What is this? Anyone ever had this?

[nuthatch]

I wanted to ask if any of you have ever had this happen and if so, what you understand it to be. I've never read anything about this in all the MS literature or seen mention of this in any forums either. I'll try to explain as best as I can.

A couple of days ago, while sitting reading, suddenly my whole left arm, from my shoulder to my fingertips started tingling intensely, building and building until it felt like 10,000 volts of electricity was going through my arm. As the tingling built, my arm started involuntarily drawing up to my body and I lost the ability to use my hand. If I was not looking at my arm/hand, I really didn't know where it was. I told my husband what was happening and he started rubbing my arm as he held my hand. I could feel his touch, but my own sense of touch felt very foreign and I couldn't recognize what I was touching with my hand if I was not looking at it. The intense tingling lasted for several minutes, slowly subsiding, and I was left with a slight tingle and extreme clumsiness in the hand/arm. The clumsiness eventually went away but the numbness/tingle remains.

Happened again this morning just as I was getting into the shower. Same arm, which is bad because I'm left handed. I guess I'd better work on becoming ambidextrous!

I had this happen before, two times within one week, over ten years ago. I will never forget it!
The first time I was asleep in bed (it was just starting to get light) when it happened. The tingling was what woke me and when I opened my eyes, I saw the blanket rising up. Startled, I thought someone was in bed with me! I was alone and it was my own arm that was lifting up the blanket, but I didn't know where my arm was. I thought it was at my side!
A couple of days later, it happened again while showering. Sitting on my shower bench, I was rinsing my hair and had my eyes closed when the tingling started. Seconds later I felt something hit me in the face . . . it was my own hand!

I told my neuro about it and he ordered an MRI of my brain and cervical spine. I had a large lesion on C3, C4 which was suspected of causing this. I don't remember if I had Solu-medrol at that time,( I had so many doses of it early on in my MS years) but it has not happened in the 10+ years since, until now.

This really frightens me and I was wondering if anyone else has had this experience.

Joan

[SalpalSally]

I think I have had that sensation in the past, Joan, but my left arm and hand are
completely tingly now. I haven't had any extreme tingling lately, but I think the
damage is done, for me. I can still use, within limits, my left arm and hand and
hope it stays this way and doesn't worsen. I wish the same for you..<Hugs>

[agate]

I have something similar if I've been using my arms and hands too much for something like knitting. Snow-shoveling used to have a very bad effect on me.

Anything involving repetitive arm movements, apparently, OR sometimes reaching up, might trigger it for me. Major tingling in the arms and not knowing where my arms are.

Arm involuntarily drawing up to the body--that happens in different situations for me, not necessarily involving any tingling.

If I've been walking around a good bit, in a store say, and reaching for items on shelves a few times, I'll look at one arm or the other and find it in a completely unexpected position. Sometimes it's curled up under my chin. My reaction is sometimes to think that that's not my arm I'm seeing.

It's very weird. The only way I can stop this from happening is to do less, and to do things slowly. If I sense my shoulders tensing up, that tells me to slow down or stop what I'm doing.

[Gabriella7]

I would suggest you also tell your PCP about this as everything is not MS. My husband had similar attacks and he was having TIA's which are small strokes. Please be an advocate for yourself and check out all the possibilities with your other doctors and not just your neurologist.

I know that even symptoms which are listed as being caused by MS can sometimes be something more serious which need to be differentiated in order to get the right medical care from the right physician.

Blessings,
Gabriella

[Lazarus]

Frightening

Gabriella is right that you should tell your PCP. I am dying to get my husband to understand that every thing he feels may not be related to the last two years of his medical emergencies.

Proprioception is the word I remember that explains why my feet sometime slap down hard when I walk. I do not know where they are in space....

What happened to you was certainly scarey.

[Cherie]

Tell your PCP. Yes...I have had this happen but it was related to a C-Spine injury and not MS. I did need surgical correction and those awful painful tingling spasms are a thing of the past.

[nuthatch]

Thanks for the replies. I agree that not all problems are MS related. But I suspect that this episode is MS related. It was pretty much the same as what I experienced over 10 years ago. I remember that after the incidents, I would get Lhermitte's sign, which is an electrical sensation, that would go down the affected arm to the fingertips, whenever I bent my head forward. I haven't had Lhermitte's for several years, but I'm getting that now, since the incident.

Lhermitte's sign was the very first symptom I noticed before I was diagnosed. I would often get a tightening across my abdomen when I would tilt my head down. It felt almost like a Braxton Hicks contraction only I wasn't pregnant! Eventually it turned to a zinging down my arms. Little did I know then what was to come. MS is such a bag of nasty tricks!

[Virginia]

Joan, yes MS is a nasty bag of tricks! I have tingling all the time in feet and legs and when it moves into my arms and hands I really get panicky. I have had something similar to what you are describing and it really scares me.

Hope this is very transient for you.

[jendie]

I'm sorry to hear what you are dealing with annoying tingling sx.

I've had issues with similar issues, but without the tingling. My arm would tighten up and I could barely use it. MS is annoying, since it's happened in both arms at different times.

I have lesions on C2-4.

Take care of yourself and I hope things get better soon.