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Should I be concerned that I may have MS?

Hi there! I have had some tingling/buzzing/burning in one of my legs for a few weeks now I went to see my orthopedist, thinking it was my ankle and knee. After taking X-rays of both and hearing my symptoms, he had additional films done of my back. He thinks I have sciatica and put me on a dose pack of medrol, but it did zip. The pain/tingling seems to radiate up my leg instead of down, so I started doing some internet searched (and, of course freaked myself out). I dismissed most of the alternative diagnoses for various symptoms that didn't fit. But the possibility of MS has haunted me.
I would like unbiased opinions to help me inquire about or dismiss the option.
Here is the info I can provide:

Recent (REALLY annoying) tingling/numbness/burning in left leg/knee/foot.
Sudden spells of blurry vision approximately a year ago (eye doc dismissed as eye fatigue)
Fatigue (but I also have a job that required I wake up at 2:30am, so...)
Biological mother claimed to have MS, but unsure when/if diagnosed (I have no first-hand knowledge - I was in foster care)
General headaches for years
I am 46 (wouldn't I have had more significant symptoms before now?)

So...any cause for concern?
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Avatar universal
Thanks! And I know all of this, of course. It's just easy to get concerned. I appreciate the feedback and reassurance
Helpful - 0
987762 tn?1671273328
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hi and welcome,

It's very very common to freak your self out googling symptoms and reading about medical conditions like MS that has so many different symptoms associated with it, but a neurological condition like MS is statistically one of the less likely explanation for the majority of symptoms..

If your pain and tingling is radiating upwards from the lower leg, off the top of my head it sounds like it could be the upward pattern of Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome, i do know you can have both sciatica and Tarsal Tunnel at the same time but more to the point is that a radiating or spreading pattern is more suggestive of nerve entrapment than what happens when nerve pain and tingling is caused by brain and or spinal cord lesions as MS is.

Visual issues are very common in MS but if the health of your eyes and vision was normal, there is nothing to suggest the blurred vision a year ago was anything more than just what it was determined to be....bilateral blurred vision is very common for a host of reasons and isn't specific to MS, the visual issues more suggestive of MS are Nystagmus, Optic Neuritis, diplopia (double) etc

Your biological mother may or may not have been diagnosed with MS, IF you did have a parent or sibling dx with MS there is only a slight increase in your odds because MS isn't a genetically inheritable condition, it's actually more common to be the only person in the family that has MS than to have multiple family members, it can happen but it's not the norm.

The most common diagnosed age group is between your 20's and 40's but MS can actually present at any age....From what you have mention for what it's worth, i don't see that there would be any reason for you to be concerned about having a neurological condition like MS.

Hope that helps....JJ
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