poss MS

[jorbaby]

I have tingling or I guess you could also say a crawling feeling above my eye in the brow area and under my eye, Blurred vision sometimes but not all the time comes and goes.My DR. says i am to old for MS  55 but I feel like I have had a lot of the symptons for a while I am waiting for them to call me for my appointment to get the MRI i am very scared any suggestions? Thank you Diana

[willowwoman7]

Hey, Diana.

I was dx'd at 51 and told at that time, I had probably had MS for at least 20 on up to 25 years. What brought it into "focus" was a feeling of my eye being swollen (like it is now), pain in and above the eye with burning and numbness, like novacaine wearing off - the entire side of my face including my ear. Right after that, I had an episode of mental confusion in WalMart's parking lot that scared the snot out of me. It only lasted for about 15 minues, but that was enough. For years and years I had symptoms but it was always chalked up to stress, or depression (I wasn't depressed-just frustrated that no one knew what was wrong). It wasn't until I had the eye/face problem and the confusion that a doctor began to take me seriuosly and sent me to a neurologist. He thought I was probably too old to have MS, but then based on the symptoms told me I have lived with MS many many years. I agree with Nancy, not everyone has severe MS so don't borrow trouble. Try to wait until you get the MRI and see what happens.

[Nancy T]

Hi Diana. That sounds very much like how my "face shocks" started. A tingly little electric shock simultaneously above and below my left eye. It progressed to run all the way around my eye (in a semicircle), and later into my nose and upper lip. This would be sensations from the trigeminal nerve. I did not have any blurred vision.

Age 55 is definitely not too old for MS. Many people are diagnosed in their 50s. If you do have MS, you have probably had it for quite awhile but symptoms just haven't shown up strongly enough.

Of course there are lots of other things that can cause tingling and blurred vision. While you wait for the MRI (and I presume you have a follow-up appointment and are seeing a neurologist), try not to worry about something that might not occur. Even if you do have MS, not everyone gets it bad.

(Note that although I've had these face shocks for 10 years, I am not diagnosed with anything.)

Nancy T.