Advise Needed..

New diagnosis and before diagnosis
1

I’m looking for some advice with my symtoms…I’ve had no diagnosis for MS or specific test yet and the doctors have yet to suggest MS. I am female aged 38.

Its started 7 years ago with severe headaches, and pain in both arms - dr diagnosis carpel tunnel and stress.

The headaches worsened - dr’s then diagnosed Migraines, cluster headaches and tension headaches.

6 years ago had a episode of facial tingling around my jaw, sides of face and lips, tingling of left arm lasting 6 weeks, Dr diagnosed stress.

Then 3 years ago I had suddenley had ringing of the ears, nausea, dizzyness, confusion, slurred speech and was rushed to A&E and diagnosed with Mini stroke after finding 1 leision on my brain.

And now…

Headaches still continue, along with blurred vison, twitching and pain in right eye for past 6 weeks and the doctor can find no swelling behind it.

I wake often in the night with dead arms and numb toes (but not all my toes) and most recently a visit to A&E with a numb thumb and pins and needles up my arm on my left side which I have had for the past week.

A&E sent me home after some neck xrays and said maybe wear and tear of my neck causing some sensory issues.

I feel unable to function at work properly as my right eye has episodes of blurryness and pain, I feel fuzzy headed ,headachey and kind of withdrawn from work, Like I’m there but not there, I just want to go home and sleep.

I have had a full stroke work up with all the tests incl, heart scan, blood pressure etc, tested for Lymes and Lupus but Doctors found no cause for the stroke or any of the other symtoms I’d been experiencing.

I have a husband and a son and work full time, I really need to know whats going on with my body. Do you think it could be MS with my totally honest decription of whats been going on? I hate going to the doctors now as I just come out of there upset when they give me a prescription for pain killers and ibrofen with no answers.

Any advice would be appreciated.

2

I also forgot to add that since the ‘stroke’ I have regular episodes of balance problems, especially when trams and cars move past me it makes me feel like im going to fall over? also I have tinitus in both ears for 3 weeks at a time, I’ve never told the doctors about it.

3

Hello and welcome

The fact that your GP cannot find anything wrong with you, but your symptoms continue, means that you need to be referred to a specialist - the problem with this of course is which specialist to see because there is a lot going on and it’s not necessarily because of just one condition, e.g. a combination of residual symptoms from your TIA, migraine and (e.g.) Meniere’s might explain most of it.

Could it be MS? I honestly couldn’t say, but it doesn’t “feel” like MS to me although I could easily be wrong! MS is massively variable and I’m not a neuro after all.

I suggest you ask (assertively!) your GP for a few things.

  • a referral an ophthalmologist about your eyes.

  • migraine preventative meds (if you aren’t on them already). Migraine can cause all sorts of neurological symptoms (that can last days on end and don’t always occur with head pain).

  • a referral to ENT to check out your tinnitus and balance.

After all that, if anything is found or anything remains unanswered, you should definitely see a neurologist.

Hth!

Karen x