Hi. Back in the 90’s when I was a teenager I was diagnosed with ME. At the time I only had blood tests and did not see any specialists. A few years later I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Since then my symptoms have changed and in some ways have followed a bit of a pattern. I suffer fatigue. I have weeks where all up my right hand side tenses beyond control and I suffer with burning pain and sore joints. This then goes away again for weeks or months.I have constant buzzing in my hands and feet. Sometimes my leg goes weak and I have to limp, again comes and goes for weeks. My short term memory is awful. I have some bowel and bladder dysfunction. I get stabbing pains in my head. Sometime part of my body feel partially numb, again comes and goes. Dont suffer too much with my eyes though do get stabbimg pain behind them and sometimes they seem misty.Im getting more and more clumsy amd drop things and trip over quite a lot.Do you think I should be tested for MS? My last doc thought it was anxiety but I really don’t feel anxious. The latest doc I saw seemed to really listen and is sending me to an ME clinic to confirm diagnosis. I didn’t tell last doc about my MS worries though. Any thoughts would be gratefully received. Thanks
Hi, in my experience, gps arent fond of having diagnoses suggested by patients.
I reckon the best thing for you to do is go see your gp and tell him/her what your symptoms are.
If they are good at their job, they wil listen and refer you to a hospital consultant dealing in what they think may be a problem.
You cant just say I want to be tested for MS. The NHS doesnt work like that…unless you and your gp discuss a variety of what the problem could be and come up with a similar conclusion.
Try not to label yourself without good advice from the right people.
pollx
Hi, thanks for your reply. Yes I have felt that it wouldn’t go down well if I suggested to be tested for MS, even though I am really wondering about it. Yes have spoken with GP and she has referred me to the ME clinic, so am hoping if they don’t think it’s M.E then they’ll point me in the right direction. Just seems that these day MS should have been ruled out before a diagnosing M.E,but I def haven’t been tested for MS. Just an added question, does anyone know if you can have MS without any major vision problems? Thanks for your time xx
There is no problem that everyone with MS always has, so it doesn’t always cause vision problems, even though they are common.
I’ve been diagnosed over five years, but never diagnosed with optic neuritis.
I observe slight colour distortion occasionally, particularly when working on the computer, but usually only with certain fonts, so not all the time. Sometimes I see ordinary monochrome typing (black on white) as shades of red or green.
But I don’t notice it in everyday life (off the computer) at all, and if I wasn’t diagnosed with MS, I’d probably assume it was a quirk of the screen, and not think anything about it at all.
Tina
Thanks Tina for your reply. That’s interesting to know…definitely makes me feel more confident about wondering if I could have MS. Not that I want to have it, but want to make sure I’m diagnosed with the correct condition, so that I get the right help. Thank you x
Hi Daisy78, I’m sitting here wondering whether I should ask my GP to test me for MS too. A decade ago, when I was 29, I experienced a sudden onset of pains shooting us my arm and strange eyelid flickering. Then I started to experience tingling in my feet. I went to my doctor who ran some blood tests - all clear. The tingling in my feet carried on and as my partner at the time had private health cover which covered me too I managed to get referred for an MRI and saw a consultant. The scan came back clear and I was told I should be reassured by that and get on with life.
The tingling in my feet has never gone away fully although i haven’t gone back to the doctor and told them. There have been period of time where I’ve hardly noticed it and others where, if I’m tired or under the weather it gets worse. Occasionally my left hand joins in on the tingling action and this week i experienced a burning sensation in my hand too. The burning sensation has gone now but I still have the tingly sensation in my feet and left hand. I also have a flickery eye lid this evening and feel a little shaky and head achey.
I’ve put off going back to the doctor over the years as I felt like a bit of a fraud. i had this tingly feet problem but it hasn’t been bad enough to stop me working or living my life as usual. It’s just been something I’ve put up with. I’m supporting my sister through breast cancer treatment at the moment and I watch what she’s going through and think that my worries are insignificant compared to that.
How did you get on with your visit to the GP?