MS worries back but legit symptoms?

[shaunnajadelle]

I think throughout my health worries, the worst one has been MS, like some of the rest of you on here, but I had symptoms last year before I started becoming anxious of my health. I woke up one day with eyeball pain when I moved the eye, and a killer headache developed on the same side of the head. As I wasn't anxious at this point, I carried on as normal. It was painful (only when I moved the eye, pain from the back of eye, not soreness) and seemed to just disappear itself after a week ish.

I thought nothing else of it, until 6 weeks later when the same thing happened in the OTHER eye only, but this time, the headache came on first, then the eye pain when moving the eye. If I kept the eye still, it didn't ache. Again, this disappeared after 8 days this time. I visited the doctor this time who sent me to A&E and only then did I start to become concerned about it. In A&E they checked 'pressure' behind my eye and on my brain and said there was no pressure and put it down to migraine or cluster headaches but referred me to the outpatients eye specialists at a later date. At this point, the eye pain had gone though so I didn't go to the appointment as I thought it was just 'eye ache'.

Bearing in mind throughout these eye 'ache' episodes, my vision appeared to be fine as far as I'm aware.

But months and months later now, when I've read about MS, I've pretty much felt my stomach sink and think the eye pain could have been optic neuritis, which if I've gathered correctly, is often a first symptom of MS? I used to suffer from vertigo spells for days at a time when I was about 17 which came and went without explanation but I also put this down to nothing important.

Although at the minute I have no eye pain or noticeable ailments, my whole life is now revolving around what this unexplained eye movement pain could have been and that it is an early MS symptom. I'm literally inconsolable right now, my family think it's just health anxiety, but I'm convinced it was a legit symptom :( I suppose I just thought I'd post my thoughts for any possible miracle reassurance!

Thanks guys x

[AlexandriaUK]

Hi sorry to hear you are feeling so cr*p, MS is not a nice disease, but I have 3 friends (brother in law one of them) all who have been clearly told they have it and still lead absolutely normal lives and dont seem to have any major problems, they have all had it 20 + years as well, I think that what you have or could have is cluster headaches which my son gets the symptoms sound very much the same and he says they are horrendous, I am not a Dr but I think you should talk to yours and tell him/her what you think, if they know what you are worried about they can help to reassure you or get further tests done to put your mind at rest.

[shaunnajadelle]

Thank you so much for that reply. I was told that this sounded like cluster headaches by a doctor in A&E but I wasn't sure what they were at the time. Sympathy for your son if he gets the same thing, it really was awful at the time. I really appreciate that, it's given me a more rational outlook and I'll see my GP regarding my worries :) x

[AlexandriaUK]

That,s the way to go, write down how you feel and what you are thinking and the thoughts going through your head and instead of telling him in a mad jumble let him read it, its always clearer if we write it when we are more rational LOL also when we start to look at it with some perspective it is easier to rationalize and easier to believe what they tell us, sad thing is that anxiety/HA/panic are all irrational and make us crazy LOL

[shaunnajadelle]

Yes, definitely feel crazy! When I'm in the mode, I feel as though I DEFINITELY have said disease. It's always this eye pain that comes back to haunt me though, it's awful! x

[AlexandriaUK]

Just a thought and I am sure you have been, but what about eye check, have you had one recently?

[countrygirl]

I have had the eye pain you describe in the past and it is most def not optical neuritis with me. Mine occurs when my neck is painful as i have damage to my cervical spine. With me it never lasted more than a couple of days and I first had it after a physio had massaged my neck excessively so there is a def connection with neck and pain on moving the eye.

Optical neuritis is very easily seen by Drs looking into your eyes ifyour eyes have been dilated and amost laways causes blurred or double vision. I have a friend with MS who gets this about 3 times a year so its from the horses mouth so to speak.

Have you ever had a mri brain scan?? If you are truly worried and seriously think you may have ms then have you discussed with your Dr getting a referral to a neurologist who would be able to put your mind at rest.

[shaunnajadelle]

I have had an eye test recently, just after the second case of eye pain and they said it was fine apart from me being very short sighted lol, but this has been the case since I was 7.

I did not experience any noticeable difference in vision when I had the eye pain, I continued to wear my contact lenses/glasses as normal. I did visit a different doctor this week and explained everything. He asked if I had experienced any other symptoms when I had the eye pain, which I didn't, and he it wasn't optic neuritis and he'd experienced similar eye pain himself and as far as he's aware, he doesn't have MS either (lol)

I haven't ever had an MRI, my doctors don't seem to give them out unless you're on your last legs! I think if the eye pain happened again I would definitely push for one, to put my mind at rest.

I just worry sometimes now, if I ever get even small aches in my eyes I start to panic in case the pain is going to come back and this time I'll lose the vision and actually have optic neuritis. But I suppose I can't live my life in fear and should be thankful for the moment that I don't have it!

Thanks so much for your replies again x