Looking for some help and reassurance if possible

New diagnosis and before diagnosis
1

Hello Everyone,

I have been reading the forums for a few weeks now and the information here is great. I wondered if any of you knowledgable members could help me as i have been feeling rotten for the last 12 months.

It all started with visual problems (blurred vision very often and twice I have had a grey spot in the centre of my vision in my left eye which lasted around 4 days before it subsided). I have had these problems with my vision and an accompanying headache that sometimes changed to a migraine for the whole 12 months so far and it is driving me mad. This coupled with a feeling of complete exhaustion even after a good nights sleep. I told my wife its almost like in my mind I want to do something but my body just won’t let me do it and even small tasks seem mammoth. Playing with my children and picking them up etc has now become almost impossible at times and I feel like a awful father.

Then around 2 months into getting the visual problems and headaches i started geting pins and needles in both my hands and in my feet. This comes on without warning and can last for a while making it difficult to walk, pick things up or type at work. I also occassionally have tremors in my left hand/arm that i cannot control. This is not overly noticeable to look at but makes doing anything that needs a steady hand virtually impossible.

I also have a number of other issues which i am unsure whether these are possibly MS related or not. Namely trouble with my balance (feeling like i am tipping backwards especially on stairs and having to throw myself forward and literlly crawl up the stairs) and cooradination. I have now had 2 episodes of slurred speach (luckily one was while i was at home so i just waited for this to pass but once was at work and was very embaressing). I seem to have lost some of my short term memory capabilities ad cognitive function. This is really difficult for me as I have always been fairly sharp and have studied for a masters degree in the past but my abilities seem to have deserted me and it is getting me down. I am being treated for depression and anxiety at the moment but i am guessing this doesn’t really have much to do with MS.

I have needed the bathroom increasingly especially during the night which has never affected me before and my bowels are often loose. Lastly in the past couple of weeks I have been getting severe cramps in my calf muscles. This has affected me to the point where i am even unable to walk an it is an effort to make the 10 metres from my living room to the kitchen.

I had never put any of my symptoms together before and believe it or not it was my optician that suggested the possibility of MS as she had noticed a problem with my eyes consistant with symptoms of MS. I went to a doctors appointment this morning and he carried out a few tests (walking in a straight line, on one leg etc as well as my reflexes) He said that my reflexes were ok but not great compared to somone of my age (I am 33 by the way) and wants to refer me to a neurologist but can take up to 3 months waiting to see one.

So sorry for the long rambling message and I apologise if i am completely barking up the wrong tree but I am beside myself as my life has come to an almost standstill. I just figured that if anyone would know then it would be the amazing people on tis forum.

2

hi paul

every one of your symptoms sounds like my life with ms, so it is good that your gp has referred you to neurology.

there are other conditions that mimic ms but it looks like you definitely have something going wrong.

taking positive action may help you get through the 3 months waiting.

so try to tackle your symptoms one at a time.

balance can be helped by using a wii fit with a balance board. (the kids will love having a go too)

yoga and pilates also help with balance and co-ordination.

you can self refer to a bowel and bladder clinic. (yea i know it sounds awful but so is having to live with the fear of having an accident).

ask your gp to have your blood tested because it may show that you are deficient with B12 and vit D.

learn how to pace yourself bcause if you get diagnosed with ms, this is something that you will need.

also try learning mindfulness meditation. it really helps.

wishing you a positive outcome

carole xx

3

Hi Pigpen/Carole,

Thanks for the swift reply i really appreciate it. The doc has been really good actually and has referred me for bloods which i am having taken on the 8th August 2014 so hope they come back ok.

I felt almost silly suggesting MS to the doctor but he seemed cagey about it almost like he didn’t want to suggest it. I forgot to mention in my previous message that I did see an opthomologist who said that it wan’t a brain tumour. Right ok i said, so what else could it be? His reply was lets see what another specialist says and wouldn’t tell me much else. A strange response i thought but maybe a normal one, i simply just don’t know.

I am already on Cymbalta for anxiety/depression which i have been reading is used by some doctors in the relief from neuropathic symptoms such as pain, tremors and pins and needles and it is interesting that if i run out and do not take it for even a day these symptoms are increased significantly. I had put this don to withdrawel but i just am not sure.

Also is it normal to feel, well normal some days. I ask this as just recently I had a couple of ‘good’ days where my pins and needles have been evident but very mild and I have been able to function without really noticing it unless i am sat still for a long time. In the afternoons at work I had been falling asleep at my computer (my work is boring but not that bad lol). I have subsequently been off for the last 5 weeks due to my symtoms and the accompanying depression.

Thank you once again for your reply and I hope that life is being kind to you. Everone on here seems so knowlegdeable and caring that it gives me a lot of heart.

Kind regards

Paul

4

Hello :slight_smile: pigpen has given you the best advice, I can’t top that :slight_smile: things will get better once you know what you’re dealing with. For some it’s a long wait; others have been sorted out quicker. I’ve been on a wait and see approach which was so frustrating. Now I know it’s MS I’m still waiting to see Neuro again to find out what type of MS I have :s so, everyone here will sympathise and understand as we’ve all had our own difficult journeys. You can phone the helpline too if you need to get something off your chest, they are really helpful. Also, everyone here will support you, you’re in the right place. Take care xx