Hi, My names Aysha. I am 32 and mother of 2 boys. For a few weeks on & off I have had weak legs, muscle twitching & some tiredness. Since Tuesday I have started getting tremors, pins and needles all over & some burning sensations. I went to my GP on Thursday & I had a blood test the same day. He said it may due to an under active thyroid, vitamin deficiency or a neurological problem- case of ruling things out. I work as an adult speech therapist & see patients with neurological problems so was only too aware it could signs of MS. Anyway- yesterday the pins & needles were getting worse & spreading to my neck, back & face. This morning I woke at 1am & couldn’t feel my right hand & vision blurred in left eye. Felt ok again within half an hour but I had called NHS direct & they said to go to A&E. Waited 3 hours at A&E only to be told there is nothing they can do as they can’t refer to a neurologist from A&E- said it has to be from a GP. I was not aware of this. He also said there was no medication they could prescribe as I need to a see a neurologist for this. I’m not in a rush to be medicated, but is there nothing that can stop eyesight going completely or help you move again?? I questioned what to go if my vision went & I could not walk for example, & the answer was the same- see your GP on Monday, I am amazed that there is nothing that can be fine until I see a neurologist (whenever that may be). Does this sound correct to you or is the A&E doctor wrong? I am petrified of losing my sight, the use if my hands & legs before Monday as no idea what I will do… Feel so incredibly lonely & sad at the moment. A week ago I was a healthy working mum & now this… Any advice on what I should now go would be most welcome. Thank you Aysha
hi aysha
so sorry that you are having such a rough time.
yes, A & E cannot give you treatment until you have seen a neurologist.
there are so many drugs that are contra indicated for people with ms.
your gp should have referred you to neurology by now so please get to gp and ask.
meanwhile it looks like you’re in limbo land so be kind to yourself, rest as much as possible, ask for help and keep smiling.
it’s not a death sentence if you do have ms so make the most of your boys whilst they are still at a lovable age!
speak to your line manager and tell her/him that you are having some strange neurological symptoms, maybe he/she can help.
thinking of you
carole x
Thank you for your response Carole. My GP thought it would most probably be a thyroid disorder (lots of sufferers in my family) & said if the blood test was negative, then he would refer to a neurologist. I was hoping & praying it would be something simple like this but it does not look like this will be the case. back to the GP on Monday morning for me… I am absolutely petrified, haven’t been able to eat well as no appetite & sleep has gone out the window due to the discomfort & fear of walking up with no movement. My heart is beating fast constantly. If this is a relapse, I sure hope it ends soon 
Thank you once again. If anything will get me through this it will be my lovely cheeky boys & wonderful husband. I will be speaking to my line manager tomorrow. Aysha x
Hi Aysha and welcome to the site
First of all, please let me (hopefully) reassure you a bit - this really doesn’t sound like MS because there are just too many symptoms at once, especially as they are coming and going too. So my money would be on something that is reversible / treatable or a one-off attack of something that, once you recover from, will never happen again.
The A&E doc was not being completely truthful in that, yes, they can’t refer you, but you could have been admitted and seen by someone in neurology as an in-patient. At least, that’s what happens elsewhere, when the patient’s symptoms are severe enough to warrant it.
As far as meds go, there isn’t really anything the A&E doc could prescribe. Strong corticosteroids can help to shorten a relapse, but these cannot be prescribed unless the patient definitely needs them - which means MRI scans and a neuro opinion. Again, none of this would happen unless the patient’s symptoms were severe.
The upshot of this is that the A&E doc didn’t think you were in any danger of losing your vision or becoming immobile or anything like this. I’m not a believer in the all seeing all knowing medic, but these guys have gone through a huge amount of training so I think you can take this as a very positive sign that, yes, you have these weird things happening to you, but it’s very very unlikely that you are about to suddenly develop a serious problem.
So try and let go of the fears. It might be worthwhile seeing an ophthalmologist about your blurred vision (your GP can refer you), but chances are that the blood tests will show up something that is causing your problems and that it is an easy fix.
Karen x
Hi Karen & thank you so much for your reply. I am still clinging onto the hope that’s its something treatable but feel the range of symptoms I’ve had are difficult to explain & MS could realistically be the cause- need to get used to the idea myself to help me deal with it just in case! I wish I wasn’t such a panicky person but you are who you are! I also thought they might admit me at A&E - I still had a lot of pins & needles & sensations up & down my spine whilst I was there but as you say not worrying enough to warrant further investigation. I work in the NHS but hate taking medication myself & steroids scare me! Your suggestion of a referral to ophthalmology is a good one- I will mention this to my GP when I make an appt tomorrow. How old are you & do you have a diagnosis? Many thanks once again- so useful to have a place where you can get sound advice. Aysha x
I’m 47 and was diagnosed with RRMS in 1998. I had to stop work in 2010 and found my way on here in one of too many(!) quiet moments - I try and help out on this forum because I know what it’s like to be scared and not know wtf is going on!
I’m not a neuro, but I know a fair amount about MS and a whole range of intermittent symptoms like you describe would be a very unusual presentation; it’s much more likely to be something systemic, like a vitamin deficiency even. Try not to worry 
(Yeah, I know!)
