Feeling Like A Fraud

Hi everyone, am new to this but have been reading this site for a little while and thought I could do with some advice. My story started 5 years ago with an episode of numbness down the whole of the right side of my body, went to GP who sent me for a MRI of brain which showed a cavernoma which wasn’t causing any other problems so Neurolgist said leave alone. This was not the cause of the numbness and was a coincidental finding. Most of the numbness went after about 4 weeks but was left with numbness. tingling and sometimes pain in my arm and hand. In November 2008 had an MRI on my neck, the results were sent to me by post - ‘there is a area of increased signal intensity in the dorsal part of the cervical cord at the level of C3, this is consistent with a demyelinating plaque’. I wasn’t referred to anyone then and it wasn’t until I saw a hand specialist in 2010 who mentioned that I had a lesion in my neck. Have been having other strange things happening like burning on the bottom of my foot, pain in my big toe, burning pain in my back and leg stiffness and pain which has got worse in the last 6 months and I now have problems with walking very far. Anyway am living/working in Spain at the moment and my doctor referred me to the Neuro here who I saw on Friday she is going to do some tests (not sure what!) but she said - and this is why I am writing - that the lesion was only causing the problems with my hand and nothing else. Is this normal? Thanks for listening to me! Kim x

Hi Kim

Please don’t feel like a fraud! You are very welcome

Well, how peculiar that they didn’t follow up the spinal lesion at the time! Still, at least you’re having things investigated now.

The location of spinal lesions can be used to pin down what symptoms they are likely to be causing. C3 is associated with the diaphram, so I don’t really understand the hands comment. Perhaps it was a translation issue?? Even if it wasn’t, new tests will hopefully provide more information, and some answers for you.

I’ll let someone know who’s in Spain that you’ve posted - perhaps she can help you with some local knowledge?!

Best of luck with it all. I hope you don’t have too long to wait.

Karen x

Karen thank you for replying to my post, even though I have not been diagnosed with any neuro problem it made me feel better just being able to share my story.

Think there was some translation issues (took a friend with me who speaks Spanish) but she did say that the problem with my legs was definately not anything to do with the lesion so will have to talk to GP about that problem.

Would very much like to talk to someone else who is in Spain if you could let them know.

Thank you

Kim x

Perhaps she meant that it was probably a different lesion that was affecting your legs? That would make sense.

I have let my friend in Spain know - she said she’d get in touch.

Kx