Fibromyalgia, possible multiple sclerosis symptoms?
I am a 36 year old female diagnosed with fibromyalgia, degenertive disc disease, and osteoarthritis. I have had tingling and numbness from my right knee down through my toes. The numbness is so bad I can not walk or drive a car. I have also has muscle twitching (it looks like I am popping popcorn under my skin) in all parts of my body. I have had blurry, cloudy vision in my left eye and I see what looks like little pieces of string floating around. The fatigue is horrible. I can barely get out of the bed in the morning. By lunch time I am so exhausted it takes all I have to finish the day. I have had muscle vibrations in parts of my body. My rhuemotologist sent me to a neurologist. The neurologist stated possible MS and sent me for an MRI of the brain. The MRI was normal; however these symptoms come and go with no apparent pattern. Should I have the neurologist do an MRI of the spine? Can all these symptoms be related to the fibro? I thought that fibromyalgia did not really progress much and the flares would not get worse with time. However, each flare I have is progressively worse with a longer recovery time. Sometimes, new symptoms appear, other times the old ones get worse. Can I rule out MS based on the negative brain MRI??
?
Thank you for any advice and direction you can give.
Dr. Joshua’s Answer
Tingling, numbness, twitching, blurry vision and fatigue are the sort of symptoms that are not specific to any disease. This means that these symptoms can occur in a wide variety of diseases and conditions, and can also occur without there being any serious underlying illness. I’m happy that you saw a neurologist, and that your brain MRI was normal. This speaks against multiple sclerosis. The symptoms you describe may occur with fibromyalgia. However, I cannot say whether you should or should not have further examinations done - ask your neurologist for his/her opinion. Physical examination and thorough history are needed in addition to MRI and other radiology and/or lab tests. A neurologist can evaluate the significance of your numbness/tingling/twitching symptoms and the need for further examinations. There are other possible causes than MS - and often no single cause is found, which usually means that the symptoms will get better with time.
Talk to your neurologist: Is he/she happy that MS and other serious causes has been excluded? Does your neurologist feel that you have been sufficiently examined? Your own doctor can answer these questions - unfortunately I can not.
Some possible causes for the type of leg numbness you describe include (but are not limited to) herniated lumbar disc and peripheral nerve impingement. A thorough physical examination is needed to determine whether there is need for further investigations such as ENMG or MRI.
The pieces of string floating around in your field of vision are probably just so-called floaters; they are common and affect most of us to some degree. They result from the clumping of proteins in the vitreous fluid (the clear gel-like substance that fills the eye). This clumping increases with age, as does the appearance of floaters. If problems with your eyes and vision persists, I recommend that you see an ophthalmologist and have your eyes and vision checked.
Again, please talk to your own physician if these symptoms persist. Also, may I recommend that you review your medication with your own doctor, and make sure your fatigue and morning sleepiness is not caused by a sedative drug, and that you do not suffer from depression. Good luck!
Discuss this topic on the Health Forum
More answers in Eye - Vision, Family Doctor, Multiple Sclerosis, Neurology
