Good trip to the doctor's! :)

Everyday living
1

Well, just been to the doc’s - quite successful, I thought.

1: my blood pressure, which she was worried about last time, was FINE, so I can keep taking the contraceptive pill. I didn’t want it for contraception, but because my periods were every three weeks, and lasting a week, and aggravating all the MS stuff all the while. Because they were so frequent, and lasting so long, I was having a hormonally-triggered “exacerbation” nearly half the time. The pill has improved things lots, so I was really anxious about potentially having to stop.

2: I got the go-ahead to continue with the quinine, which I’ve been really pleased with. AND she said I’m not on the highest dose - there’s a tablet higher than the one I’m on, SO, I’ve got permission still to have the odd G&T without risk of overdose. Result!

3: She agreed with my self-diagnosis that my hoarseness and continual sore throat may be caused by acid reflux, so I’ve got a course of omeprazole for that, to see if it calms it down. She didn’t know whether or not it’s related to MS, as she said it’s extremely common anyway, so might be a coincidence.

4: I DON’T have a chest infection, although she thinks there may recently have been one. She thinks that if there was, it’s “on the run” now, anyway, and there would be no benefit in prescribing antibiotics at this stage.

So all in all, pretty positive, I thought.

Tina

x

2

Sounds a positive appointment , Tina.

Not worth having antibiotics if not really needed. I hope it clears up completely soon.

Teresa.x

3

Hi Tina, thats all good stuff! Are you on 200mg quinine then? I am on 300mg...and i think thats the highest.

Glad you can stay on it if it helps.

Acid reflux…yeh, I was geting that a lot and am on 15mg lansoprazole…same sort of drug. I get it occassionally still and take a swig of water, or a mint and it goes off.

I``ve had bloods taken today, for cholesterol, kidney, liver function, thyroid and diabetes. Results and BP check in 3 weeks.oh and a flu jab.

It``s funny you saying you`d been to nurse and not mentioned horrendous transport problems. Did you get the bus?

luv Pollx

4

I’m with Theresa - don’t take drugs you don’t need - the G&T is something you DO need, so well done on that front.

I also suffer acid reflux especially at night if I eat too much too late. I didn’t think it was MS related - just my tummy complaining. It is awful to waken in the night and feel your throat burning from bile and even if you drink a sip of water it tastes bad and you constantly are trying to clear your throat and every time it burns with a bad taste. And the next morning I do sound quite hoarse too.

If only all visits to the doc’s could be so successful

JBK

5

Wow, Tina, a trip to the doctor’s where you both agreed about everything. Where I live that’s as rare as hen’s teeth!!

I replied to another thread about the hoarseness/sore throat symptom and noticed that since I have been taking lansoprazole I no longer suffer with this. If only I had realised this was a symptom of acid reflux years ago I could have saved myself pots of money that was spent on throat sweets! The odd thing is I never used to really suffer with typical indigestion symptoms but was occasionally nauseous in the mornings and (I’m sorry to be a bit graphic here), if I was physically sick, it was always mostly bile. I only suffered from classic acid reflux symptoms after I ate painkillers like smarties during the year following diagnosis and my stomach clearly didn’t tolerate them well. My GP started me on 30mg lansoprazole and then reduced it to 15mg when my symptoms were under control.

Returning to you, I’m really glad that you took the time to discuss all these issues with your GP. None of them individually was a major issue, but when you have several things nagging away at the back of your mind it’s just nice to get them sorted and get on with enjoying life.

Have a good weekend

Tracey x

6

Hi Tina, glad it all went well. My guess is that right now you are sitting down enjoying a G&T . Cheryl:-)

7

Thanks All!

I think Poll is by now away on her jollies, so probably won’t see this, but yeah, I did get the bus over there. The transport situation wasn’t great, as it was a “long” shortcut across fields to get to the bus stop, and I had to get up early, and set off a long time before the appointment, as I cannot trust the buses after what happened last time, with the hospital (though this is a completely different route and a different service). Luckily, it wasn’t raining as hard as forecast. I don’t know what will happen when I can’t walk to the bus-stop any more, or when the weather’s a lot worse than today. As it happened, I could have left later, and still been fine, as my doctor was running extremely late. But although that’s typical, you never can chance it, can you? If I’d had the extra half-hour in bed, and caught the later bus, you can guarantee it would be the one morning she was running exactly to time.

Sadly, I’m not having a G&T to celebrate. I haven’t kept tonic in the house for ages, after I believed I couldn’t have it any more. As I haven’t done the shopping yet, there wasn’t any to crack open. Really looking forward to my first one though! I could still have gin with anything, just not the tonic, but I never developed a taste for gin 'n orange in the same way. It’s OK, but hasn’t got that lovely, clean zing to it.

Isn’t it funny how you never crave anything as much as when you’re not supposed to have it?

I haven’t tried the omeprazole yet. The instructions said best taken in the mornings, so I will start tomorrow, now. The doctor said cases where the throat is involved sometimes take longer to calm down than when it’s stomach acid alone, so she’s given me a couple of months’ worth, to see how it goes.

I will report back on whether it makes a difference, as we seem to have several posters reporting similar problems. I’m glad the lansoprazole worked for you, Tracey. I agree - I’m spending a fortune on throat preparations. If it does turn out to be stomach acid, I may have been living for years (decades?) with something fixable.

I also agree that, whilst none of these things by themselves are major, when you’re not well, it’s often all of these little things that grind you down, and erode quality of life. I know there is so much worse that can happen, and it’s not that I don’t count my blessings. But when you have MS, even a cough is depressing, and a drain on scarce energy, as are frequent painful periods. I know I’m not going to go to the doctor’s and get a cure for MS, so a lot of it IS about managing the “little” things.

Tina

x