I’m a 50 yr old male who’s had suspicions about MS for some years , 20 yrs ago I had an MRI scan after I’d felt rather odd and tingly . The scan didn’t show anything up back then and I got better , putting it down to stress etc . Over time I started getting the odd morning waking up with my fingers numb , hands numb but they came back to life after a couple of wiggles . 2 years ago I got very shaky and light headed but again nothing too specific , stress always came back as the answer , some insomnia and cramps , back pain … At 48 people were just saying I was getting old , now recently I’ve been having random pains in my head , temples mainly but all over my head , brain tumour I’m thinking !, but at night my calves tingle and the nerves twitch . My arms intermittently feel heavy , get a bit fuzzy headed and forgetful … Sleep is rare . My sight is perfect which is a surprise , I do need my glasses to do this but distance reading is perfect …
I got 2 kids 19 and 5 , my wife just thinks it’s stress and really can’t get on with it , thinks I should man up a bit . I know my own body and it’s definitely something like MS , Well I’m pretty sure it is , if this is the onset anyone know if I have another 10-15 years ? More ? Less ? I know it’s very unpredictable . At the moment I’m fully mobile just with tingling calfs , heavy arms and X random pains in my head … I read about life expectancy being more or less 5-10 years less than normal ??
Please help as I’m pretty much terrified here on my own , Steve
hi steve
well whatever it is, you’ve had it for 20 years so it’s been mild.
there’s something about being 50 that makes us feel mortal.
i was diagnosed the week before my 50th.
still plodding on.
so are you.
maybe you could ask your doctor to refer you back to neurology.
but don’t get yourself worked up about it.
far worse things happen to folk.
my best friend was diagnosed with cancer around her 50th.
as a strong lady she seemed to be pulling through and the spots on her lungs disappeared
however it turned out to be in her pancreas and she died aged 50 and 3 months.
honestly you are going to be alright.
take good care of yourself and your family
carole x
First step - Take a deep breath and get along to your GP, you need to have blood tests to rule out vitamin deficiencies or thyroid issues, and you need to get some help with your sleep problems - all of these could throw up the symptoms you have been having.
Second step - Get an MRI done, you may need to be referred to a Neurologist who will order a Brain MRI to check for anything going on there, and be able to determine whether or not you have MS. Your symptoms are sensory, like mine, but there is no point in trying to guess what may be wrong with you, you need to see medical professionals who will get to the bottom of what is causing your symptoms.
Life span? How long is a piece of string? If you work on the average life-span being around the mid 80s you have a fair few years left in you whether or not you have MS.
Eee lad, you `re letting this run away with your thinking!
You NEED to see your gp to ask for a referral to a neuro.
If your doc is unhelpful, why not get a private referral from another gp?
I did this back in 1999, as the waiting list to see a neuro was 10 months!!!
I got in within 2 weeks. then transferred to nhs with the same neuro.
You need to get this sorted, before it does our head in any more!
pollx
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A lot less if you absent-mindedly step into the path of a bus while contemplating MS mortality statistics.
Seriously though, everything looks like MS when you Google it. Everything feels like a brain tumour at 0400. The inner turmoil that a person suffers when he thinks he has either or both is absolutely real and horrible and can drain the joy out of life faster than you can say ‘chronic progressive neurological condition’. As you know.
Please talk to your GP (or talk to the GP again if you already have). These worries are not going away while they are going round and round on a loop: you need to let some detached, objective light in on the subject, and that is where the GP can help. Maybe there is some disease process at work, maybe there isn’t - I have no idea and neither do you. But the misery you are suffering at the moment is a real problem in itself and that needs dealing with. Life, however long(!), is too short to have it clouded by unexamined health worries.
Good luck.
Alison
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Ok thanks for the informed words , I had a visit to a and e on Friday with a banging headache and dizziness numbness . Did CT scan and blood tests followed by a lumbar puncture . Nothing on CT and they said nothing to remark upon with the lumbar puncture . So no brain tumour or bleed , doctor was very thorough and I mentioned MS , he asked me why I had mentioned it and I explained my numbness . He said MS does not present itself in this way ?? . I’m going to my GP wed to chat about my anxiety about my health . I’m still exp heavy arms , tingling feet and periods of fuzzy headedness . Flipping in and out of feeling normal and not …Steve
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I had a lumbar puncture and CT scan done and some bloods and all came back clear but I still feel the same … Not sure really what’s going on … Going GP wed to ask for MRI and tell her how I’m feeling about this whole thing … Still feel pretty alone and scared but had some good replies from people on here … Thanks Steve
GP said it was definitely not MS and put me on 15mg Mirtazapine at night . Said I was too tuned into my body’s aches and pains and was having mini panick attacks without really knowing about it ?? Just think I’m going mad but will take the pills and see how it goes … Still feel crap especially at night when my arms and upper body feel rigid and weird … See what tomorrow brings …
Did they test your vitamin D levels? It isn’t a standard test.
No idea what blood tests were done at the hospital , but have had a few since this all began . I would have to ask my GP
Vitamin D deficiency isn’t routinely tested for if you have no apparent risk factor. I have no risk factors but was found to be severely deficient - I had to ask for the test though, the GP didn’t suggest it.
I’ve also asked for copies of all my medical tests and results, I just ask the GP receptionists and they copy them for me. I keep them in a file with letters about appointments, records of what medication Ive taken and when and summaries of my symptom diary. This means that when I go to appointments I’ve got all the information in one place and can take it with me, and it can make appointments more efficient as it is often quicker for me to find the info in my file than for the doctor to look it up on the computer.
Best of luck, hope you start to feel better soon.