Hello everyone I would like some advice on the report PRE MRI to my doctor on some terminology from the neuro
1.he had brisk leg reflexes and withdrawal plantar responses which were then equivocal.
2 No evidence of spastic catch and no clonus
3 there was clear FUNCTIONAL OVERLAY with intermittent give way weakness with positive Hoovers signs?
4 there was functional tremor finger nose test, however replaced spectacles on head ok
5 he had a functional ataxic gait and appeared to be very unsteady however had good postural recovery
6 vibration sense was normal in the feet and the joint position sense was intermittent normal
I gave him a list of my symptoms etc in chronological order, I might have not bothered
I suppose if he is ordering an MRI I must just wait however this appointment was like one from hell, he seemed to be trying his hardest to make me feel like a malingerer, and that it was all in my head, I was severely depressed before my appointment and now feel ten times worse.
Thanks for listening any help would be appreciated
One of the weird things about conditions like MS (and others) is that patients can have both functional and organic symptoms. For example, a patient with vertigo might subconciously change the way they walk to feel safer, but when the vertigo goes, the gait remains - it’s not necessary any more and it’s not caused by any nervous system damage, but it’s still used and so it could get classed as functional.
Saying that, the brain is a very complicated thing and debilitating functional disorders do exist, for reasons that are sometimes very difficult to establish. There is a very good website that explains all about them - why not have a read and see if it rings any bells. It’s www.neurosymptoms.org. [The fact that these disorders exist is why most neuros tend to put so much more emphasis on the clinical exam results than patient-reported symptoms. A decent neuro will know that there is a big difference between functional symptoms and malingering though.]
Ultimately all of this may not matter once you’ve had your MRI results of course!
The best advice I can give you is to try and keep an open mind.
Karen x