Re: Strange Symptoms.... MS?
- From: Brad <bakantor@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2008 13:47:19 -0700 (PDT)
On Aug 16, 10:12 am, Tick <olt...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Jed commented, "Good luck. If I were religious, I would pray for
you."
Jed, I'm not religious but I pray anyway. There are powerful forces
out there. :-)
That being said, you gave great advice.
Tick
---
On Aug 16, 4:40 am, Jed Clampett <jed_clamp...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
On Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:31:31 -0400, Brad wrote
(in article
<20a3c617-efb6-4986-a7a9-43d684255...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>):
You must be very frightened. I would be. I know from experience that it's
too easy to talk yourself into things. Objectivity and rationality go out
the window and you start seeing connections that aren't there. Then your
panic starts causing symptoms. I, for one, would be surprised if it were MS
but what do I know? It just doesn't sound like the way it usually initially
presents. MS is an exclusionary diagnosis - what's left after they have
ruled everything else out. They really don't understand it or what causes it
or how to treat it. Other than that, they are pretty good :-)
It sounds like a central nervous system problem to me. I'd be looking for
some kind of tumor in the areas of the brain that control the major symptoms
you are experiencing. It could also be a pathogen or a surplus or deficiency
of some chemical, eg a neurotransmitter.
I'd start with a neurologist and an endocrinologist, get some cat scans and
blood work done. And recognize that every symptom you are experiencing is
not necessarily part of one central cause.
It all started about 4 years ago... I was having strange achilles
tendon pain. It didn't feel like a tear or a bruise... more like
tennis elbow. It would expand into the plantar facia and up into the
calf muscle. It crawled like restless leg. MRI showed minimal to no
inflamation and antiinflamitories didn't help. This has come and went
over the last 4 years.
I have a hundred such unexplained symptoms that come and go. It seems to be
part of the aging process.
2 Years ago, some muscle twitching has started and seems to follow
along with the tendon issues. Everything from minor pinky twitches at
3/second to full body twitches to wake me up. The twitching is really
annoying and adds stress to the situation. My nerves and reflexes
seem really sensitive. Simple brushes against my skin cause me to
pull away fiercly... think of the fingernails down the chalkboard
example.
I now have been getting very dizzy, so dizzy I close my eyes and go to
sleep (not intentionally). It's worst sitting down and I can actually
function standing up. It hits me fast and I'm out, staring at a post
worth of zzzzzzzzzzz's or ggggggggggggggg's as my fingers rest on the
keyboard. Turning my head feels like ocean waves striking the shore
and it takes a moment to regain orientation.
I am loosing words. I have recently been diagnosed as bipolar. I'm
all over the place. I was before but this is worse. Loud sounds are
making me jump across the room at times where I wouldn't even hear
them before. My brain is in a fog and I have the feeling of waves
rolling from the back of my head through to the front. I can't
remember questions I planned to ask. I can't remember names or find
my words. When I can't find my words I get frustrated and people
think I'm getting defensive when I'm simply frustrated with myself.
My short term memory is terrible. I had a sense of time and stayed in
touch with reality. Now, time disappears. I forget conversations. I
can't tell which direction sounds are coming from and they seem like
they are all around me. I was smart. Maybe I still am smart but I
don't feel it. I feel my mind disappearing.
"Bipolar" is another of those diagnoses that sound like they know what is
going on but are really are just descriptive. Are you taking any
anti-psychotic medicines? These can have effects similar to those you are
describing.
The above symptoms have come and gone over these four years. The one
key is they're all present together. I am in the middle of a full-
blown episode now. I don't want to have to live with these symptoms.
Yes, I am on a few new medications but these symptoms seem to be
independant of them.
I would like to hear what people think and perhaps point me in the
right direction. Links to other active MS sights on the web would be
useful.
Thanks for any help you can provide!
Brad
First, don't simply try to figure it out yourself using the internet ;-) You
need to take charge of the process but you don't have the knowledge or
experience or access to diagnostic tests to do it alone. The problem with
just going to say, a neurologist, is that to a hammer everything looks like a
nail. You need to enlist some competent generalist, eg an internal medicine
doctor to "case manage" you. That's easier said than done and you better
have a lot of patience, excellent insurance, and good luck.
The good news, if you can call it that, is that with the dramatic symptoms
you seem to be experiencing they should be able to narrow things down pretty
quickly.
As you can probably tell I am very cynical after many years of wasted time,
effort, and money. Our medical system has been complicit in fostering the
myth that they have evolved much beyond "bleed and purge". Never the less I
am convinced that if you go in with your eyes open and realistic
expectations, you will be better off if for no other reason than because you
are taking control of your own destiny.
Good luck. If I were religious, I would pray for you.
--
Jed
** Posted fromhttp://www.teranews.com**-Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -
Great indeed! Don't worry, I'm not religious either.
.
- References:
- Strange Symptoms.... MS?
- From: Brad
- Re: Strange Symptoms.... MS?
- From: Tick
- Strange Symptoms.... MS?
- Prev by Date: Re: A Social Network for Your Doctor, Pharmacist and Insurer
- Next by Date: Re: A Social Network for Your Doctor, Pharmacist and Insurer
- Previous by thread: Re: Strange Symptoms.... MS?
- Next by thread: A Social Network for Your Doctor, Pharmacist and Insurer
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
