Far from home and having problems!

[LitDoc]

Hi all,

I'm currently out of the country for a year, and won't be back in the USA until next summer. In the meantime, some of the problems I've been having for some time seem to have gotten worse, and now I've not new problems I can't make head or tail of but that are really scaring me.

For some time I noticed tingling in my hands and arms, especially after I just woke up, as though I'd been lying on them and they were "asleep." That has now gone away. However, bad pain in my legs, hips, and butt that my US doctor thought were caused by Lipitor have gotten worse even though I stopped the Lipitor months ago. I'll get sudden, shooting pains, and I have constant muscle aches that sometimes make it hard to step up on curbs or climb stairs. I seem a bit unsteady on my feet at times, and often wonder if the locals think I've been drinking, lol. I feel tired a lot, and sometimes when I set out for my daily walk, I wonder to myself if I'm going to manage to go and get back or if I'm going to cave and take a taxi.

The scariest part is that twice now I've woken up with blurry vision in my left eye. It stays all day, and then clears up the following morning. But for a whole day I can't see well out of that eye. At the same time I often have pain around the eye, and crazy twitching of the lower eyelid. I've noticed that the night before one of the blurry-eyed episodes, my left foot gets swollen. I've seen both an opthalmologist (three times) and a regular physician, and neither can find anything wrong with me.

I've also developed episodic urinary incontinence! This isn't all the time as I say; only sometimes, and I can't predict what will bring it on. Sometimes it happens if I'm cold or tired, and sometimes it just happens for no discernible reason. It's terrible.

Can anyone give me some advice or feedback?
Thanks,
LitDoc

[frann]

I hope and pray that with the guidance of a good neurologist you will be able to start feeling well and enjoy this time in your career.

I love working with students too, I have been a school nurse for over 18 years. It has been a source of great joy to see young adults overcome many hardships when they find success through education. Since I have had many medical concerns, I have had to take a medical leave for about a year now...I miss working with students.

I will continue to keep you in my prayers.

Keep in touch, let us know if you are able to find a neurologist.

God bless,
Frann

[sllowe]

Hi LitDoc and Welcome!

I'm glad we can be a support system for you.  I also agree w/Johnny, that self diagnosing is not the best, and due to your location, it may be harder on you while you try to figure it out.  What you can do though, is know your symptoms inside and out, so when you schedule that visit - it's productive.  

I come from the complete opposite angle than many on the board.  I was dx'd with MS this year, but knew nothing about it, so, I fought the Dr's tooth and nail over it.  Swore they were missing something.  

I believe the dx now, and am on treatment.  I'm mentioning this because I've learned a lot from research and from members on this board.  They are always supportive, regardless of what you may or may not have, you will learn a lot from our group, and will have our strength to carry you through.  

I wish you the best w/the Embassy Dr., keep pulling yourself out of bed each morning, and make sure one of those mornings include that trip to the Dr., bare minimum you need a battery of some bloodwork.

Wishing you the best,
SL

[LitDoc]

Thanks to you too for your wisdom. I'm a Fulbright Scholar in North Africa, so I'm teaching at a local university for a year. It's a wonderful experience and would be more wonderful yet if I could just feel better physically, but it's getting hard to drag my body out of bed in the mornings.

I'll see what can be prescribed for pain when I see whoever the embassy refers me to.
Thanks again -- I feel a bit less far from home now that I've "talked" to you good people.

[LitDoc]

Hi Johnny,

Thanks for your post. Yes, the US Embassy does have a list of doctors they refer expats to; my problem is that I'm up country, and only rarely can manage to get to the capital. I guess I'm going to have to face that I need to be seen and get myself down there -- I have an extreme fear of physicians (induced, I think, by some real Hitlers I consulted in France as a very young wife), and always have to force myself as far as medical attention is conerned.

As you say, it might be something different from MS, but I have a funny feeling in my funny bone, and experience has taught me the funny bone is often right. Something I forgot to mention last night is that my Reactive C protein was sky-high -- an indication of inflammation. So yes, I will go. Reluctantly, but I'll go.

