Hi all As detailed in a different board I was diagnosed with MS on Tuesday. This has followed months of random numbness and issues with my eyes-inc optical neuritis. My consultant wasn’t with me long when he gave the results, briefly discussed that some white matter was evident on the MRI. I’m seeing him in Jan- can I expect him to show me the scan and say how much/where the white matter is? I just wasn’t sure how in depth I can expect him to be? I’m also wanting to know if anyone has tips for the numbness? Currently I have little feeling in my right foot/leg. I find it irritating more than anything. I’ve been reading lots of stuff and from what I can gleam, it really does seem to be different for everyone. I guess my only worry, whilst mainly being positive, is that since May this year I’ve pretty much had some sort of symptom going on. Any advice/tips welcome 
Have a good day all. Lorna x
Hello Lorna
I think I’ve just said hello on the other board.
My neuro showed me my scans and explained the lesions too me and how they could relate to my symptoms
As regards to the numbness, I’m not sure what to say…I just do flexing excercises when I’m sat and before I get out of bed on a morning. Hope someone else can give better advice on that one…I’ll be listening too
Luckily for me I’ve never had optic neuritis, just double vision and dry gritty eyes.
All the best to you and good luck with appointment in January.
Noreen
Hi Lorna,
Sorry to hear about your diagnosis.
My neuro did show me the lesions in my brain when I was first investigated, although not when I was finally diagnosed, funnily enough. He just said there were “a few more”, and that this was sufficient to convince him it was MS. I didn’t ask how many more, and wasn’t particularly keen to see - though I still have copies of the scans somewhere. I can’t really spot lesions without the neuro being there to point them out, though.
I think numbness is the one symptom there’s not any treatment for. It’s caused by the nerve signals not getting through. Although you can take stuff to dampen down unwanted nerve signals, like those that cause pain and tingling, there’s nothing you can take that will reinstate nerve signals that have gone missing in action.
So far, I have found numbness usually resolves with time - although I cannot offer any guarantees.
When I had the relapse that led to my diagnosis, I had completely numb feet - couldn’t even feel pain, or hot and cold either. It took a long time (months), but they recovered sensation to about 99% of what it was before. Not perfect, but good enough!
Tina
x
My neuro talked thru my MRIs but I’ve heard not all of them do so ask if you need to
I wouldn’t have spotted anything wrong with my spinal one until he expanded it on screen so I could see all the little white dashes.
I wish I could say the same as Anita about my head MRI but it showed I have a large lesion and it didn’t look anything like what I’d googled but I did recognise the Dawsons fingertips.
Make sure it’s explained to you, as the letter I had about it prior to the meeting didn’t mean anything to me
Good luck
Sonia x
Thanks all. I’ve come home to a letter with an appt with the ms nurse, not till the end of jan. Hoping I will see the consultant before that though as it hasn’t really been explained at all and I was just sat looking like an open mouthed goldfish x
Hello Lorna
There is no reason why you can’t contact the ms nurse and ask to see her sooner…let her know how your feeling.
I chatted to my ms nurse on the phone, the day I got my diagnosis because I was feeling quite upset.
Take care, Noreen
Hi Lorna, I get optical neuritis too and find that if I cover one eye with a patch to rest it, it really helps. I only do this at home to avoid an awkward question and answer session from people outside! Haha. Anyway it helps with that and lessens double vision when I get it too. Eye exercises then resting them dies help. It can be scary when you’re newly diagnosed but it’ll all fall into place and get easier to deal with I promise xx
hi lorna,sorry about your diagnosis (dx), it can take quite a while to wrap your head around it all. make best use of your ms nurse, they’re normally great. it would seem from feedback on this site, that neuro consultants are very varied, as a general rule of thumb, it’s helpful to take someone along with you, if possible, as appointments can seem very quick and two sets of ears pick up more information, it’s very easy to find yourself getting a little bogged down in it all, after all it’s a very emotive subject, i’ve found that taking a list of questions/new or worrying symptoms/concerns etc with me when seeing any medical professional helps enormously.
i hope you get all the help you need from your various medics, but keep coming here to ask questions or vent, whatever, this site’s a lifeline to people who just ‘get it’.
take care,
wendy x