Could it be early stage MS?

[cec311]

Had all the IC tests and all have been negative. Just have to pee all the time (not at night). Have several friends with MS and many other symptoms I have are like their early symptoms.

They include:

Blurry Vision that comes and goes
Numbness and shooting pains in legs
Tired constantly even though I'm able to sleep thru the night?

Any thoughts?

[Zygala87]

I have mild MS plus proven IC. They both stink for sure. What test did they do for IC? What test do you think they should do for MS? If you know for sure it's not IC then do ask your Doctor to rule out MS. I'm unsure what can prove MS. I had an MRI plus a spinal tap. They did a HYDRO and took picture to say for sure I have IC. The picture showed terrible bloody sores all over my bladder. I am doing well a year later. I've been on Elmiron plus watch my diet. As my children are grown and I'm retired I can baby myself when a flare hits me. My great pity goes to Mothers with young children and those who must work out-side the home. Keep in touch please and let us know how things turn out. I really care big time. Hugs, Ziggy

[BrittanysDance]

sorry you're having a tough time - but here's some thoughts:

have you been to a neurologist to have him/her check for a pinched nerve and possible fibromyalgia? Pinched nerves can cause all of your symptoms (minus the tiredness) - but that too can be explained if you're not falling into REM stages of sleep patterns.

Just a thought....

Good luck and I hope you feel better soon.

[snowwoman]

Hello,

I am in a midlde of crisis myself, I had a EMG today so i am waiting for the results and I am a little nervous becuase when they stuck the needles in my back I did not feel it at all. However, I have to agree with my doctor told me that IC could be a result from an autoimmune disease. I am also having symtpoms like you are having too. I pee all the time however I am starting to lose my urine with out notice. My legs gets shooting pains plus they fall sleep on me while sitting. Also, I can sleep through the night but the fatigue level is so very high through out the day. Also since I have IC, IBS, Acid Reflux disease, and whatever comes up next now.

Hey does your eye get dry, lose your concentration, and sometime having hard speaking saying your words.

Thanks for listening, I wish you all the luck.
April

[mlzippy7]

I had the spinal tap and MRIs also because I had all the same symptoms but they said right now they believe it is FIBRO but my primary doctor really believes it is the start of MS.

[Silverfox]

Hi,

Hypothyroidism is another disease that can cause these symptoms you listed and some more that others shared.

I always thought that what I had was MS. They tested me for MS and said I did not have MS. They did a spinal tap and this showed that I had a high level of protein in my spinal fluid and then they said they could not tell me why.

They should have known the answer, as I read later in a medical book on hypothyroidism that high protein in spinal fluid occurs in hypothyroidism very often.

I learned about my hypothyroidism from doing my own research and because all the members of my family suffer with hypothyroidism and four of us ladies also have bladder frequency and also a great many of these related symptoms.

Hypothyroidism for example has been known to cause fibromyalgia and thyroid hormones treatment has often been found cure some with fibro.

I think you should ask your Doctor to work with you on this as you deserve a proper diagnosis, and this can make you choose the right treatments and not have to spend money or time trying things that will never help you. If it is found to be caused by a disease such as hypothyroidism the treatment will halt the damage and it is known that early treatment gives the best recovery results.

Just a thought from Silverfox!:woohoo::cat::woohoo:

[BrittanysDance]

Thyroid issues can cause soooooooo many things to go wrong in a body (I myself have Graves Disease, killed off my thyroid many years ago and now live on Synthroid), however I wouldnt recommend self diagnosing for thyroid. While you can "theory down" to possible thyroid issues - the thyroid is SUCH a complicated organ and controls your body like no other organ, afterall, you cannot live without a thyroid or synthetic treatment. A simple blood test can confirm if you are hypo or hyper for your thyroid levels and meds can adjust if need be. This is why a TSH blood test is usually the first line of defense a doctor orders prior to everything else even before going into MS - including MRI's, MRA's, CT's, ect (i've had them all done as well prior to the Graves dx as my doc thought it was possible I had MS and I also suffer from severe migraines). MS shows very clearly most times on a scan - not always, but most of the time it shows as patchy white spots on the brain from what I was told by my neurologist when we were going thru the process of elimination.

