Hi so what an amazing community you have here,
I am wanting some advice please on my experience that I’m currently going through. So sorry starts a year and a half ago I started getting sciatica down my right leg which. The Dr said it will go away itself after around six weeks, fast forward to three months ago the sciatica pain seemed to go, in the same day it went I started getting tingling in my knees and right leg weakness. I also have double vision looking to the right but not to the left. Currently my legs are so weak I had to take two months off work. What’s happening is I can stand up and walk for like five minutes then my right leg gets so weak I can not move it and have to sit before I fall. I also drag my right foot like foot drop. I went to doctor who reluctantly referred me for an MRI on my back. I’ve not really spoke to my doctor about MS. But when I think about my history I used to get numb patches on my arm and my memory isn’t the best.
I’m a guy I’m 34 and really struggling at the moment.
Hello Drew
There’s not much we can tell you about your symptoms really. The problem with MS is that many symptoms are shared with other diagnoses.
What I would suggest is that you write a list of your symptoms, together with the dates when they began, how long they last(ed) and whether any have completely cleared, a sort of timeline. When you next see your GP, whether this is before or after your spinal MRI, go through the list with the GP. If your MRI shows anything untoward wrong, it’s likely that s/he would refer you to the appropriate specialist. But even if the MRI doesn’t show anything different to ‘normal’, you can ask what the GP thinks about your various symptoms and if s/he can refer you to anyone who can help - perhaps a neurologist.
Personally, I wouldn’t suggest to a doctor that you think it could be MS. As I said, there are just too many symptoms that could be indicative of other disorders. Plus, what doctors do when faced with multiple symptoms is to look at the whole picture and see whether they think it adds up to a specific diagnosis, which can then be tested for. They don’t start with a diagnosis (ie MS) and see whether your symptoms fit that disease.
Best of luck.
Sue