol two years later, revealed lesions--at that time the neuro said that I had a demyelinating disease because of lesions around the corpus callosum.  Six months later, even more lesions and the growth of the lesions that I had.  I was diagnosed the day that the neuro went over that MRI.  

My sister had a very difficult time getting her diagnosis.  Her first MRI was read as normal.  She went to several neurologists.  Finally, she gets another MRI of the brain and C-spine.  Her lesions were found in her brain stem.  She is quite a bit more disabled than me and cannot walk.  It's amazing that the neurologists didn't find anything, but from what I understand is that sometimes brain stem lesions are hard to spot.  Now she has lesions spotted on the other parts of her brain and even black holes and is on a Tysabri infusion that she receives once a month.  

I'm sorry if I'm rambling, but wanted to kind of answer your question about the MRI.  Yes, it is possible to miss MRI lesions.  Sometimes, especially early on, they are just not ready to show on the MRI.  Additionally, sometimes the radiologist misses them. My radiologist report differed from what my neurologist saw when he went over the MRI in his office the day of my diagnosis.  The neurologist should go over the MRI with you looking over his shoulder.  

There are lots of great health pages on this site written mostly by a doctor (formerly a pediatrician) that frequently posts on this forum and was one of the founds of the forum named Quix.  She is very knowledgeable and has quite a story herself.  I'm going to attach a link to one of the pages that she has written.  There are other really good ones.  If you go up to the upper right-hand corner of this page, you'll see other good ones.  

http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Multiple-Sclerosis/How-Can-a-Person-with-MS-Have-a-Negative-MRI/show/161?cid=36

I would get a copy of all of your bloodwork, MRI report and the actual MRI on CD/DVD.  Start keeping records for yourself.  I'm not saying you have MS, but the kinds of symptoms you're having need an explanation.  

Wishing you the best, my friend.  Hoping you're feeling better today.

Deb

[tmmontgomery]

Also Deb, did they find any lesions on your MRI? The nuero felt very strongly that I didn't have MS, but he did the MRI just to make sure, but I know there are cases that don't show up on MRI. Also, it seems that I am more generally fatigued now, but I can still feel it a little stronger on my left side than in my right.