Thanks again.
LitDoc
PS Utah? I was born in Salt Lake and my father's entire family still lives there.

[Johnny Utah]

  Hi,

  Seems your have a rough time of it. I didn't see in your post anywhere that you have been to a neurologist yet? If you haven't than you should. I'm not sure where your living currently abroad, but I spent 12 years abroad and although medical care varies by country, it is better than self diagnosing.

  Your having a lot of MS type symptoms, but they could also be caused by a number of other things, none of which we could diagnose here. Finding a competent neurologist shouldn't be to difficult. If you can't get a good referral from someone you know and trust since you've been in country, give a call to the US Embassy. Ask if they have respected physicians they can recommend. Their personal stationed overseas have to see doctors occasionally,  and they won't be sending them to someone they feel is incompetent.

  Hope others can recommend some ways to cope with what your going through, Another thing to consider is you may have more than one thing going on. It's nice when you can point to one disease and say its the cause of all of my issues, but the reality is that in some, the symptoms are the result of multiple conditions and thats where getting a neuro examine that checks the basics, to include things like blood work, maybe an MRI, and some other basic tests. Your insurance may not cover any or all of those tests living abroad, but they might. If your without insurance than your probably lucky that your overseas. I found medical treatment much cheaper abroad. There is a reason people travel to half way around the world to have certain procedures done. Its cheaper and generally the quality is on par with most US facilities.

  Drop by again, its always nice to have a new face here or there. Everyone here is first and foremost supportive. They give great advice.

  Take care,

  Johnny

[frann]

Welcome to the forum to both of you... as you may know from reading many of the posts that this is a friendly bunch who will try to help, console, encourage and inform.

From the advice that was given to me and I share with you both... Keep a good timeline of your symptoms and when they occured... try to be specific about how it made you feel..as you gave in the example...msucle pains that make it hard to climb stars... this will give your doctor a good example of what you are going through...

I strongly suggest that you see a neurologist...

Although some of your symptoms may be those in MS, there are many diseases that mimic MS... that is something the neurologist would check for... you need a good neuro exam, blood work and possible MRIs... it is important to have your eyes checked too.

I would also suggest you not offer advice on what medications to take... we do not know what you have, what you are already taking and something that works for one may be a disaster for another... so please be careful in that aspect.

needanswers.... you mentioned you lecture... where and what??

I am sure others will come along with their suggestions...

God bless,
Frann

[LitDoc]

Hi and thanks so much for responding. I'm getting the picture that everyone here (or many people anyway) are like you and me -- searching for answers without really having much information.

If I were you, I wouldn't worry about anyone thinking you're "stupid" -- isn't that what the forum is for? To post questions in the hope of getting some answers? That's why I'm here, and I'm not shy about it. I'm far from home, will be here for nearly a year, know something is wrong with me even if I don't know what it is, and hope someone can give me a clue or two.

Speaking of which, thanks for the tips on muscle relaxers. So far the only meds I have in my first aid kit are aspirin and Ibuprofen, so I'm using those. Maybe I can find a kindly local doctor who will come up with something that will help me stand when I give my lectures; I just hate sitting down, and it seems to put the students to sleep anyway.

Thanks again; hopefully someone will be along to tell us both whether or not the symptoms we have are indicative of MS or not. I'm especially concerned about the problems in my eye. Also, I'm in such darned pain!!

[needanswers54]

Hi!  Not a Doc.  New to the forum.  Keep posting messages for the docs that keep coming back to the MS forum:  so people probably think that I am stupid...What can I say?  Anyway, I have found that muscle relaxers like Skelaxin have helped me along with pain medicine until the muscle relaxers kick in.  Just the muscles being so tight with the constant aches and shooting pains can zap the energy right out of you.  Another neuro told me that taking tizanidine four times a day can also help with the muscle problem and help calm migraines and the tremors.  I do not know if you have fibro, MS, lupus, or what as I am new.  But, nice to meet you and LOL!