New member - Meg

[Guest guest]

I probably will mostly lurk. I am suspicious I may have a mild form of MS, but have no diagnosis. Saw rheumatologist and neurologist a few years back by referral from my interniest when was having a lot of intermittent muscle weakness. The day I couldn't move my right hand and had to crawl off the toilet had me ask to see someone. Of course, when I saw the neurologist I was just perfectly normal. She suggested I may try SSRI because that sometimes helps people with fibromyalgia. I pointed out that I wasn't complaining about that and I wasn't depressed. She said "But you can try it for a few week, then see if it helps." I said that wouldn't make much sense because my muscle weakness came and went. If I got better, then she would just assume it was the SSRI and I didn't feel like taking such a medication. Well, now I am on SSRI due to really having

gotten depressed - it's been a bad year. My muscle weakness is better than in the past. I haven't had any further hand problems. I have instead gotten major fatigue and sleeping 14 hours a day at times.

Just comes and goes, comes and goes. I had a nice long spell of feeling better, so I now remember what it feels like to have some energy. I don't want to go back to dragging around as too often my normal.

Someone suggested I look into periodical paralysis, which is an electrolyte issue. That is usually genetic. My internist hasn't suggested any further investigation, even though I have told him about my muscle weakness off and on plus showing up with a cooling vest explaining how that and extra A/C in the house was only way to keep going.

So... trying to figure out what I should do. I'm not sure it would do me any good to get a diagnosis, as didn't think I was bad off enough to want to try any of the meds offered. I do realize that I probably couldn't hold a regular job, so been lucky to not have had to do so with self employment. Problem is... we may need a more regular income, assuming one can even find a job now. Kind of frustrated.

Husband very supportive. No kids. We have 2 horses, 2 kitties. I'm middle aged and had some issues of muscle weakness for over a decade, plus prior used to get weird tingling feelings that never though much about.

Thanks for letting me join your group and able to read your archives and maybe gain some wisdom about how to cope with a chronic off/on illness (whether I have MS or not).

Meg F