I dont really know where to start, it all started about 3 weeks ago. I woke up one morning and basically I couldnt see properly out of my right eye. My sight was very blurry and at times I was seeing things twice. Let me just explain that I rely on my car so my children can get to school, my husband doesnt drive and we’ve recently moved out the area of the school so drivig is a must. I got in the car and couldn’t focus, therefore I couldnt take my children to school. I was Left feeling down and confused. Why has my eye suddenly started doing this? I arranged an eyesight that afternoon and they gave me glasses although they couldnt see a problem whatsoever. The glasses have helped though I was still trying to figure out why my sight in one eye was left bluury. I started to google and the next thing I find is MS. My mum had MS…and id never realised before that I am actually having symptons of MS too. Ive had chronic back pain for 3 years which is getting worse over time. Ive had numbness in my hands and feet on and off for a year now. Tiredness has definitely been a problem as of late and I get accused of being lazy because I dont work yet spend my afternoons asleep, ive also been forgetting things and not gettig my words out like sluury sometimes…then this with my eye? My nan(my mums mum) said it was my mums eyes thst causesd the first proplems.
Although my optician didnt say anything about a neuritis I just couldnt help wonder whether my symptoms were the start of things. My mum has since passed away which has been horrendous. I told my thoughts to my husband who broke down in tears. I decided to visit my gp. This was so awful. She looked at me like I was stupid having told her my symptoms and my history with my mum she was reluctant and said I was just anxious. She also said that as the glasses were helping and the bluuryness was still there it wasnt ms. Obviously this is something I absolutly dont want to have yet she looked at me like I was an idiot. She only suggested I be referred if I brought her my opticans report and only offered me bloods because I suggested it. Im 28, she also said Im far too young. Ive given her my optican report and now hipefully she will refer me rather than fob me off.
Sorry to hear that you have been left feeling like that - its not nice. Im no doctor and have only recently been diagnosed myself, however your account does match slighlty to mine.
In summary, I started to have issues with my eyes last March. I would get blurred vision and it felt like random rapid eye movement. Like you I went to the opticians and they prescribed new glasses with some prisims in. Then in April/May I went to the Drs with a numb right arm/hand. In Oct/Nov I had further problems with my eyes - optic neuritis in the left eye. I was then diagnosed in december. My neurologist thinks that my eye issues at the start of the year were linked to my MS.
I would always say to people, “you know your own body”. If you know it isnt right you have a right to be listened to. My GP certainly didnt want to see an optician report etc
I totally can empathise with your situation, I have had similar problems with my eye, optician gave me glasses too but and reckons i may have been having retinal migraines and although no sign of optic neuritis she did ask if i had been tested for MS and strongly urged me to see a neuro. Still waiting on the appt coming through…my GP has been a thorn in my side to be honest, told me I was to old to have MS! The optician confirmed that was nonsense, even although I knew myself that wasnt the case, my physio has been a tremendous help, but its a frustrating situation to be in 12 weeks I was told I would have to wait to see a neuro! I dont understand the reluctance from some GPs but I am fast learning you have to be firm and if you believe things are not right put your foot down with them and get yourself referred to neuro!
My doctor fobbed me off too when I had my first symtoms but I got a second opinion - I would suggest you do this too. The first doctor I saw put my drop foot down to a slight curvature of the spine and suggested physio which would have rectified nothing. And to be honest I don’t think there is such a thing as ‘too young’. I was diagnosed when I was 34 after almost 2 years of being prodded and poked but I think I’ve had MS for years, certainly since childhood when I recollect symptoms throughout the years. I don’t understand why an optical presciption is evidence of neurological activity!? If it were me I’d take the prescription and shove it where the sun don’t shine then request an appointment with a different doctor. The fatigue you’re encountering is THE most common symptom of all. Almost all MS sufferers will suffer with this at some point during our condition, in fact, it’s perhaps the ONLY symptom all of us will have at some point so don’t feel guilty about not getting the hoover out or changing the beds on the day you usually would. Some of the symptoms you have described are common to MS but I’m not suggesting that you have it but I would suggest you get a second opinion - if I hadn’t who knows where I’d be now. Good luck.
Hi holly I’m unsure if ms is hereditary, that’s something you would need to find out. I’m sure though, that you need to change your GP!, he/she obviously doesn’t know enough about your situation and how dare they poopoo your worries and fears!. Asks to be referred to a neurologist, this is a right of yours, you are having numbness and tingling with fatigue and other symptoms this is not to be taken lightly. Are you vegetarian at all?, reason I ask is there are many deficiencies that can cause N&T and this is to be assessed in you blood work. I have had myelitus for 13 years I was dx at 22, so obviously not to young for these autoimmune diseases!! I’ve just had a lumbar puncture as I’ve had lots more symptoms of late they are thinking now along lines of ms. Good luck with it all. Lisa x
Hello Holly Considering your symptoms and the fact that your mum had ms, I think you have every right to expect a Neuro referral. Go back to your gp and discuss this, in a calm, assertive manner. Good luck to you
As Blossom says you must get your GP to refer you to a Neurologist or go private cost about £200. Your blurry eye is typical Optic Neuritis and this is why the Optician can’t diagnose. Because there is probably a lesion along your optic nerve that takes images from your eye to your brain; the Optician can only diagnose problems within the eye. See http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/opticneuritis.html
This is not to say you have MS as you can have this with other complaints. This is why it is important to see a specialist; a GP may only deal with about 6 PWMS their entire career.
