Hi I am a 50 year old woman. I recently had an MRI that have shown lesions which strongly suggest MS. They have made an urgent referral to neurology but even an urgent referral has a 3 to 4 month waiting list. I have no one professionally to turn to and feel I have been left with this bomb shell with no support
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Hello, when people say they strongly suggest MS then say there is a 3 to 4 month waiting list its not perfect. It leaves space for your mind to think of so many questions. To me it sounds like they have seen an indicator and normally they want to build a history to help the neurologist. I am afraid to gather all the data can take time with luck if will be faster than 3 months
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Morning what a bombshell for you and sorry that you are facing this problem.
Can I ask what symptoms led you to having a MRI of your brain ?
The good thing is that you have been referred to a Neurologist and are now in the system.
Waiting for a formal diagnosis is very difficult but it really can take sometime and a number of MRIs and other tests beforehand.
I went through a similar journey in my 50s with multiple lesions found in both my brain and c spine at my first MRI but I didn’t meet the Mcdonald criteria and was diagnosed with "probable MS ".
I did ask my Neurologist if it could be anything else and he said not and thought I had it for years.
He set me up with a MS specialist nurse straight away and prescribed various medications to help with my ongoing symptoms.
I saw him annually and had further MRIs but it wasn’t until 3 years later when a new lesion was found that I was formally diagnosed and started a DMT.
In the meantime it might be worth taking a look at MS Trust website and reach out on this site for support and any questions you may have. We’re not medical professionals but have lived experience and know what you’re going through.
Do take care and be kind to yourself. Wishingyou all the best
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It’s really hard people never react fast enough our country is overrun people stretched to the limits. Read on here, gather as much information as you can be ready for your appointment. Get answers to what is important to you. The more stress we have to deal with the worse we get. Buy a caramel bar sit back and chill. It’s hard getting used to MS but you are still you. Just a slower version with less control. Worse things happen, rely on yourself keep asking questions. One day you will get an answer. Take care my lovely. 
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The reason I had an mri is because I have pressure behind my right eye and I had unequal pupils.
I also suffer with fatigue, pins and needles, joint pain and so many more red flags
I know that I have a lot of the symptoms but a lot of them I put down to menopause, working shifts as a nurse and stress.
I’m so scared for my future but I have no one to turn to x
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Hi. @shellsmithy76 . Sorry to hear about your worries but can I ask why you think different sized pupils and eye pressure are symptoms of MS?
I’ve not heard of different sized pupils as a symptom of MS.
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The ophthalmologist has said the pressure is caused by inflammation, affecting the optic nerve. Usually my pupils are equal, but at times the affected eye has a larger pupil x
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Ok but my diagnosis resulted from optic neuritis which caused me to lose pretty much all vision in my right eye (couldn’t see a thing)but I didn’t have any noticeable’pressure’ nor differences in pupil size. Has your optician shown you an image of the optic nerve where it enters the eye?
It is quite possible that your eye problem is not to do with MS.
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Sorry to hear you have a wait to go to find out more information. Hopefully this comes along sooner than they’ve suggested but the whole process of finding out does take some time and sometimes more tests so unfortunately doesn’t seem to go quickly for many.
I am diagnosed with MS and have anisocoria after diagnosis along with some other eye stuff so I’m on another waiting list as have been told it although it could be because of my MS, it could also could be caused by something else entirely.
You are in the system now and so distractions and being kind to yourself while you wait for appointments/tests is the main thing.
The MS society has a helpline you can call for advice or a chat. It doesn’t matter if you are have MS or not, you can still call them and they have lots of info. I found this helpful myself.
and this lovely forum is a great place to ask questions, vent, connect with others in a similar situation.
Really hope you get some answers soon!
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Unfortunately bilateral lesions found that are strongly suggestive of MS. I also have had many other symptoms. They said the optic nerve was causing pressure due to inflammation from MS
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Sorry if I came across as dismissive, it wasn’t my intention at all. I was trying to say there is possibility that ms can cause it as someone else mentioned they hadn’t heard of pupil changed being related before. But also noting it can be caused by other things too. Sometimes I am no good with my words!
Like many of these other symptoms it’s unfortunate that they overlap with other causes & conditions which makes it a tricky and can be a whole process to get answers and support but now you are on their radar hopefully you’ll get the help you need soon!
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