Advice for suspected ms

Hi guys, I have joined to ask for advice ,and although I have to say the obligatory fact that I know you are not professionals ,you do have a wealth of experinece dealing with them and also the experience of symptoms that I would be grateful if I could draw from please.thanks for reading this means a lot. 10 years ago I had what I thought was a stroke left side ,soured so each,could not lift my left arm ,left leg not working and could not smile on left side ,after 2 hours it eased but was left with a weakness on the left side ,every so often over the next 10 years I would get this weekness again for an hour at a time with dizziness,saw the doctor 8 times about this and was told it was anxiety,then insisted on seeing a neurologist who said it was hemipligic migraines ,this made perfect sence.3 Months ago it got worst happening every day do I went to the hospital got cat and Mri done,doctor said the good news is it’s not ms.The last month it’s got a lot worst .The brain fog is constant,I get the pins and needles in my face the weakness on the left side that lasts for an hour and dizziness and faint feeling ,I think this is migraine but I think I have ms also ,my reason for thinking this is I have pins and needles in my lips fingers and toes ,I have a constant numb left leg ,I have muscle twitches in my arms and legs and left hand ,brain fog and different parts of my left side keep going numb.Im seeing the doctor tomorrow ,does this sound consistant with ms ? Thanks for reading I know you guys have your own stuff going on ,I guess our love for each other is what makes us decent human beings bless you all.

Hello Richie

Since you’ve had an MRI and the doctor has said quite clearly, ‘it’s not MS’, I should think that probably means it isn’t. I’m not being flippant here, it’s just that clinical evidence is very much to the fore when diagnosing (or not diagnosing) MS.

Some of your symptoms don’t sound like MS because they don’t last for long enough. Have a look at Managing relapses | MS Trust

An MS relapse is when you have new or recurrent symptoms that last for at least 24 hours. If you have symptoms that last a couple of hours, they wouldn’t be likely to be symptoms of MS.

I know you’ve also said some of what you’ve experienced does last a lot longer, but all in all, and given the clear MRI, I can see why the neurologist didn’t think it was MS.

When you see the doctor tomorrow, you need to be clear about what has happened to you over time. If you write yourself a timeline, going back as far as you can, write down the symptoms you’ve experienced and how long they have lasted. I’d expect the doctor to do a physical examination (if they haven’t already, or maybe you could ask for another if so). Physical reflexes, the whole following a finger with your eyes, touching the neurologists finger then your nose, etc, etc, will also inform the neurologist about what they think could be causing your problems.

You probably need to be quite direct with the neurologist as well. If they are certain it is not MS, then you need to ask what they think it could be. When you are having quite a lot of neurological symptoms, and it’s been going on for years, you do need to keep searching for answers.

Best of luck for tomorrow.

Sue