hi all hope everyones ok
as the title says i had first neuro app yest.he was very good,though he didnt let me finish telling him what meds im on!just my asthma stuff&then he asked if i smoke,drank etc&it got forgotten about!!should i be worried about this or doesnt it really matter?
the clinical exam i had was all normal which he said reassures us thats its nothing ‘nasty’.the spot in my right eye is already getting looked at by opthalomologist in nov so he wasnt too worried about dealing with that.
he said hes95% sure its nothing ‘nasty’ but is sending me for two tests-a brain scan(dont know if its mri or not as he didnt say)&a nerve conductivity test.this,he said,will also cover my swallowing problem.can anyone tell me how this works&if brain scan is always an mri or something else?
many thanks 
Hi, I had my first neuro appointment yesterday too. I am being sent for an mri scan of my brain and spine.
Did they do any kind of physical exam? Did they say how long you’d need to wait for the scan?
I know this isn’t answering your questions ( I’m sure there’s someone on here far more able than me to help you with those) It’s interesting to hear about someone who is going through the same process as me at the same time.
Ann |Marie
hi annmarie
yes he did the physical exam which was all normal.
said the scans should be through in few wks&wont have to wait months so we’ll see!!
yes its a weird thing having all these symptoms isnt it
jane
Hi Jane
My physical exam was mostly normal too apart from he did detect a slight weakness in my legs. The difference for me was that my neuro seemed to be pretty confident that we were probably looking at it being ms and that the mri was really more for confirmation.
I was told a1 -2 month wait for the mri scan, which seems like ages but will probably be here before i know it. I’m booked to see the neuro again at the beginning of Dec once he’s got the results of the mri.
How are you coping with normal life? I’m signed off work at the moment but my line runs out at the end of this week so need to decide if I’m ready to go back to work Monday. Don’t really know what to do, bored and frustrated sitting here at home but whenever i try to do too much I end up exhausted!!!
Hopefully neither of us have to wait too long for our scans and that we get the answers that we’re looking for. Take care of yourself.
Ann Marie
Hi Jane, I had both the scan and conductivity tests about a month ago and I’ m still awiting results. The scan was mri and conductivity was easypeasy both were done on the same day. I got the scan appt two weeks after seeing the neuro and was set for four weeks later. Good luck Jane. Frank.
babyjane…not sure what exactly your swallowing problems are, but I had problems in that area with choking/inhaling food etc and have been referred to an ear, nose and throat specialist by my neuro.
The ENT consultant has now referred me on for swallowing x-rays…not sure MRI or nerve conduction can pick up swallowing problems.
hi annmarie
normal lifes not too bad atm.im a sahm of an almost four yr old do dont have the added worry of having to have time off.
its my legs,eye&swallowing that are my main worries.some days my legs ache so much&feel so heavy that its like walking through treacle!!i get lots of aching&discomfort in my eye&an annoying black spot!
can i ask what yr symptoms have been&how long youve been getting them?
hi gillian
well the swallowing prob started about8months or so ago.its not on a daily basis,but when i get it it feels like foods stuck there or my tablets i take&it stays with me all day&sometimes into the next day!ive also had reflux&have had to stop in the middle of eating because the food feels like its not going down&ive really got to swallow lots,try have a drink to sort it but that kind of stays2!!its not a nice feeling!!it does go after a while but it makes it very hard to finish a meal sometimes.tthe gp put me on omeprazole(think thats the right spelling!!)to tryease it both&the reflux is alot better but hasnt made alot of difference to the swallowing.thats why im bit worried that the neuro didnt hear me out so i could tell him all meds im on!!i wondered that about the tests so i asked him if was for the swallowing too,as gp told me to tell him that specifically&he said yes the conductivity test will cover that so i dont know!!!
hi frank
oh right so was all done within6wks then?thats good!!what were both tests like?im bit claustrophobic so not really looking forward to my head being enclosed for too long!!!
jane
Hi Jane
Been having problems for a few years now.
