Hi, totaly new to this so will introduce myself first.
The name is Darron, a 44 year old self employed married dad of 4 from Whitby, North Yorkshire.
Having suffered for endless months with various symptons and having exhausted my GP’s range of filtering out other illnesses I am now being referred to a neurologist for testing.
My question is this, how many of you have kept a diary of your symptons? I haven’t as yet been doing so but feel that it may be helpful as so far everytime I sit down with my GP I become somewhat reluctant to say exactly what is the lastest problem as I think he’ll think I’m making it up as the list goes on. I don’t want to get in front of the Neurologist and do the same.
I was only diagnosed in September 2012. I havent done a Diary but wish I had from when “Strange things” first started which was 21 years ago. I dont think the doctors will think your making it up as they should know what happens to someone who has MS.
Its not till I sat back and think of all the unexplained things that have that has happened to me that I realise how long I have been having MS problems
Hi Darron, and welcome 
A diary is a good idea, but most neuros won’t thank you for it - it’s more for your own benefit, so you can summarise what’s been happening and when.
I’ll copy an old post of mine below this. It’s just my thoughts and there is definitely more than one way of doing things, but hopefully it’ll help.
Try not to go into the neuro appointment with an endless list of symptoms. Most neuros switch off as soon as they see this 
I hope it goes well.
Karen x
These are the things that I think help at a first consultation:
No.1: Be prepared! (It’s always best to have something and not need it than need it and not have it!)
-
Be able to tell the neuro your medical history, any neurological illnesses in your family (if asked) and your symptoms in a succinct, objective manner. Prepare a list / aide memoire to help you. Do not prepare lists with loads of details over loads of pages: the neuro will most likely only want a topline summary / headlines. If they want more info, they’ll ask. A good list will be chronological and focus on the main symptoms. For example, April-May 2009 (recovered): optic neuritis; September-December 2010 (some recovery): incontinence, spasms in legs, shooting pains in legs; June 2012 (ongoing): terrible fatigue, deterioration in walking, some cognitive difficulties. If this is the first time this kind of thing has happened to you, then stick to a simple explanation – when it started, what the main symptoms have been and how they progressed, if anything has gotten better since. For example, March 2012: woke with tingling in legs. Developed to legs, torso and back over 2 week period. April: extreme fatigue; tingling areas now buzzing, itching and hypersensitive too. Now: all of the above plus blurry eyesight.
-
Take a (short) list of questions if you have any.
-
Take a list of symptoms that you are struggling with so the neuro can advise re meds or therapy.
No.2: Do not hand over lists unless you really can’t talk through things yourself. If you do hand something over, do not speak until the neuro has finished reading it (or asks you a question - once you’ve answered it, be quiet again if there’s more to read). If you are planning on handing anything over, keep a copy for yourself.
No.3: Be honest. Do not exaggerate and do not play things down.
No.4: Take someone with you if you can. It is really helpful to have another pair of eyes and ears there so there’s a better chance of remembering what happened and what was said. The other person can also help to jog your memory if needed.
No.5: If the neuro’s taking notes of what you’re saying, give him enough time to keep up and get things written down properly.
There really is nothing to be concerned about. The goal of an initial consultation is for the neuro to work out what the most feasible explanations are for your symptoms and to order suitable tests. To do that, he/she needs to know your history and the results of a clinical exam. The only bit that you can help with is the history. So that’s your contribution: to provide the information that the neuro needs. This isn’t too hard - after all, it’s all about you! A list / aide memoire can help to keep you from waffling or missing out something important though.
Many thanks Angie and Karen for your very helpful advice. Yes, walking in with a list might be counterproductive so will use the advice offered to make a concise timeline of symptoms.