Hi, just joined this site and would really appreciate some advice. I’m in my 50s. 15 years ago I had a severe bought of optic neuritis which left me virtually blind in one eye. I was pregnant at the time so didn’t want any steroid treatment and after a while it settled down. MS was mentioned as a possible cause at the time. However 10 virtually symptom free years followed - apart from the odd eye/headache, so I thought I’d escaped. However over the last couple of years I’ve had a stabbing pain in one leg, which eventually got bad enough to see the GP, who sent me to a physio - who couldn’t find anything wrong. Leg pain is bearable at the moment, although annoying at night, but a couple of weeks ago I had the migraine from hell which left me out of sorts for at least a week. Strange things happened, such as I was driving along in the car afterwards and forgot how to change gear! I forgot everyday words. However, all seems to have settled down now. I do get over tired if I stay up too late or change my daily routine, and I’ve realised I do sometimes have probems swallowing, particularly after a cold. I am thinking it is probably MS, but is there any value in trying to get a diagnosis? I’m guessing it won’t change anything and I don’t think it is bad enough to need treatment at the moment. I really don’t know what to do next and am hoping some of you on the forum can help me decide whether to keep pretending all is OK or if I should do more about it! Thank you.
Hi and welcome to the forum.
You sound a bit like me…would I be better knowing what`s wrong…even if I got a diagnosis of something nasty?
Or, would I rather not know?
I think you could do with seeing your GP. He/she will have an idea if you need further investigation.
We can be our own worst enemy, for sure, eh? We tell oursleves one thing, but can`t stop thinking about something worse.
I am still seeking a diagnosis after 14 years of being tested, diagnosed, then re-tested and given another indefinite diagnosis.
luv Pollx
Hi Calamity and welcome
What you’ve described definitely warrants a visit to your GP at the very least. Jot everything down so you don’t forget anything when you see him - which I often do!
He may decide to run a few basic blood tests first or he may decide to refer you, either way at least you’ve started the ball rolling. In my opinion it’s better to know what you’re dealing with, and it could be something easily treatable anyway.
Personally I’d get things checked out, but it’s your call.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
Debbie xx
Thank you Poll and Debbie. I think maybe I should stop being a chicken and have it checked out! As long as they don’t want to do a lumbar puncture - that might freak me out! I do appreciate your advice - my main worry as a single mum is not letting my daughter think anything is wrong - she’s just at the stage of deciding what to do with her life after GCSEs, and I don’t want this affecting her decision in any way. If she thought I might have problems she wouldn’t want to leave home. This is a great forum - everyone is so supportive. I’m glad I found it.