Hi I am 36 and have had a lot of signs and symptoms all beginning as far back as 18 months ago I have really noticed them. I have had severe eye pain and double blurry vision in my right eye. Pins and needles on my right of face, arms hands and legs and feet, more on right side feels more severe but also slightly on left. It comes and goes. Getting longer each time it comes back. Got severe eye pain now and bad pins and needles. I also have really bad memory problems. Can’t remember short term things or long term. Can open a page on computer and forget why I opened it a second later. Can’t remember important dates and times. I came down the stairs today and it really scared me as I couldn’t remember how to walk down stairs. Had to do two feet at a time and even then couldn’t work out which foot to put first and thought I would fall. The pins and needles and numbness cause me to fall when I am on the toilet or getting up from a chair. When the problems start I also have slight bladder problems and have to wear pads or I have to change my clothes. When it goes I don’t get any of the problems apart from the pain fatigue and memory loss. I was told at the eye emegency last year I should see a neurologist and it’s been a year now and still waiting for referral. Should I go to a&e for the eye pain and numbness?. Has anyone had any luck or could recommend a private doctor?. I am really worrying about this. Thanks for any advice. I don’t had a understanding doctor they say the referral has been made, this is a years wait so far. Thanks for reading this.
hi emma
go back to your gp and ask to see a different doctor.
chase up the referral to neurology and talk about the new developments.
absolutely insist on being given a date for seeing a neuro.
12 months is a ridiculously long wait.
if you have no luck you could try a private doctor if you can afford it.
try to see an ms specialist neuro. you’ll be paying for the consultation but any MRIs that need to be done, just tell him/her that you want done on NHS. i think they usually oblige.
if all else fails, go to A & E. not ideal but neither is being left with eye pain.
good luck
carole x
You have been a wonderfully patient patient, but enough is enough! Time to be a bit assertive, I think.
I agree with carole that you should go back to the GP, having done two things first: check with the hospital what the state of play is on the referral that is in the system, and use the ‘near me’ tab on the orange bar at the top of this page to find a specialist neurologist who sees people privately and who is a consultant at your local NHS hospital. Then, if the GP can’t do anything to speed up the NHS referral, you can ask him/her to refer for a private consultation with someone onto whose NHS list you could then transfer (and maybe this will be the person you have been referred to already!)
Good luck.
Alison