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Vibrations, tingling now migraines
I have been reading through here to see if I could find some answers and finally decided to go ahead and ask all of you instead of trying to figure it out for myself. I am beyond frustrated at this point and extremely tired of seeing doctors with no definitive answers. I will try and keep my story as brief as possible. :/
I started having problems similiar to what I have now 10 years ago. I will list out what I can remember from back then:
--tingling in my lower left leg
--burning in my face
--blurriness in one eye (they never told me then that I had optic neuritis but when I went to the eye doctor for a floater a couple years later they told me they didn't think it was anything but with my "history of optic neuritis" they were sending me to a specialist)
--I know there were other things, but cannot remember what all was going on back then
Fast forward to 2014:
--in March I got a flat tire on my way out of town and only got 1.5 hours sleep--exhaustion set in. I started having a vibrating sensation going throughout my entire body. I figured it was the exhaustion, however it lasted for about 3 weeks. :/
--during this time, my leg started the tingling/numb sensation again
--when I would get tired, I noticed that I was concentrating on picking my leg up when walking
--my mind at times gets a "foggy" feel (the neurologist tried to tell me this was "mommy fog"--really?! My kids are 12-20 years old. You could have told me that 10 years ago--back then I knew mommy fog--but not now)
--In the last 2 weeks I have had 3 migraines with the zig zag aura in my vision. This has never happened to me before and since I told the neurologist about it that is now all we are focusing on.
I have had lots of bloodwork, MRI of head and spine--all normal. The only thing coming back abnormal is the EMG/Nerve study--it is showing a neuropathy in my left leg. I am sorry to say that I was actually happy something showed up since I am leaning toward the "It's all in my head" scenario. :/
In short, I am just wondering if anyone else has had all of this (and from posts I can tell you have), but any advice would be appreciated. I just can't imagine that these are not all interconnected somehow. Thanks in advance!!
I started having problems similiar to what I have now 10 years ago. I will list out what I can remember from back then:
--tingling in my lower left leg
--burning in my face
--blurriness in one eye (they never told me then that I had optic neuritis but when I went to the eye doctor for a floater a couple years later they told me they didn't think it was anything but with my "history of optic neuritis" they were sending me to a specialist)
--I know there were other things, but cannot remember what all was going on back then
Fast forward to 2014:
--in March I got a flat tire on my way out of town and only got 1.5 hours sleep--exhaustion set in. I started having a vibrating sensation going throughout my entire body. I figured it was the exhaustion, however it lasted for about 3 weeks. :/
--during this time, my leg started the tingling/numb sensation again
--when I would get tired, I noticed that I was concentrating on picking my leg up when walking
--my mind at times gets a "foggy" feel (the neurologist tried to tell me this was "mommy fog"--really?! My kids are 12-20 years old. You could have told me that 10 years ago--back then I knew mommy fog--but not now)
--In the last 2 weeks I have had 3 migraines with the zig zag aura in my vision. This has never happened to me before and since I told the neurologist about it that is now all we are focusing on.
I have had lots of bloodwork, MRI of head and spine--all normal. The only thing coming back abnormal is the EMG/Nerve study--it is showing a neuropathy in my left leg. I am sorry to say that I was actually happy something showed up since I am leaning toward the "It's all in my head" scenario. :/
In short, I am just wondering if anyone else has had all of this (and from posts I can tell you have), but any advice would be appreciated. I just can't imagine that these are not all interconnected somehow. Thanks in advance!!
Thank you HVAC. The problem is I know there is something wrong, I just don't know what it is. It is very frustrating that they only focus on one problem when you go in for a visit. I am at a loss right now as to where to go or what to do. Ugh!
Thanks so much for your reply! It makes me feel a little better. I would just like to know what is going on. :/
First off all most people want validation what we are experiencing is real. Trust yourself you are your best advocate. My GP thought I was a hypochondriac before she found MS and then Cancer. What I say to doctors is"I do not know what is wrong but something is terribly wrong".
As far as the Optic neuritis is concerned if you had ever had it it will show up on a brain MRI the optic nerve looks thinner or the new photos of the eye the optometrists now take. He showed where I had had optic nerve damage a very long time ago. But it could have been some other damage to the optic nerve I have had double vision as far as I can remember. My MS started when I was a toddler and I did not know things I thought were normal were actually do to MS
.Optic neuritis is usually in one eye at a time. It can cause blindness or effect color saturation. Red becomes pink, dark green turns light. It hurts to turn your eyes.Sometimes the symptoms go away in a few weeks or they can be permanent.
The other important bit of knowledge is neurologist specialize. Some in headaches, some in spinal cord injuries, some in strokes, some in parkisons, and some in MS. You can get a neurologist who knows very little about MS.I did she was a headache specialist. She only wanted to deal with headaches.
Another bit of information is many neurologists only focus on one symptoms at a time even when you are diagnosed with MS.Mine say what is your chief complaint and that is it for that appointment.
Yes you can have several things going on at once I have MS, asthma, 4 bad disks,thyroid, and migraines.
Perimenupause or menopause can cause brain fog forgetting names is classic.
There are 800 neurological disorders and thirty none neurologic MS mimics. It is good to have a good GP to send you in the right direction. Doctors are very specialized and see little outside their specialty.