Kx
I am trying - honest! Thank you Karen- the support and advise you provide for people on here is invaluable & much appreciated. Hope & pray whatever the outcome, my family & I get through it together. Best wishes, aysha x
Hi Aysha, welcome from me too. I know how terrifying it can be, when you suddenly have weired things going on and no-one rushes to help.
These referrals do take time, I know.
But if you can afford it and desperately need to see a neuro sooner, why not have a private appointment?. it will cost around £200. I did that back in 1999 and then went onto the NHS.
hang on in there, yeh?
luv Pollx
Hi Poll. Thank you for the warm welcome. I was considering the private route but thought it would be a lot more if you need to have scans etc. I will hopefully speak to my GP tomorrow & take it from there. Have had such a strange day- seen to have a lot of neck ache & like a shooting pain down my spine. Feels like I’m not in my own body anymore Take care, Aysha x
Hi, Just an update since my last post. I booked an appt at my GP surgery on Monday & saw a new doctor- horrible arrogant man who didn’t look at me once throughout. Said my blood test showed thyroid working fine. They did not have results of my vitamins but he said my symptoms would not be explained by a vit deficiency anyway I have been feeling awful with a range of symptoms since: - dizziness the whole day - burning sensations down my spine - stiff hands & numb legs - no appetite I am so so scared & today can’t stop crying. Trying to be brave for my boys but I am so useless & can’t do anything for my family. I cant work, cook, drive, do the laundry etc. i feel like such a useless burden. How long do these symptoms go on for & do they ever get better?? Can my doctor prescribe anything at all for the spasms/dizziness even if I haven’t seen a neurologist yet?
It is really important that you try to keep a lid on your anxiety - it will only be adding to your symptoms and not doing you any favours whatsoever.
And, to be very blunt, if you want any doctor or neurologist to take you seriously you need to calm down!
Let’s look at this completely objectively. You have various sensory symptoms, most of which come and go. You have no loss of function. This has been going on for several weeks with no severe deterioration or signs of needing emergency intervention.
So, yes it’s weird and therefore scary, but it is not something that you need to panic about.
With regard to meds, your GP can prescribe meds, but he/she is unlikely to want to without you having a diagnosis as the wrong meds could make things worse. Antihistamines can help dizziness, as can travel sickness meds & gadgets (e.g. travel bands) - you can buy these over the counter. Meds for spasms depends on the type of spasm and what’s causing it. I can’t imagine a GP prescribing anything for spasms unless they saw them in action and could assess them properly.
Sorry to be harsh, but you really do need to take a step back and examine your fears. You are getting things out of proportion and that really won’t be helping
Karen x
Thank you Karen- your right- I do need to calm down. I was getting more and more worked up with the weird & wonderful symptoms I’ve been experiencing but as you say they do come & go & wear off. The travel sickness bands sound like a good idea- I will get someone to buy some for me today. Kind regards, Aysha x
Sorry for butting in here but Karen you mentioned blood tests, as thats the first thing any doc seems to do and they rely so much on them and them alone(from my experience) im wondering if bloods are taken and tested for everything and they come back all clear do you just be left to fend for yourself or do they send you for more tests?
Aysha i do hope you get to the bottom of your symptoms soon and eventually find out whats causing them, im not dx with MS however when you mentioned losing power in your legs this happened to me around 15 years ago and the doctors admitted me to hospital and still couldnt explain what was wrong with me, it went away thankfully but it scared me at the time. Think positive!
GPs do not do all the possibilities unless you specifically ask for them or ask them to do the more obscure things too. Most GPs seem to operate on the “if it’s all clear and the patient doesn’t come and see me again then everything’s fine” principle, which I can’t really blame them for because they are pretty busy after all. The trick to beat this principle is to make another appointment, tell them that the symptoms are still there and ask for further investigation and/or a referral to a specialist (and to keep doing this until you get some answers!).
Neurological symptoms can be caused by deficiency in B12, D, E, calcium, magnesium, B1, copper and loads of others that I can’t remember off the top of my head. As far as I know, the standard set of blood tests that most GPs would order doesn’t cover most of them.
Kx
Hi RogtheDodge - thank you for your comment. I also hope I find out what’s wrong with me. I went and saw my normal GP today & she advised I see a consultant privately as the wait on the nhs is 9-10 weeks locally. This is what I’ll be sorting out tomorrow. Trying really hard to be positive- promise 
Will keep you updated on how I get on x
Just wondering how you have got on?
Hi RogtheDodge, Update… Saw a consultant yesterday - he was very thorough, did bedside neurological assessments & said he did not think I needed an MRI scan at present…taking this as a good sign. Basically, a lot of my symptoms could be explained by stress/anxiety, though I did explain I wasn’t stressed about anything when all this started…! He said my symptoms were not present constantly (coming & going) and the blurred vision was only for a short time. Basically I would have had to have a much more serious episode in order to be put forward for further tests. He said MRI’s can sometimes show lesions which may have always been there so are not particularly helpful in diagnosis in all cases- this was new to me… We agreed he will follow me up in the new year (on the nhs as I did book an appt using choose & book as well as paying for the private consultation). So I guess I just have to wait & see how i get on in the meantime. Feel somewhat relieved but also wondering how & why this all happened - still very dizzy, with stiffness in hands & random tingles all over which is annoying & stopping me getting on with daily life. Aysha x