Hi -
Just wanted to comment on this as I had a very very similar experience.
The first neuro I saw told me (after a 9 minute appointment) that he was ‘almost 100% sure’ that there was nothing neurological going on. He told me that his best advice would be to “get on top of my depression” but that he would authorise an MRI to ‘put my mind at rest’.
He sent a letter to my GP (I received a copy) stating that in his opinion he saw ‘no need for concern’, and that although he had organised an MRI he ‘saw no need to see me again’, and was therefore discharging me from the neurolgy services.
I actually cancelled my MRI scan after reading the letter; I felt that it sounded as though he had only ordered it for my peace of mind (he had told me categorically that he did not expect anything to show), and I felt rather foolish, almost as if I was being an unnecessary drain on NHS when specialist thought there was nothing wrong
Anyway, I did actually go for the scan several months later - which ended up showing demyelination. The neuro then quickly recalled me for reassessment, and told me (in an appointment that lasted about 4 minutes) that I ‘definitely had an MS-like condition’ but it was ‘very mild’, and (I quote) “I would only be concerned if something dramatic had happened, like total incontinence”. He made it very clear that in his view, problems with sight / mobility were ‘serious’ but that symptoms that were not ‘functionally incapacitating’ (eg pain, parasthesia, weakness,etc) did not warrant much discussion. He absolutely refused to discuss the pain I had been experiencing in my leg, telling me it had ‘nothing to do with MS’, and that I should ‘take some paracetemol’. Because I had (at that point) only had a brain MRI, I asked if I would need one of my spine. He said no (and again, I quote) " there will absolutely not be anything to see".
3 months later I saw the MS specialist neuro, who diagnosed me with CIS. He said this was partly because I had only had 1 scan done, so there is at this point no real way of knowing if it was a one-off incident or ongoing disease. He did a physical exam, and noted some problems with my foot / leg that he said could be related to MS / spinal lesions (despite the fact that first neuro saying that there was ‘absolutely’ no problem with my foot, and I should ‘take paracetemol and stop blowing it out of proportion’). He then said he wanted me to have another brain MRI and also one of my spine. When I mentioned that the first doctor had previously told me there was no point in doing an MRI of my spine, he told me “I can tell you now, there definitely is a point!”. He was not at all alarmist - he managed to reassure me that he thought my condition was not too worrying right now , but that he absolutely was taking me seriously and would make sure I was properly assessed / followed up (my next mri is next week, follow-up appointment in the spring, and I was given contact details of ms nurse in case of emergency)
My main points would be -
- I’m really sorry your neuro made you feel like he was being so dismissive. But do not let this put you off going for appropriate scans. You are not being a time-waster, a hypochondriac, or anything else of that ilk. That is not to say that you definitely do have MS; but it is possible, and you should definitely go for the tests.
*Not all neuros will be this dismissive, and if you feel you weren’t treated appropriately, you could ask to be transferred to someone else. Do not let this one experience get to you too much. The important thing is that you are getting the right tests soon.
*Wait and see what (if anything) the scans show, and then let the rest follow from there.
Best wishes xxxxxxxxxxxx
