Hello all!
I have gradually been developing various symptoms that have become distressing and have begun to limit my ability to go out, and sometimes to work. Basically I become faecally incontinent for a couple of weeks - quite seriously so - but then it clears up and I am okay again for the next six weeks ago - it seems cyclical. This has developed over the last two years or so. I have had all the tests that you can suggest, and there appears to be no reason for either the Bowel or the Bladder incontinence which I have (the latter is being treated with Botox).
In addition though, I have increasing weakness in my legs andI can’t stand up without using my hands, I am waking up with and have pain in my legs which sometimes wakes me up. I get in the day too, sometimes in one leg and then the other, sometimes one knee and then the other - and the doctors put it down to ‘wear and tear’. The palms of my hands go numb every now and then, and my feet are always cold - I wear thick socks at night, even in the summer. I also seem to be getting a lot of cramping in my toes.
My cognitive function has also not been brilliant, forgetting things constantly, finding things difficult to work out when I know I shouldn’t. And i get severe migraine which lasts anything from a few hours to four days. Oh, and I hate the heat: I’ve always hated it, and in really hot weather feel sick and headachy.
All of these have been put down to either menopause - which they are very similar to - or the fact that I was born with Spina Bifida Occulta. I was under Spina Bifida specialist clinic for a while, but after having a scan I was removed from their list because I ‘had the best spine they have seen in a long time’. Apparently my spine has healed up and the spina bifida no longer exists (I did only walk at 4.5).
My question is: could this be MS? And what do I say to the doctors to try to bring all the strands (mentioned above) together? They have been fantastic in dealing with everything but no one seems to be joining the dots.
Have you had any experience of this, and should I push for a referral?
Thank you lots!