Well just back from first neurology appointment. couldnt find any neurological abnormalities from physical tests. neurologist said i was probably sufferring from stress and would refer me for mri brain and cv spine but was expecting it to be clear. yes i have had stress in my life for a good number of years but if this is stress related i must be completely off my head and unstable although i dont feel i am. ive got a good job in the nhs and soldiered on regardless. i feel like i waisted his time and wish ide never even gone to GP in the first place. in future i am just going to put up with symptoms and tell myself its stress.
bit upset x
Oh serina I’m sorry you feel so bad. Please don’t give up. Wait and see what happens with the MRI scans etc. I’ve been fobbed off for years being told things were stress related and was diagnosed with RRMS in August. I’m not saying this will be the same for you, but regardless of what is causing your symptoms you deserve to be treated for them. Take care x
Hi Serina. I am sorry that I don’t have anything inteligent to add, but I am very good at giving hugs so have a mahoosive hug from me ((((((((((((((x)))))))))))))
At least he has still referred you for scans and its not like he has totally written you off. You know your own stress levels and your own body. Do you know how long you will have to wait for the scans? Keep your chin up hon.
Angela xx
thanks for replies and the hugs, definately need them. dont know i long the wait is, probably months. is there anyone else here with ms type symptoms and clear neuro exam. ? x
Hi Serina
Chin up. I know how disappointing it can be. Have faith keep pestering for the scan dates. My symptoms were dismissed by the locum I saw on my first appointment which lasted 5 mins instead of the hour booked. I go back next week and hopefully the locum will have departed and I will see someone who is actually interested. Keep us posted - sorry I can’t be of more help. I have found the lovely people on here help keep one sane. Have a look at the EL forum for WB’s jokes just to take your mind off things.and raise a smile and hopefully the scan date won’t be too far ahead. take care
Dinks
I don’t know your history but it may not be MS?x
thanks dinks, seem to have ruled everything else out Mrs Chicca. i know stress cani cause aches and pains , headaches etc but didnt think it caused vertigo, blurry vision, painful eyes and muscle spasms so severe its caused pinky to stiffen to side. not to mention complete numbness in hands. but who am i x
Haven’t you had ON? What did the neuro say about that. I have been told twice my symptoms are anxiety now neuro is sending me for mri to look for demyelination Axx
Hi arwen, was told i had suspected op after optician examined me. had 2 episodes this year, had same thing about 15 years ago but with no other symptoms and i didnt follow that one up. He didnt comment on that but did take a brief look into my eyes and said it was ok. when your neuro put it down to anxiety does that mean nothing showed up in your neuro exam too. x
Yep nothing showed in neuro exam back then now I have brisk reflexes, fall over on rombergs and I don’t think they could tell on babinski what it did by reading my letter so now I’m getting full spine and head mri in 2 weeks Axx
What always makes me chuckle as well is when they say no loss of strength when testing you as they don’t know what my strength was before so it could be normal but weaker than it was lol Axx
how long ago did you have your first neuro exam x
Hi Serina
A lot of neuros missed out on charm school so you have to develop a thick skin at least until you get some kind of firm diagnosis. Ignore the comments, at least you have a referral for an MRI.
I have RRMS and have had 2 relapses this year affecting my legs but at my neuro check up in August most of examination was normal. The neuro did notice very slight clonus (jerking) in my ankle, I had a little difficulty hopping and was a bit wobbly doing the tandem walking but my strength and co-ordination were back to normal.
It just proves that the neurological examination isn’t the full story so hang on and wait to see what the MRI shows. Of course, you may not have MS but if you feel that something isn’t right then it needs investigating. I hope you have had lots of blood tests too as this will help to rule out simple vitamin deficiencies, etc which may cause similar symptoms.
Tracey x
Thanks Tracey, all blood tests normal except vit d which was very low so i have been taking supplements my GP prescribed for couple of months now. neuro said probably everyone in this country had abnormal vit d levels. x
Hi Serina my first neuro exam was start of 2009. X
Hi Serina, I have to agree totally with elmo in developing a thick skin. I had my first annual check up with the ms specialist, beginning September, I have a diagnosis and take copaxone. The appt was running 1.5 hours late, and when I got in there it was so rushed it was unbelievable. I didnt have a chance to tell him anything properly, I didnt have a neuro exam, etc, he said I looked fine, that was it! My next appt is next year. I think the fact that you have mri’s booked is a good thing, if there is a problem it would show up there. When they do the strength test, I think they can tell if one side is weaker than the other. Have you had evoked potentials tests done on your eyes? I would have thought the neuro would send you for one if you have had ON. I would also wait to see what the letter from the neuro says to your doctor, you should get a copy. Sometimes that can shed a different light on the appointment altogether. Take care.
hi daisyn neuro didnt mention evoked potentials, maybe he didnt believe i had optic neuritis. i honestly think he thought i was a hypochondriac lol but i suppose he must have an element of doubt if hes organised mri of brain and cv spine. the only thing i told him symptom wise was numbness in hands, vision disturbance, dizziness and vertigo and muscle spasms. prior to all this since novemeber wasnt at the GP hardly at all. x
Hi Serena x
Just wanted to say that is exactly how I felt after my first appointment.
I felt so silly about it all, and so sure that the neuro was totally convinced my symptoms were anxiety based, that I actually put off my MRI for about 4 months.
When i finally did go for my MRI, it showed up enough stuff that I have now been told I definitely have an ‘MS like’ condition, prbably MS. I am waiting now to see MS specialist for confirmation, but that appointment is not untill dedember… So here’s the thing I’m sort of kicking myself over - if I had not put my MRI off, I would probably have more concrete answers by now. I think I may have had a bit of a relapse these past 2 months - and wish I had gone for MRI earlier, so that I could have had access to specialist advice about my most recent symptoms.
Obviously, noone can tell you whether or not something will show on MRI ; but what I would say is - don’t put off further tests just because your neuro made you feel silly . If it is MS, it is better to know about it sooner rather than later, so that if you have relapses in the future, you are able to get the right support quickly. I th
don’t let this one experience stop you from getting the right tests x
Thanks Pingu that really helps a lot, i presume your neurology exam was ok too if he metioned anxiety ? , what showed up on your mri if you dont mind me asking x
Hi serena x-
my initial physical test was fine, (other than ‘slightly brisk’ reflexes), and the neuro had discharged me, saying he saw no reason to keep me in the clinic - but he did refer me for mri “just to be safe”’ -which I put off, because I felt ‘silly’.
when I eventually did have it done, it showed 6-7 ‘patches suspicious of demyelination’ - after seeing the results the neuro asked me to go back in and said I ‘definitely’ have a demyelinating disease, ‘definitely ms or ms-like’, although ‘probably mild’.
he was not an MS specialist, so he has referred me on to MS consultant. Unfortunately, that appointment is not until december, so , like i said, i am sort of kicking myself that i put the scan off for four months, because if I hadnt, I would have had more definite answers by this point, and also maybe would have had more advice / input around symptom management.
please don’t let the neuro made you feel deter you from having scans etc; he won’t be around when you have the scan (it will be done by nurses / tecnicians who will be polite and business-like about it all) , and if you are worried about seeing him again, you could request to be transferred to another neuro for future appointments xxxx
good luck with it all