Hello and my journey so far

Hi Everybody just popped in to get some advice if possible.

Sorry for the long post, i’m not that good when it comes to writing things down.(My first post never made it onto the forum,and think it got deleted, so have re-worded it a little. Sorry)

I have been reading over some of the forum posts for the last few days and think I can relate to some of the posts on here.

A few weeks ago, I woke up in the morning with what I can only describe as a numb arm/ hand. At the time I guessed that I had slept awkwardly on my arm and that soon it would wake up. It didn’t wake up, in fact it got worse. Later that day my whole arm went completly numb, it felt as though it was wet and at times felt a little tingly. The next day things got really bad, my whole chest area started to go numb and I had no feeling what so ever in the affected regions. I was unable to hold a pen or hold items such as a fork. My hand was simply unuseable. I called the doctor but was unable to get an appointment so went ot the local minor injury unit, and waited there for four hours, before being told to go back to my GP.

I went to the GP and he instantly referred me to the local stroke /TIA clinic at the local hospital. I went to the clinic, they carried out various tests and decided that I did not have a stroke, but the Doctor I saw decided to send me for a spine and head MRI. I only had to wait for two weeks before the appointment came through and I had my MRI.

To cut a long story short, I went back to the TIA clinic last week for the results of my MRI. Hopeing for the best, I thought that they would say it was possibly a trapped nerve, nothing had showed up on the MRI, and off you go, sort of thing.

Unfortunately, the results showed that I have some lesions to my brain and also one to my cervical spine. My next port of call is for me to be referred back to my GP where it will be recommended for me to be referred to a neuro doctor.

All of my issues started about five years ago when I used to get a really funny feeling in my lower spine and legs when I used to look down at the floor, it wasn’t electric shocks, more like a pulling sensation. I went to my GP then who looked at me and pretty much laughed. I returned a few times to see him with different issues like burning sensations in my legs and real bad stiffness in my back. I was refered then for an MRI of my spine and a degenerative disc was blamed for the symptons I was getting. It was basically a this is what you got, get on with it type diagnosis. Which I accepted and got on with my life.

Over the years I have had other strange things happen, my mind randomly goes foggy, my back constantly aches wether i’m sat down or lying down in bed, my legs hurt after I have been walking and get really hot at times. My left eye, although I have never have lost vision in it, from time to time feels achey, it feels like it wants to close up and now and again things looks blurry through it. I have had an eye test recently and I was told I had no issues with my eyes. I had a stint (and now and again still do) of not being able to goto the toilet straight away, I can stand there for a couple of minutes sometimes before something happens.

Fortunately I still have a job, wife and am pretty mobile still. I guess that this must be limbo land which I am in at the moment untill I get a definate diagnosis. I really hope that all of these things are in my head and I can go back to living a normalish life again.

Because the MRI showed lesions on my brain and spine, and judging from the symtpons I have had over the past few years, does it look likely that I have MS? What would be a defintive ruling to be diagnosed with MS. What is the criteria?

Thanks

Hi and welcome

Sounds like you have definitely been living in limbo for some time.

The diagnostic critera for MS is called the Mcdonald critera: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald_criteria

I can’t say whether you have MS or not but it’s good that you are being referred back to a neurologist. Hopefully they will be able to give you some definitive answers.

Best of luck

Laura