First indication was about ten years ago when my left arm went numb. It eventually faded away after a few months.
Otherwise the symproms up til now have been very vague. Tiredness/fatigue, “foggy head”, odd tingly patch or burning feeling, dizzy spells, walking to the right and forgetting the words I’m trying to say.
Then about 3 weeks ago woke up in the morning to find that both my feet felt tingly/pins and needles. Then up the back of my left leg began to go numb. About a week into that i was floored by complete exhaustion in fact was hardly able to even get out of bed. Seem to be coming out of the other side now but even the least bit of physical effort exhausts me. Want to get back to work but its not looking hopeful.
hi annmarie
that doesnt sound good!!i do get very tired at times but not to the extent i cant get out of bed.
yea i get burning in my legs sometimes but neuro just said it was prob a trapped nerve!!also numbness&pins&needles in them&right arm.
dizziness,forgetful&forgetting words or what im talking about,spaced out feeling.
i hope we both get sorted very soon though from reading other peoples stories here,it could take a while!!
jane
Hi Jane It certainly looks that way when you read other peoples posts doesnt it but i must admit that’s not the impression i got from the neurologist i saw yesterday. He seemed quite confident that the mri is going to show up lesions /inflammation and that would be enough for him to diagnose. He mentioned the possibility of a lumbar puncture but only if the mri came back clear. Think it depends where in the country you are and which neurologist you see. do you have any family members with ms? My uncle was diagnosed about ten years ago and there certainly seems to be evidence of it having some kind of genetic link.
Ann Marie
hi ann marie
as far as i know theres no-one in my family thats had/has it.
what area are you in?
jane
Hi jane, sorry about the delay. The scan was noisy but they gave me some ear plugs - some people get radio 2. I nearly fell asleep and I thinkthe radiographer woke me up when I started to snore ! The conductive tests were pretty easy too, the doctor puts electrodes on your arms and legs and measures the time taken fir the signal to travel between the two points, it doesnt hurt and the dr will talk you through it. So nothing to worry about. So just a walk in the park really. Frank.
hi frank
ok that doesnt sound too bad so fingers crossed it wont be!!
hope it doesnt take long brfore you get yr results
jane
hi frank
forgot to ask yesterday,was the nerve test for swallowing problems too?
does anyone know if it is right that this test does cover swallowing probs or should i be asking for a referral to an ent clinic?
jane
Hi Jane
How are you? I’ve been feeling a little better these last couple of days so havn’t been online so much. You must have your hands full with a four year old to look after. I suppose in some ways I’m lucky as both of mine are older now. My eldest is 17 and my youngest is 15. Though my 17 year old son is autistic and in some ways requires just as much attention as a four year old!!
I’m in Aberdeen in the North East of Scorland, where are you?
Ann Marie
hi ann marie
glad youre feeling better.im ok.its my daughters birthday today so we’re all going out soon&enjoying her day.
ive got two grown up daughters 25&22&a 2yr old granddaughter too!!lol
im in bristol in south west of england
jane
hi all!!
is karen or anyone around who can tell me if the nerve conductivity test also covers swallowing problems?
my neuro is sending me for this test&a brain scan&he told me that it would which i thought a bit strange!!
many thanks
jane
I don’t think that nerve conductivity tests would specifically test swallowing problems, but I could easily be wrong - it’s not something I know a lot about as I’ve only ever worked with VEPs.
I can think of two things that the neuro may have meant: one, that the tests will help to explain your swallowing problems; two, that you’re not just having the standard test and that it actually will test swallowing. Other than that, I really have no idea. Sorry!
Karen x
Hi Jane, sorry for the delay again, I’m not sure about the swallowing either because I dont know what scans your having. My mri was braon and cervical spine which covered the jaw and the neck muscles so that would include the throat. The oesophagus may be the thoracic spine I’m not sure but swallowing is a complex thing and it may involve autonomic nerves too. Maybe one of our Gurus can explain better.? Frank.