Hi, I hope its ok to ask these questions on here, I don’t want to be a total pain but its so nice to be able to hear other people’s experience. Firstly, I know MS affects people differently but… can symptoms come and go over the course of the day or do they tend to be fairly constant for a while? Are you ever totally symptom free? Secondly, I have an appointment with the gp on Friday and she said depending on my blood test results she might refer to a neurologist. Are there tests the gp is likely to do before she refers? Nerve or reflex or balance tests? Thank you.
Hi Cookie
i am in the same position at the moment. I had an initial consultation with my GP where I went through my symptoms. The GP then then provided a referral letter so I could arrange an appointment with a neurologist. The neurologist then did the basic cognitive/balance/reflex tests with me. After the consult they arranged a brain MRI (awaiting results)and updated my file with the specific blood work I needed which I have now got done privately (awaiting results).
If the GP does the blood work before the neurologist referral I would just ensure when you have your neurologist appointment that they are comfortable that all the key tests were completed. My follow up consultation with the neurologist will include the machine based nerve testing. From reading this forum to rule out MS in addition to a brain MRI you will also need a spine MRI and a lumbar injection.
kind regards
Jonathan
Hi, so how did it go on Friday? Has your GP referred you to a neuro?
Symptoms do come and go and no 2 people with a neurological condition follow the same pattern.
I had bloods done on Friday and my GP appointment is Friday next week. I’m very nervous about it, I’m not hopeful that it will be vitamin b12 deficiency as I had a full blood panel in Oct (when I was diagnosed with depression) which only showed low vitamin D and I’ve been taking a supplement since.
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I’m going through something similar at the moment. I’ve had my GP appointment and was referred to neurologist. I’ve since had an MRI and results showed ‘a few non specific foci of increased signal intensity on FLAIR are noted in a subcortial and deep white matter’. It also showed some damage to my neck so was referred to an orthopaedic consultant who said that it was basically wear and tear. I’ve another appointment with the neurologist but it’s not until May - it’s hard to wait. I’d rather just know.
I hope you get your appointment with the neurologist soon.
Thanks Jude, waiting is hard! How long did you wait between gp and neuro and MRI if you don’t mind me asking?
The wait time for neurologist appointment in NI was 18 months even though I was in the urgent list so I paid for a private appointment. It was about a month after seeing my GP. I also paid for my MRI which was also about a month after seeing the neurologist. It would appear that wait times depend on where you are in the UK. I hope you get seen soon. Though as so many others have experienced on here, it would appear that getting a diagnosis can take a very long time!
when i first saw my GP about my illness she referred me straight away to neuro and said i believe you have neuro disease and she was right. good luck on friday with results.