MRI scheduled - A hopeless ramble from a newbie :)

Hello I’m new

At risk of sounding like a hyperchondriac I am concerned I have MS and wonder if I run my symptoms past you that somebody will say ‘don’t be daft, it doesn’t happen like that’. However, I do know I cannot seek a diagnosis here and am being investigated.

My history.

In my maternal family I have an uncle (deceased) and a younger cousin with MS.

I have had a progressive hearing loss since my 20’s (I’m now 50) and tinnitus. I wear bilateral hearing aids.

About 9 years ago I awoke with a sudden, debilitating pain in my right eye and foggy peripheral vision, this lasted a good 36 hours. GP refered me to neurologist after that as I was terrified I had a brain tumour. I had a CT scan which the neurologist said was not inconclusive to MS but as my symptoms had subsided a diagnosis of MS would not be sensible and to consider the impact on my life, work, health insurance, DVLA etc and to leave it for now and come back if the symptoms returned… I said ‘yes doctor’ and went home.

Three years later I lost the use of my right arm. It felt heavy and like the muscles from the shoulder to the elbow would not work. I couldn’t raise it and my hand was useless. GP said it was probably a pulled ligament and would take a while to heal, I was sure it wasn’t as I had no pain at all, just no proper use of the limb.

I also regularly have loss of sensation in my left foot. It feels like there’s a hole in my heel, particularly bad when I get into the bath or shower as hot water triggers the sensation more. This has been present again for the past three days along with a heavy feeling in my right arm. I tried to write a shopping list yesterday and it definitely has weakened, my writing was appalling!

My moods have always been rather erratic, I’ve been clinically depressed (suicidal) and hypermanic and this has worsened over the past three years. I’ve recently been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.

Eighteen months ago I awoke during the night with severe vertigo, I felt like I was being tipped out of my bed! I also had an HUGE increase in my tinnitus far beyond what’s normal for me. The vertigo is still occasionally present and the tinnitus is mind blowingly awful. Remember, I’m somebody who has suffered tinnitus for 20 odd years and yet this is driving me up the wall. My diagnosis was viral labrynthitis.

I went back to GP who referred me to ENT. The ENT consultant has booked me an MRI for 27th June to rule out any tumours (which I asked him to as I have been concerned). I’m having my head and auditory meatus scanned.

I wonder if anybody would know whether the MRI I’m scheduled would find MS if it’s there or if it has to be focussed to specifically look for MS? I’ve kind of lived for a few years now with a ‘maybe it is/isn’t’ feeling following my CT scan.

Anyway, thank you for reading my ramblings.

Imp :slight_smile: