Hi everyone. I’m really sorry if I’m being over dramatic. I am 28 years old and feel like I am suffering from some symptoms of MS. This has been on going for a few years. I struggle with getting my words out, I forgot what I’m saying in the middle of a conversation, I often get words mixed up. I have tingling all around my lips, and my hands and sometimes feet which during an attack happen multiple times a day. It’s a horrible sensation. I have an extreme sensitivity to heat. My balance and coordination is off during these attacks I sometimes lose my footing on the stairs. I am extremely tired. I have been to the drs 3 times in the last year about all of these symptoms and they keep telling me it’s anxiety because he would expect any numbness and tingling to be on just one side and I said I think I have it on both. It’s remembering things like that which I struggle with . these attacks happen when I’m not anxious at all and they last for a few weeks at a time. This time the dr has reluctantly referred me to the neurologist but I left the appointment feeling guilty for pushing and wondering if maybe I am just being dramatic. Thank you for any advice offered.
Please please please don’t worry about being overdramatic! We need to fight out corner. I’m in a similar situation to you, I’m 27 and been having symptoms now on and off since 2020. No doctor has ever taken me seriously and they have always palmed it off as ‘just anxiety’ or ‘just migraines’. Last year I went through it all - I had Optic Neuritis which was palmed off as just a migraine at the time but has left me with permanent vision loss in my left eye. I did have an MRI but was completely dismissed by the neurologist I saw.
I’m currently going through a flare up on the other side - suspected ON in my right eye with associated weakness on my right side and new burning sensations too. Thankfully I’ve moved recently - My GP sent me straight to A&E, the A&E doctors put in all the relevant referrals and since last wednesday I’ve seen an eye specialist and had an appointment through for an MRI - all because I was pushy
I often feel like I’m going mad and I’ve gotten to the point where I want them to find something just so I don’t feel like I’m going crazy! Don’t let them palm it off as stress or anxiety - they don’t know what they’re talking about!
Well done to you for pushing ( at the end of the day GPs are just people and like everyone, they can get things wrong. I was lucky in that when I went with my first symptoms, my GP’s husband had MS and, unlike most GPs she knew a fair bit about MS).
My first symptoms were a tingling and loss of sensation on one side of my face. The GP said ok let’s keep an eye on that. A few months later I had optic neuritis ( lost vision in my right eye) and was sent off for an MRI.
The trouble with MS is that there are no ‘MS specific’ symptoms so although your symptoms might be consistent with MS they might be caused by something else ( I’m no medic so I’ve no idea what)