I dont know about fibro being caused by thyroid disease or about being helped with thyroid meds, I havent ever heard that; alot of fibro patients have no thyroid issues. I have severe fibro and have had it for 10 plus years now and have had Graves even longer. My thyroid meds do not nor have they ever helped my fibromyalgia. If there is evidence or a study that you have or your doctor has on this, please do share it - every new treatment / study can help those that have fibromyalgia :) and broaden our knowledge.

Thanks!

[snowwoman]

Thank you for your responses, however my thyroid is good there is nothing wrong. My doctor diffently told me that I do have Fibromyaglia. Also, my doctor is having me go through many tests before she makes a ruling on what I have she has me on prednisone which I can not tell if it is helping or not.

Thank you for listening.

[cec311]

Thanks for the advice. My uro says I think it could be IC but bladder looked 100% normal on two cystos. Uro says potassium sensitivity isn't necessary (beginning to disagree with him on this one). I have almost none of the IC symptoms.

Just frequency all the time, fatigue, shooting pains in legs and my vision problems and frequent bowel movements. Sound more like thryoid problems vs IC.

May head back to my family doctor and start asking questions.

[Silverfox]

I think it would be very smart to go back to your family Doc and ask him to help you get the correct diagnosis.

If you like to learn more about thyroid there are some favorite sites on the web. One of my favorites, that I sent my own disbelieving Doctor to is one that is called "stopthethyroidmadness". My Doctor went to that site and it totally changed his mind. My Doctor tells me I taught him more about thyroid than anyone has, and says the thyroid causes so many things. He is a pain Dr. but I told him he will make a wonderful thyroid Doctor and especially all the ladies will love him forever.:love:

Snowwomen, dry eye, fibro, slow speech, lack of concentration and fatigue are all symptoms of hypothyroidism and you should ask your Doctor to double or triple check you as some cases of hypothyroidism with significant symptoms don't show up on standard tests.

If you have multiple symptoms but a negative thyroid tests keep asking for help and keep pushing until you feel your getting the help you need!

Thyroid can be life changing when it has been diagnosed and treated.

May you all get the help you desparately need!:woohoo:

Silverfox

[snowwoman]

Thank you so much for your help, I have had 5 tests since done on my thyroid and they have come back normal. One of my blood work came back really high and that is why my doctor is thinking I might have MS, Lupus, neuropathy disease any other autoimmune disease.

April

[Silverfox]

April, I had a positive ana test and yet then only two months later, after I was on thyroid hormone for two months, my Dr. did the autoimmune test again and it was normal. This meant I did not have Lupus or other autoimmune illness. My Doctor had no explanation.
Keep telling your Doctor about all of your symptoms and learn as much as possible and keep pushing the Doc to help you find the answer to you illness!

Take care, Silverfox

[born2swim]

I think it would be very smart to go back to your family Doc and ask him to help you get the correct diagnosis.

If you like to learn more about thyroid there are some favorite sites on the web. One of my favorites, that I sent my own disbelieving Doctor to is one that is called "stopthethyroidmadness". My Doctor went to that site and it totally changed his mind. My Doctor tells me I taught him more about thyroid than anyone has, and says the thyroid causes so many things. He is a pain Dr. but I told him he will make a wonderful thyroid Doctor and especially all the ladies will love him forever.:love:

Snowwomen, dry eye, fibro, slow speech, lack of concentration and fatigue are all symptoms of hypothyroidism and you should ask your Doctor to double or triple check you as some cases of hypothyroidism with significant symptoms don't show up on standard tests.

If you have multiple symptoms but a negative thyroid tests keep asking for help and keep pushing until you feel your getting the help you need!

Thyroid can be life changing when it has been diagnosed and treated.

May you all get the help you desparately need!:woohoo:

Silverfox


Silverfox,
I am currently being checked for hormone issues as I have a ton of hypothyroid symptoms. Every time my TSH is "normal" (usually around 2.5). I can't get a doctor to check free T3 or free T4 until now. They are doing free T4, but why not free T3? What made your doctor finally listen?

