Unusual symptoms: buzzing, burning and tingling
On reflection, it’s not so much a shopping list of MS symptoms I’ve experienced at various stages over the past decade. It is more a small number of annoying issues which, thankfully, haven’t developed into anything worse.
Before my diagnosis, I used to frequently suffer with migraines. The pain often felt like a borehole being drilled through the right-hand side of my head. I was also driven mad by bouts of tinnitus. There was no escape from the constant blaring alarm of the car parked inside my head. Music was the only distraction, and that was always a success until it was bedtime.
My brain and body felt on fire
Soon enough my legs were substituted for two fire pokers. Walking wasn’t the issue, it was just the non-stop burning pain that later coincided with buzzing feet. It also felt like there was an ant colony somewhere deep in my hair, and I had an annoying tingling sensation whenever I looked down or bent over.
Madness set in when both my brain and body felt like it was on fire. To everybody else, I looked perfectly normal on the outside. It was my brain scan that finally gave me away.
In 2010 I got my formal MS diagnosis after waking up with excruciating eye pain and blurred vision. On a positive note, this has been my only bout of optic neuritis, and it led to my timely diagnosis.
I started my first DMT which was weekly doses of Avonex. I took this for 8 years before my neurologist changed my prescription to daily doses of Tecfidera which I remain on to this very day.
MS symptoms and heat
It will be the 13th anniversary of my MS diagnosis on 10 April 2022. I’m so grateful to say I’ve not experienced any further bouts of dysesthesia - those unpleasant ‘altered’ sensations like burning legs, or creepy crawlies in my hair.
Nor have I experienced Lhermitte’s sign – that tingly electric feeling when bending my neck forward. My last brain scan was in 2021 and this showed no new lesions since 2018. An incredible result, all thanks to the medication.
More recently, I’ve found intense heat for sustained periods of time can trigger my MS symptoms. I’m not a fan of hot baths and I can’t bear it when I overheat. Again, my symptoms remain invisible and can range from brief spasms in my calf muscles and what can only be described as a vibrating buttock! These annoying complaints are technically classed as Uhthoff’s phenomenon.
MS, sleep and diet
I’m one of the luckier ones living with MS. I always take steps to prevent myself from overheating when I exercise or when I’m in bed. I’ve never been a good sleeper, so I continue to work on improving my sleep health.
Most importantly, since receiving my relapsing MS diagnosis, I’ve changed my diet. I’ve addressed my food intolerances in a bid to reduce inflammation and I continue to take my DMT. I take vitamin D3 supplements and eat plenty of oily fish and veggies.
My gut feels better than it ever did and there is a noticeable change in my MS symptoms for the better. Over the years I’ve noticed when my gut is unsettled, so are my MS symptoms. However, it’s not always easy to take care of your gut when you love to eat all the foods that don’t love you!