Hi holly, im 26 and have justr been diagnosed with MS a week ago! For your doctor to say your too young to get MS is ridiculous!! My consultant is a specialist in MS and lectures on the subject he told me it’s most common in young women in their early to late twenties!! Your GP sounds awful and like the others say I eiuld definately see another. Like you my right eye became slightly blurry followed by numbness and weakness in my legs alonh with other things. I’m no expert far from it but all the things youve explained sound exactly like mine! They don’t exactly what causes MS but they think hereditory may be a factor, my uncle (my mums brother) has MS aswell! And although my mum was nevet diagnosed with MS she had similar symptoms before she passed away a few years ago! Please see another GP who is more understanding there is nothing worse than the worry and some telling you its all in your head. Good luck and I hope you get it all sorted, keep us posted xx
Thanks everyone for your replies. I really appreciate it. Im just going to wait a few weeks now to see if I get an appointment through…does anyone know how long this will take??? She did say once id dropped in my optician report she would refer me, if I dont here anything I will go bk and ask tonsee a different gp. X
it has been a while i have popped in to say hello to everyone,and looks like we arestill having same problems being listened to,i am you lost your mum and she had ms, and your key and help now is your mum,push like fury don’t be fobbed off,you know your body better than anyone,i wihs you goodluck,and i am sure there is a neuro out there that will pick up on your problems with ms symptoms take care love boz xx
my goodness whatever happened to GPs advocating for their patients?
Im sorry Holly but to say once you handed in your optician report then she would refer you just really makes me upset and angry, what is wrong with these GPs, is MS just not a ‘fashionable’ condition at the minute or are they all genuinely lacking knowledge?
You are entitled to be referred to the appropriate consultant to find out whats wrong with you, only they can determine whether treatment or further investigations are necessary hence why they are ‘specialists’ and GPs are ‘general practitioners’ they are not experts in any field. Rant over!
I was referred to neuro recently and was told 12weeks, keep us posted hun and take care - Karen xx
Holly, your optician can refer you directly to ophthalmology - mine did. I was told it was standard procedure for the optician to refer when there was a possibility of ON or diplopia (double vision) because of the risk of systemic disease - usually with a courtesy letter to your GP.
My double vision has turned out not to be MS but ‘generalised MG’ - which seems even worse than MS from what I can establish! I have also been given an immediate driving ban from my neurologist and instructions to notify DVLA - which is rubbish as I rely on my car for work Not the best week ever…
I thought id update the post rather than start a new one so i didnt have to explain everything again. Well, still no letter regarding an appointment with a neurologist so im guessing my gp didnt refer me, i just dont know what to do now. The weird thing is now is that my eyesight has gone back to normal, so thinking if i go bk to gp she will silently laugh at me even more. Still having other symptoms as first posted but my eyes are fine. Weird. Do i leave it and wait to see if it comes back or go bk to gp and be brave and tell her i want an appt even if nothing wrong to put my mind at rest?? Or maybe she has refered me, how long does an appt take to come through?
Or maybe she has refered me, how long does an appt take to come through?
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It can take ages. No harm in phoning the GP surgery to ask the receptionist whether the GP actually has referred you. Then at least you know where you stand on that one.
Hi Holly Alison is right it can take a while when I first went to my G.P she told me my referell could take up to 12 weeks, You should give them a call check out if you’ve been referred. Take care Polly x
My surgery uses chose and book so I got a phone call from the surgery the same day the gp said she would refer offering me 3 different hospitals and what the soonest dates were. I thought all nhs referrals where managed this way now?
Hello holly My referral took about six weeks, so hopefully you should hear something soon. If you’ve not heard by the standard six weeks, then give your surgery a ring. Bear in mind, your gp will not have sent the referral letter on the day she saw you…allow a few extra days when working out the six weeks. I hope you are doing ok holly and getting plenty of support. Take care Noreen
Hi Holly, I’m sorry you’re going through this hun.
I think the first thing to do is call the surgery and find out if a referral has actually been made. Referrals come out of the practise budget, and this can make some GPs reluctant to make one if there’s a chance you’ll just forget about it.
If one hasn’t been done, then you have several options. Firstly, you can be persistent with your current GP. Go back with a list of symptoms and ask why you haven’t been referred. Second, go and see another GP. Third, if you can afford it, make an appointment to see a neuro privately (they don’t all need a GP referral and if they also work for the NHS they may be able to add you to their NHS list and order tests if appropriate). You could alternatively see a GP privately, which is cheaper than a neurologist, and they may then refer you on…
If one has been done, then I’m afraid it’ll just be down to waiting a while…
Do let us know how you get on hun, as you can see, you’re not alone in having to overcome this type of resistance.
I had same issues my gp blamed my weight but my walking was bad for me knees giving way push gp to send me for xrays i am told minor artharitis, but i lost my balance then my eyes blurred vision gp told me to have a eye test so i did passed that got refered to eye specialist who diagnosed me with uveitis still having tratment he thinks i have a auto immune disease.
got a new gp now he ran all bloods and now im waiting for a neuro appointment, steriod eye drops don’t help and i have sensitivity to bright lights and floaters across my vision.
Not the best week ever…