well Lorraine, I understand its frustrating, I am seeing a MS specialist, not dx yet. But My symptoms were many. I had severe low back pain. like contraction low back pain, muscle pain, frequent urination, noise sensory, burning, right eye stabbing pain, heart arithmias, cant spell sorry, short of breath, pin and needles pricks, slurring speach, balance issues, numbness in my face and more but I dont want to scare you that bad!
I hope you get help and if you need to talk I'm here! Bonnie

The first exacerbation (spelling???) I had was the loss/weakness in the left side of my body. My hand, face, and leg were numbing and very weak. I couldn't hold my daughter. That lasted about 1 month, then same thing happend to my right side...I have since been dx in 2005. I haven't had another "relapse" per say, but lots of symptoms. I have very bad balance, fatigue, some numbness; comes and goes, I experience L'hermittes sign frequently, pain in my neck and legs...to name a few. Good luck!

I was at my hip injury follow up in 2005 and complained about fatigue being so bad I could do a damn thing. But I had been diagnosed in 2003 with Chronic Fatigue, so my doc was used to me talking to her about it. But it was at this particular doctor appointment where she connected the symptoms that had surfaced throughout the past 20 plus years that made her sum it all up for me. For years I have been going to doctors with this and that symptom, only to have tests taken with negative results and docs saying nothing there. But I am the one who felt it, lived it..me and my family and friends and relationships. And I had given up after awhile, feeling like you hit a never ending brick wall. So the doctor turns to me and says OMG you have MS!!! And I was shocked but asked a billion questions right there in her office. And right after that she sent me to a neurologist who I was told was one of the best in his field. So for me, it was due to a trail of symptoms through the years, before I got to the neuro. What were they? Mine began in 1978, when I was in 7th grade...my first symptom was fatigue. That has stayed with me all these years. In my junior and senior year of high school (1981, 1982) my left arm had nonstop tingling, then pins and needles,...then stabbing pins and needles, and then numbness. I also had difficulties swallowing and chewing. My muscles in my arms were very weak. I developed the oopsie dropsies with both hands through the years, slurred speech, balance problems...tipsy...eye coordination difficulties, the sensation of fire in my arms and legs. This year I now get periodically all body earthquake shakes...where my body will just intensely shake for a few minutes. I get periodic non control with my urination. There is a host of others that escape me right now, but you get the idea. For some people, the diagnosis is quite clear immedately. For others, it takes some time, and some times years, even though you can have the symptoms for many years.

Big hugs Ellen

started with back pain like bonster described.that's never gone away.then weak/heaviness in legs off and on before that numbness in left arm during theese cronic fatigue mabey the bladder not voiding was second,blurred vision off and on,falls,oh yah extreem heat sensitivity,forgetfullness,......i have been told by one m.s. person that i have primary progressive but my diagnosis is relapsing remissive

My relapse was actually now looking back kind of funny. I got up to get my kiddo up for school and my legs decided to stay in bed. I fell into the nightstand and woke my hubby up who worked graveyard the night before. I was so bruised it wasn't funny. I got kid to school and call the neuro and she started me on Solumedrol IV and I was able to walk again, But I still have problems walking.I can only walk very short distances and my legs get weak and shaky. But thats the only documented relapse I have had, I think I had another but had no insurance to do anything about it. My left arm was shaking alot and not able to grip anything or type anything.
But after about a month it got better.
Now I just have symptoms :|
Hugs
Morgaine

Mine came in one giant whammie!
In one year I had been sick with colds and flus non-stop! Then lost the vision entirely in one eye. Lost feeling from waist down...same as alot of ppl here.
Last yr. I had 4 relapses and some lengthy stays at the local ward (oops I mean hospital!)
Currently: blind in right eye and sine the left one seems to feel left out it is slowly joining the right!
Vive la vision!!!
Hope that helps!
emmie

Hi Lorraine,
This was my first big flare up and it really was similar to HeatherB. Numbness
and weakness on left side, pronounced fatique, but also diff walking after a short time on feet. I can usually make it through an 8 or 12 hour shift and then crash. I had Poor balance and facial drooping. I hope everything is finally clear when you go to the doctor,

Good Luck!
Wanda

I am sort of strange in that I never had a doctors appointment or any reported history that would lead the doctor to believe that I had MS when I was diagnosed. I had an excerbation in 1996 that resulted in a paralysis from my neck down with the exception of my right arm which I could move from my elbow down. I went from running on the 16 of that month to being paralysed by the 26th of that month to being diagnosed with MS on the 30 of that month. I was diagnosed on my 40th birthday. It took about2 months for me to get up enough to sit in a wheelchair and then another month to use a rolling walker and then another month to start walking on my own. I never did go back to running but I did continue to work for another 8 years as a health care administrator or director of nursing. Then about 2 1/2 years ago I had another relapse which then the doctors retired me. This one created a depression that was almost as bad as the relaspe, mostly because the doctors took away my hope of going back to work. My symptoms are coninuous now and I have been diagnosed with SPMS. Thanks for asking and good luck to you and your findings when you see the doctor..... love Carol

I have had relapses vary from numbness, to double vision, vertigo so bad I could not move off the couch! Unfortunately, can be as varying as MS itself! Some have lasted a few days, to a few months. The best thing to do is to call your doctor (or their nurse) when in doubt! Good Luck!!
DD