Hi, firstly I would like to apologise if this post turns out to be long and I’m grateful for anyone who reads and replies. I saw a neurologist on Monday and I am to have an MRI scan and possible lumbar puncture depending on the results. He also wants me to have an optic nerve test. I have hypothyroidism and coeliac and had put my symptoms down to these, but after seeing the neurologist I’m not so sure. I have numbness and tingling in my left leg (almost constantly) and near my left shoulder blade, at times in my hands and fingers too, although not for a while now. I had a twitch and a painless buzzing type feeling just below my mouth on the right side for a couple of months towards the end of last year, I thought it had gone because I couldn’t feel it anymore, but the neuro saw the twitch despite me not feeling it. He tested my reflexes and said they were brisk and some of my reflexes were weak including one eye. I found most of what he asked to do fine, except putting one foot in front of the other and walking, I couldn’t coordinate what I was doing and felt off balance, it was very strange. He said he didn’t ‘strongly’ think it was MS but wanted to investigate. I was surprised as I’d put my symptoms down to my thyroid and/or coeliac and was expecting to leave there being told this (although I do know these autoimmune diseases have very similar symptoms). Since this appointment I’ve realised there were things I should have mentioned but didn’t due to my memory problems, toes suddenly going rigid and looking as if they are out of place, calf pain (although not for a while now), bladder problems/odd feelings. He asked if I had any bladder problems and due to my memory I tend to think of things as they are at the moment in time, not the overall picture so I said it was fine. Fairly often I get a feeling of having a full bladder yet there’s not much there when I go to the bathroom or I will get the feeling that my bladder isn’t empty after going and the feeling won’t go away until I’ve been back to the bathroom and usually there’s just a few drops, I can’t believe I didn’t tell the neurologist all this, but like I said I wasn’t expecting anything from the appointment, my GP referred me as a precaution. There’s possibly a few other things I’ve experienced that could be connected but I don’t want to go on much more! I think I just needed to post and see if all this resonates with anyone here? I live in a fairly remote town and don’t have family or many close friends to confide in, I’m just trying to make sense of it all, which I understand and respect others on here have been/are going through the same. Thanks for reading.
hi pixiedust
the MRI will give more clues as to what is causing your symptoms.
you need to lie still in the scanner so ask if you can have one of those wedge pillows under your knees.
see your gp and tell him/her what you have told us.
trawl through your memories for all the things you think could be connected.
it will be put on your records so that your neuro will see it.
memory is a problem for me too.
bladder is relatively easy to get help with.
you can refer yourself to the bladder and bowel clinic.
retaining urine is common in ms. the nurse at the clinic will scan your bladder to see how much is being retained.
good luck
carole
Hi,having the bladder problem rings well with me Carole said it’s quite common with m.s sufferers
I didn’t know this I just thought that it was incontinence silly me.it just goes to show we learn a lot on here…I don’t think it’s something that I would have brought up with my m s nurse
Thanks for mentioning this …take care…
Thank you both for replying. I have an appointment with my GP tomorrow and will take a list of everything I’ve mentioned here, as I won’t remember it all! so thank you Carole for the advice, I wouldn’t have thought to do that. I’m glad if I’ve helped you in some way, Rosie, take care too.