Hi all I’ve been having lots of MS-like symptoms over the last 6 weeks and I have went through the blood tests to exclude other things. I had an MRI last thursday which my GP ordered and I was surprised that it was only of my neck - why not brain as well? Now i told the GP i thought it was MS and he thought a disc prolapse in my neck was more likely (but i have no pain) so i’m wondering if this is why he has only ordered a neck MRI or is that routine where you expect MS? Or, does it depend on symptoms - my main symptoms at that time were pins/needles in arms and legs and severe tiredness and perhaps that’s why he decided on a neck scan? I now have it in a patch on my back, on my face at times, small muscle twitching in legs and sometimes eyelids, feeling weak and unsteady on feet, tiredness. Tingling and balance gets worse as day progresses. Family think it’s corporate stress… :roll: Many thanks for any advice you can give. Best, Alan
Hi Your symptoms sound very similar to mine. I had a C Spine MRI and was very suprised not to have a brain scan. Apparently this is quite normal , along with the blood tests and I believe helps to rule everything out first. Having confirmed everything was fine , butIi was not!, in fact like you I was getting worse , steadily we then moved on and I then went off for the brain scan. Actually it was pretty much OK. No significant concerns on the MRI BUT , due to all the other tests and deterioration we believe that it is probable MS - yet to show on the MRI. I have commenced pregablin and OH have been really great, and i do struggle in to work on a daily basis. I admit I have started to worry , in advance ,of the predicted snow! PLEASE , PLEASE stay in touch and let me know how you get on. Wishing you well Lenin
Someone said on here a while ago that GPs can’t order brain scans but they can order spinal scans, so that may be the reason that you only had your neck done. If your neck is clear, then your GP needs to refer you to a neurologist so you can get your symptoms properly investigated. Karen x
Thanks everyone. GP surgery just phoned me on my way home from work to say my MRI results are in and GP wants to see me. I’m seeing him tomorrow. I’m not sure what that means but probably that it’s showing something. I cant imagine they would be so keen to see me if nothing showed; perhaps i will get some answers tomorrow. If it wasn’t for this pathological tiredness I probably wouldn’t sleep tonight… If it is clear - i’ll ask for immediate neuro and brain scan. Best, Alan
Good luck Alan. My thoughts are yours. Keep us posted , you have friends here
alan78 wrote:
Thanks everyone. GP surgery just phoned me on my way home from work to say my MRI results are in and GP wants to see me. I’m seeing him tomorrow. I’m not sure what that means but probably that it’s showing something. I cant imagine they would be so keen to see me if nothing showed; perhaps i will get some answers tomorrow. If it wasn’t for this pathological tiredness I probably wouldn’t sleep tonight… If it is clear - i’ll ask for immediate neuro and brain scan. Best, Alan
Please ask for a neuro appointment no matter what the results are! Good luck 
Karen x
Hi All, Well, the GP appointment has left me with mixed feelings. Nothing of note apart from age-appropriate disc changes and nothing that could be causing my symptoms. He is referring me for an urgent brain scan. He said that a tumour would be highly unlikely. He still thinks MS unlikely but i wonder if that is just because as a single GP he wont see a lot of MS. He thinks it is more likely now to be ME that we have ruled out anything mechanical with my spine I asked for a neuro appointment and he said no point until we get the brain scan. I chickened out. Family and friends are all texting saying ‘thank god’ and ‘great news’ but we’re only one baby-step forward I fear. Best, Alan
Sorry Alan. I think you have hit the nail on the head, Your GP is not an MS expert! Could you afford to request a private neuro appt -around£200. You could still have MRI under NHS. My GP told me that it could not be MS because I had not gone blind!!! Stay in touch and hang on in there. Do you think it could be ME? I believe the other gem is fybromyalgea., used when a GP does not know what the symptoms are being caused by. My friend has MS sadly she suffers terribly with pain and exhaustion but her symptoms are very different to mine. Regards
