Hello, Im new to the forums but in desperate need of some advice. Im not even sure i have ms or what to do if i do have or even if someone here can offer me any advice. Let me start with a bit of background i am 36 year old and was reasonably fit until i had a herniated disc 9 year ago. Ok so… In 2009 i became ill I spent 4 year in agony from a slipped disc crushing my nerves with severe pain and all the symptoms that come along with it from severe sciatic pain on both sides to severe abdominal pain in the upper right quadrant until i had a microdiscectomy in February 2015. After this i was fine returned to work and work hard for the next 3 year without so much i a twinge (i felt great and even lost 6 stone) Then in May 2016 started with pain in my back again, sciatic pain in left side down to my knee and sciatic pain down to the sole of my foot on the right, numbness/pins and needles in my groin and thighs to the the point i could barely feel my testes resulting in dribbling (my brain tells me ive finished urinating but as soon as i shake off and put it away i pee some more, abdominal pain and excruciating pain in my lower back, along with the pain i have other problems like poor coordination, balance and generally forgetfulness (like my brain switches off mid-Conversation) Due to my history and previous symptoms myself,GP, Neurosurgeon and Neurologist believed it was a reoccurring herniated disc… However this isnt the case a MRI of my head and spine show no herniated disc. So along side my symptoms above i also have muscle spasms in my arm and leg like they have a mind of their own and without warning they kick out or jerk of the arm (leaving my partner bruised if it occurs in bed), when i stand from being laid down either to get up or use the bathroom im like bambi (my body doesnt do what my brain tells it to) or im like that drunk bloke videos become viral of almost bent over backwards trying to regain balance and also bump in to things, i see them but still bump into them, due to numbness in groin if i am in the ‘mood’ sensation is diminished. Its due to all these symptoms why im thinking maybe ms but in all fairness i dont know enough about ms or even if these symptoms are associated with ms. Like i said earlier im confused so much i have no idea of what comes next or if i press my neurologist to look in to MS. Any help is greatly appreciated and im sorry if im way of the mark. Thanks in advance
Sounds like you are having loads of crap symptoms. It’s sometimes really difficult to work out, even for neurologists, why its happening to a person. Your disc problems certainly sound like they have caused you some miserable times. With regards to ms, there is no easy way of knowing without the relevant tests. Has your neurologist ever mentioned ms to you? It may be that the clinical picture you present with just does not raise any red MS flags to your neuro. It’s dead easy to have neuro symptoms and believe MS is the guilty culprit, especially to the untrained eye. But generally speaking a good neurologist can detect the subtle things in your symptoms and their pattern which gives them educated clues as to what may be wrong.
Interesting that you’ve had an mri of brain and spine and it’s shown that the disc is not the issue. I would assume (although maybe I shouldn’t) that if there was any evidence of inflammation/demyelination then you would know about it now. The neurologist would have said so and it would almost certainly be in the radiology report which are dead easy to get access to should you wish to
In your position I would be asking your neurologist at your next appointment if the mri showed anything suggestive of an inflammatory process, ie MS. If it doesn’t, that’s great news, but then perhaps ask about what else it could be and what can be done to try and decipher the cause. In some cases the cause is never found but it’s always good to know that possibilities have been explored and ruled out etc. Either way, feeling rough is never fun so I hope you get some answers.
meanwhile your bladder issues shouldn’t be ignored.
you can self refer to the bladder and bowel clinic, just phone them for an appointment.
the nurses there are brilliant.
there are meds to help with all sorts of mishaps.
Hello
Given that you’ve had a brain and spine MRI, any MS type lesions would have been spotted by the neurologist. So it probably isn’t MS that is causing your current problems.
There are a world of other diagnoses that resemble MS though, so in your position, I’d keep seeing your neurologist to get them to figure out the cause of all your symptoms.
As Carole said, you can either be referred by the neurologist or GP to the bowel and bladder service, or self refer. It makes you feel lousy to have lost some control of your bladder. So you could have that considered independently of the neurologist.
You could also see your GP to request some basic blood tests. Some people have MS type symptoms and discover that they have a vitamin deficiency, which can easily be resolved. In particular, vitamins D and B12.
Best of luck getting everything resolved.
Sue