This is my first post so sorry if it’s rambling.
so although I am only 35 I have a long medical history of cancer, internal bleeding, thyroid problems and a million other things, honesty so many, hearing problems, gallbladder out, appendix out, large ovarian cysts.
So I am always at the Drs (I hate it and that’s why I ended up with internal bleeding and an emergency op because I was so sick of going to the Drs) and always telling them I’m so tired 
I have always had episodes of tingling and pins and needles and after having my second son and an epidural I’ve had back pain and sciatic pain. However my physiotherapist said I should keep going to the Drs about my nerve damage if it wasn’t getting better and hinted that he suspected something more. They seem to happen in episodes and my Drs always blame it on my thyroid or ibs?!
ive had sight loss episodes on 3 occasions and once I was admitted to hospital they said my calcium was low and would do a lumbar puncture. I was terrified and said I felt better and left. Silly I know, but isn’t hindsight wonderful. I didn’t realise they were looking at MS until I googled what the Dr was kind of saying. Then I kept getting migraines and numbness and was very dizzy and I had an MRI they said it was clear and not to take the pill… This was 5 years ago. Since then I’ve had electric shock pain down my legs, hips and last year it started in my hands and arms. I was tested for carpal tunnel which they said I had in both arms but not severe enough at the time for an op- fine with me. Then suddenly it went for months.
My leg, back and hip have started their tingling and burning again but since my Drs has changed I get a different Dr every time and it’s exhausting explaining all this and the bits I’ve probably missed. Plus if I’ve had an MRI wouldn’t that have shown it?
i always come back to MS but dread being fobbed off again… Is there a definitive test I can ask for? I don’t want to keep going back but I know my thyroid fog is different to this and it’s controlled.
Hello Rumbly. It certainly sounds like you’ve been through the wringer medically speaking and I’m sorry that you’re going through another pretty rubbish time. In terms of a single test for MS I’m afraid that there isn’t one, it’s more like a series of individual tests that need to be done to confirm the diagnosis as many of the symptoms of MS are shared with other conditions. A lumbar puncture is definitely one of those tests as is an MRI. You didn’t say what part of your body the MRI was looking at. When I was being investigate specifically for MS, it was caught a bit by accident as they were initially looking for something else, it was full brain and spine. If your scan came back with no lesions then it would probably be unlikely that you have MS but only a Neurologist would be able to tell that for sure but just because it isn’t MS doesn’t mean there isn’t something to be diagnosed.
All I would recommend wold be to return to your GP and voice concerns that you have. It’s possible that they will be able to put your mind at ease there and then but if not they can refer you to Neurology. In terms of how many visits it took for me, it was two visits to a GP for the “urgent” referral, three Neurology appointments interspersed with three MRIs and an X-ray before getting a “probable” diagnosis. This took around 9 months. I’m still waiting on another test (evoked potential) but that won’t be any time soon and in any case that will just be a test to confirm the impact on my optic nerve it won’t change the diagnosis.
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I agree with Patten.
The only thing I would add is: don’t feel embarrassed about seeking medical advice. It’s one thing, a person being a very familiar fixture in the waiting when she has a long history of nothing being the matter. But you have been unlucky and had lots the matter, and the doctors will know that you are a person who has good reason to seek their advice.
In other words, no one is going to think you are suffering from health anxiety, if that is what you are worried about. I’m not disrespecting those who DO suffer from health anxiety - it’s a real and very unpleasant condition - it’s just that you aren’t one of themn, and no one will think that you are!
Alison
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Thank you so much for taking the time to reply.
It was just an MRI of my brain and I’ve no idea what they were looking for to this day as I wasn’t really with it when I’ve not been able to see properly I can’t concentrates well at all and falling over. It was a neurologist, it was private and she was particularly cool and I was out within 15 minutes and paid £500 for the honour. She decided it s a migraine after I had a loss of version one time before. I feel like because I’ve had cancer once before they are just eager to rule that out. They always seem afraid to confirm any suspicions and it’s not til I come away and google a few things they’ve suggest I get what they were looking at? Like when they were going to do the lumbar puncture no one mentioned MS but they were asking me about my pins and needles and my clumsiness I didn’t put it together until I was home.
last time I went they sent me for the carpal tunnel tests which it confirmed and then decided that’s it. I work from home now which is lovely as I can rest more it’s only when I get the tingling again that I worry. My legs were bad last year (mainly left side) and the dr wanted to test me for narcolepsy!? Because I was so tired. I’m sick of going back.