It's quite frustrating that they can't figure out why I am so miserable. I mean, I have never has this little energy in my life and I always have muscle pain or cramps. Muscle weakness is obsene and going up a flight of stairs is very difficult. On top of that water retention/weight gain. Cold intolerance is horrible for me. I actually cry when I have to be outside when it's below 40 degrees F. I just wish someone could explain what is going on!

[my3boysmcr]

April, I had a positive ana test and yet then only two months later, after I was on thyroid hormone for two months, my Dr. did the autoimmune test again and it was normal. This meant I did not have Lupus or other autoimmune illness. My Doctor had no explanation.
Keep telling your Doctor about all of your symptoms and learn as much as possible and keep pushing the Doc to help you find the answer to you illness!

Take care, Silverfox

Some thyroid disorders are autoimmune, such as Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. This is what I have and was diagnosed accidentally about 13 years ago. I complained to the doctor that I was very tired all the time. I was working full-time and was planning my wedding at the time. He said that I was probably anemic or simply not getting enough sleep. He was shocked when my TSH came back at 66! I later went to an endocrinologist who said it was Hashimoto's. I live on Synthroid and will for the rest of my life. I have overall aches and pains as well but have not really pursued it as of yet. I recently started Lyrica anyway so if I see great improvement with my overall pain (not just pelvic pain) then I guess it will mean something.

[Silverfox]

Hi Alyssa,:hi:

I am so sorry that you are feeling so bad. I hope your Doctor is taking a good look at all your signs and symptoms. Hey, all your symptoms are far more important than the labs.

For decades, Doctors diagnosed and treated hypothyroidism using the symptoms only. As for thyroid tests you might ask for TSH (for hypopituitary) Free T4, Free T3 and the thyroid antibodies, ferritin, costisol levels, and B 12

You can have a normal TSH, but if your Free T3 is low in range, this may strongly suggest hypothyroidism. It might be good to do Free T3 just for peace of mind.

I have always been sensitive to the cold, but when we moved to Wisconsin that is when I would cry while my husband drove me to work, it was totally a painful experience. Fatigue, aches and pains, numbness and a ton of other symptoms made me feel too horrible to describe. The intense bladder frequency and pains were the worst part and I never complained until I could not tolerate all this any longer, yet then when I went for help all I heard was "it's all in your head".

When I learned that several others in my family were hypothyroid, I just went to my family Doctor for help with this. He did labs and then started me on Armour thyroid. Over time, I have had some increases in my hormones and recently my migraine headaches have gone away.

You deserve a proper diagnosis and proper treatment for your ton of symptoms! Discuss your feelings and symptoms with your Doc and taking someone with you to take notes and for support might help.

Hugs, Silverfox

[born2swim]

Thanks Silverfox! My doctor ordered a bunch of things: 3 hour glucose tolerance test, FSH, LH, Cortisol, TSH, free T4 (not free T3 though), B12 (I was deficient but have been good for the last few months), testosterone, and a CBC to check for anemia. There is no family history of diabetes, hypothyroidism, PCOS, or adrenal insufficiency (or cushing). So, they are just running a bunch of tests to see if there is anything abnormal. My doctors have wondered about my thyroid for years, but TSH is always normal. I am glad that they are at least checking for T4... but don't know why they didn't order T3. Oh well. I guess I'll do these tests and see where we go from there. I am just so exhausted and it is only getting worse :(

At least I have something that is helping my bladder a bit (Lyrica)!

Thanks again!

[Silverfox]

Hi Alyssa,:hi:

It sounds like your Doctor is doing a good job and trying to help solve the mystery. Maybe you can explain about my experience and he might have more ideas to work on. I have sent you a pm and I hope you let us know the results of the tests and what the Doctor feels is going on with you.
Please do some reading so you can be informed and understand all those tests.

take care Silverfox

[Silverfox]

Hi My3Boys,

Wow 66! Glad they looked for that when you mentioned those symptoms. Hashimoto's is the most common way to become hypothyroid. I sent you a pm and if you wish we can talk again. Keep learning about your thyroid illness and I would like to hear how you are doing with the lyrica.

Take care, Silverfox

[snowwoman]

Hello Silver Fox,

Thankyou so much for your advice and my doctor is taking all the blood work and test everything before she diagnosis me with anything she is very though. Thanks you so much for your advice and help.

April