Sorry Alan I am struggling today - I meant to say my friend has Fybromylalgea and not MS I do beg your pardon
Thanks Lenin I hadn;t thought about private - i’ll look at that, thanks. I’m not sure whether it could be ME. My GP asked me what my short list was(it’s like the booker prize). I started with CIS/MS and he said unlikely but stupidly I didn;t ask him why he thought that. Perhaps i should write some questions down before i go in. I then said ME was second on my list but when i think of ME i think about people being bedfast and I think CIS is far more likely. I’m still going into work every day. My cousin had ME as a 20year old - very rough, off sick from Uni for 6 months and i think it took 2 years before she fully recovered. The GP then said that he was thinking ME. We then went through the other items in my ‘long list’ - brain CA - he said very unlikely, Hughes syndrome, something causing brain swelling, Lyme disease etc etc. I dont think any of those apply to me but i wanted to hear what he thought. I finished by asking him if he thought it could be stress -could i be mentally ill and not know it? He laughed at that one. He tested my reflexes - all normal and tested what i sensed when he touched different parts of my arms. All felt the same/normal. I haven’t told some of my friends and they are starting to ask questions now about why I’m not up to going to the pub / going cycling etc. I keep saying ‘next time’. I’m not sure what to say. My mood is very low and I cant snap out of it. I probably need someone to talk to about it - friends & family just want to say the nicest things, try and play it down and make me feel better. Anyway, before i start feeling too sorry for myself…again. I think Karen referred to it as a ‘Pity Party’ in an un-related post. I liked that. Best, Alan
Alan So sorry to hear about your visit to the GP, it can often be so difficult. I think our expectations are raised and then dashed , almost immediaetly Do you notice that they dont look at you any more - just that screen in front of them! I am not sure about your reflexes, if they are normal what does that mean? When , I had mine taken they are very brisk and it is an asymetric response - that is not normal! Have they tested you for Lymes? You mentioned it and it is apparently on the increase. Today I was walking into walls in the corridors and I was shaking , my whole body was a tremor Can you imagine they are probably all thinking I was drunk , I am just waiting to be hurled before HR!!! I heard one wonan comment that i was always cold! Chin up and anytime you want to chat we are here! Where do you live? I am in mid - Wales. regards
Thanks Sarah - I agree, this is great place for support for information. Lenin - I’m not sure what they are testing when looking at reflexes - i guess anything abnormal in how nerves/muscles respond. I haven’t been tested for Lymes. A cycling trip I was on a couple of years ago resulted in one of my friends having several tics in his legs but the daft man went hill walking in cycling shorts through high scottish ferns etc whereas i retired to the pub - much safer. I decided to exercise today - first time in 5 weeks. 20 mins on stationary bike at very slow pace. Felt ok until i got off bike - very wobbly legs and more dizzy than when i was getting on the bike. You would have thought i had run a marathon. I also weighed myself - i’ve lost 13lbs in 5 weeks. Wow. Must be the stress of this whole sorry episode affecting my appetite. I’m in Bedfordshire in England. Anyway - i’m off to buy some kindling - promised my youngest that we’d have a fire tonight and indulge in roasted marshmallows in front of TV. Best, Alan
Yum! Have a lovely evening, a bit of cosy cossetting will do wonders x
Hope the marshmellows are going down well with the x- factor? Do think it is worth checking whether you have had test for Lymes. Sometimes you (apparantly) dont know that you have had a tick. It is a simple test , can be dealt with quickly and sadly can be fatal if left. Just a blood test needed. Concerned about your weight loss , very concerning. Take good care
Marshmallows and x-factor went down a treat (although I stuck to tea and biscuits!) Yes, he never said anything about Lymes but i’ll pick that up with him next visit. I ate well tonight so hopefully i’m getting my appetite back. Best, Alan
oh what happened to Alan… I am intrigued now and the thread just stopped!
Thank you PG!