Hi I’m new here and have checked to see if there have been any similar posts but not found any and would appreciate some help. You might think I’m on the wrong forum but please read on and you’ll maybe see why I’m here. Apologies for typos, my concetration and vision are a bit naff at the moment.
Since last year I’ve had numbness come and go in my fingers and weakness in my left arm which I noticed firstly around my elbow and when I stugged to lift my arm. I put it down to the way I sat in the office and possible being unfit.
The numbness in my fingers worsened and also began to feel sore so I got fed up and went to my gp who said it was carpal tunnel.
On Feb 10th I woke during the night with numbness down my left side and when I got up I was not stready and my words were slurred. I contacted my GP who advised me to go to A&E as it may be a stroke. CT showed nothing and the next day I was sent for an MRI. In the mean time my sympotms continued to develop. My knee and around my ribs felt as though they were encased in something rigged. I began to have blurred and double vision wtih ghosting. I became constiated and had a fee accidents as I didn’t realise I needed to pee.
Initially the consultant said she wasn’t convinced I had ha stroke, then looked at the MRI and said I had had a stroke - a pons infarct of the right cerebellum. She was still not sure what was going on as the stroke appeard on the right and my left side had been affected.
Since then a good bit of function has come back but I’ve had ‘episodes’ when numbness returns for a few days and I get more confused, my vision worsens and I generally feel all over the place. It mostly settles butsince the last episode, feeling is still quite numb with throbbing/pins and needles in my hand, lower arm and foot.
I get these horrible sensations and pains. Burning in my left leg which gets so uncomfrotable I can’t stand things touching it. I also get pain in my arm which gets more intsense as the day goes on and is accompanied by really painful elecrtic shocks on the top half of my arm, the back of my laeg, bum and lower back and my left breast.
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My vision is hugely imporved but I feel dizzy when I stand, am traveling or whent he light is bright. I also get double visiion at these times. I still have ghosting and struggle to read black on white and large amounts of text.
Fatigue is one of the worst parts. I dont; sleep well at night. By the afternoon I’m useless and have to lie down almost every day. I’ve never felt atirdness like it. It’s a mix of jet lag and the auto pilot we go on when we have babies.
I have a range of other sympotms which I know are common in stroke patients HOWEVER, last week at rehab the Dr came to find me as she had seen my last MRI (taken to rule out any problems in my neck that could cause firther stroked). She said she spoke to the hopital and they want to refer me ack to the neurologist as swelling of the nerves can be caused by other things in someone my age (39). I asked wha,t and she said MS; nothing a nasty as a brain tumour. This is a bit of a curve ball in terms of investigations as the sympotms have been present for 11 weeks, and nothing, as far as I am aware has changed. I can only assume she feels the MRI is showing something that together with my symptoms may point to MS and they want to investigate further.
It was a lot to take in so I didn’t ask any other questions and felt the Dr didnlt really want me to. Now I’ve started to take things in I’m quite scared. It’s been quite tough taking on baord that I’ve had a stroke at 39yrs old having not been in nay of the high risk groups. Having this on top has me quite tearful - fear of the unkown is horrible.
My questions are
Has anyone experinced this type of thing?
What can I expect nex,t in terms of investigations?