Over the years I have seen people diagnosed with MS and others diagnosed with many other diseases.
If in your gut you think you have MS go to a MS Specialist. A good GP can tell if you have a neurological disorder with a simple neuro exam, reflexes and such. My GP found my MS this way.
It took me several neurologist, finally a MS specialist. It took him over a year and half to diagnose me with MS. I had 5 abnormal MRIs, an abnormal Evoke Potential and an abnormal Lumbar Puncture. I was told by several neurologists I would be diagnosed with MS but no one would diagnose me.The trick, and this is weird, it is not MS until the Neurologist says it is MS. The MS Specialist looked at the same MRi and told me it was not MS and looking at the same MRI three months later showed me why it had to be MS.
If you are confused and frustrated you are not alone.
Alex
My MS Specialist sent me to a pain clinic. I see them once a month and the MS specialist every two years.
As far as the Optic neuritis is concerned if you had ever had it it will show up on a brain MRI the optic nerve looks thinner or the new photos of the eye the optometrists now take. He showed where I had had optic nerve damage a very long time ago. But it could have been some other damage to the optic nerve I have had double vision as far as I can remember. My MS started when I was a toddler and I did not know things I thought were normal were actually do to MS
.Optic neuritis is usually in one eye at a time. It can cause blindness or effect color saturation. Red becomes pink, dark green turns light. It hurts to turn your eyes.Sometimes the symptoms go away in a few weeks or they can be permanent.
The other important bit of knowledge is neurologist specialize. Some in headaches, some in spinal cord injuries, some in strokes, some in parkisons, and some in MS. You can get a neurologist who knows very little about MS.I did she was a headache specialist. She only wanted to deal with headaches.
Another bit of information is many neurologists only focus on one symptoms at a time even when you are diagnosed with MS.Mine say what is your chief complaint and that is it for that appointment.
Yes you can have several things going on at once I have MS, asthma, 4 bad disks,thyroid, and migraines.
Perimenupause or menopause can cause brain fog forgetting names is classic.
There are 800 neurological disorders and thirty none neurologic MS mimics. It is good to have a good GP to send you in the right direction. Doctors are very specialized and see little outside their specialty.
Over the years I have seen people diagnosed with MS and others diagnosed with many other diseases.
If in your gut you think you have MS go to a MS Specialist. A good GP can tell if you have a neurological disorder with a simple neuro exam, reflexes and such. My GP found my MS this way.
It took me several neurologist, finally a MS specialist. It took him over a year and half to diagnose me with MS. I had 5 abnormal MRIs, an abnormal Evoke Potential and an abnormal Lumbar Puncture. I was told by several neurologists I would be diagnosed with MS but no one would diagnose me.The trick, and this is weird, it is not MS until the Neurologist says it is MS. The MS Specialist looked at the same MRi and told me it was not MS and looking at the same MRI three months later showed me why it had to be MS.
If you are confused and frustrated you are not alone.
Alex
My MS Specialist sent me to a pain clinic. I see them once a month and the MS specialist every two years.
Thank you for your response. It puts my mind at more ease. I just wish they could figure out what is going on. The mommy-fog really pushed me over the edge....worse part is it was a woman!
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hi and welcome,
Unilateral sensory changes are definitely more common in MS but in MS the EMG results are typically perfectly normal, I believe that's because [err don't quote me lol] the EMG is actually testing the peripheral nervous system and MS is the central nervous system.
Abnormal results are associated with quite a few conditions, and an MSer can definitely have more than one thing going on but it's often totally separate to their MS eg Sciatica. This article lists and then links to the main conditions associated with abnormal EMG, that you might find worth reading...
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003929.htm
If your brain and spinal MRI's found nothing at all abnormal, it's doubtful the causation will turn out to be something like MS, because you've traced this back to starting about 10 years ago and if it was MS, you'd definitely have lesion evidence by now. I would probably suggest seeing your general doctor about what other tests you might need, now you have the abnormal EMG results, it should help narrow down the possibilities.
Cheers.......JJ
btw i had a giggle at the mummy-fog lasting up to 20 years idea lol rolling eyes in sarcasm yep definitely plausible :D I wonder how 'he' came up with that pearl of wisdom lol
Unilateral sensory changes are definitely more common in MS but in MS the EMG results are typically perfectly normal, I believe that's because [err don't quote me lol] the EMG is actually testing the peripheral nervous system and MS is the central nervous system.
Abnormal results are associated with quite a few conditions, and an MSer can definitely have more than one thing going on but it's often totally separate to their MS eg Sciatica. This article lists and then links to the main conditions associated with abnormal EMG, that you might find worth reading...
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003929.htm
If your brain and spinal MRI's found nothing at all abnormal, it's doubtful the causation will turn out to be something like MS, because you've traced this back to starting about 10 years ago and if it was MS, you'd definitely have lesion evidence by now. I would probably suggest seeing your general doctor about what other tests you might need, now you have the abnormal EMG results, it should help narrow down the possibilities.
Cheers.......JJ
btw i had a giggle at the mummy-fog lasting up to 20 years idea lol rolling eyes in sarcasm yep definitely plausible :D I wonder how 'he' came up with that pearl of wisdom lol
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