No diagnosis but could it be ms

Hello everyone I’m new here and looking for some advice . Last November I started to develop an ache I’m my left leg which has progressively got worse I was also getting nerve end pains in my arms . I have visited my gp a hell of a lot of times and had a cour of blood tests which where fine , they only took the leg pain serious ( ish) . At the the time my uncle was suffering from cancer which started in his leg so I was obviously worried about this .i started to get a bit tight chested and had an X-ray and another blood test but they came back fine so I had to have a asthma test which came back I don’t have asthma . I am now currently seeing physio after having an mri scan on my knee ( it was my leg not knee) which was hurting and she seems to think I have sciatica but still everyone ignoring the fact I get these pains down my arms . I was away in holiday when I started suffering in my other leg burning sensations above my knees, so I’m now awaiting a mri on my lower back I was telling this to a friend of a friend who has ms and she told me to have a little look at ms website . These are the symptoms I have , I’m a lot more tired than normal I had a physical job and coped fine but have recently become exhausted after a days work and struggle to get up in the morning ( I was normaly out with the dog at 6 am daily). I have pains in both legs with burning sensations some times above my knees , I get nerve end pain down my arms and have had tightness and pain in my chest . I have this last week developed what’s like a flashing in my eye like it’s out of focus . My muscles ache if I do anything like dig a hole or turn over a flower bed etc . Could this be the start if ms or something else I’m sorry if it’s nothing of the sort I’m just clutching at straws to find out what’s causing me symptoms thanks in advance Steve

Hi, I’m not sure why you think you might have MS? Only a neuro would be able to give you a diagnosis.

Many things mimic MS, so the neuro would need the results of many more tests before you might (possibly) be diagnosed, MS would not be the first conclusion to be jumped to.

Ask your GP for a referral to a neuro if you’re worried about your symptoms.

Good luck

Rosina

Hello Steve and welcome, As Rosina has said if you are worried you need to ask for a referral to a neurologist and he/she would carry out the necessary tests. What you have described could be put down to many things. It’s not easy to do but try not to worry until you have explored every avenue. Good luck.

Janet

x

The ladies have nailed it, Steve, only a neurologist can diagnose MS, and that will be after a number of tests.

Things that mimic MS include Lyme disease, Devics disease, Vitamin B12 deficiency, and the list goes on.
These are things that the normal “Full Blood Tests” to not even look for, and it will normally be a Neuro who wants them done.

Get that referral fast.

Geoff

I’m sure your friend, or acquaintance, or whatever she is meant to be helpful, but I really don’t think encouraging somebody to research MS on the flimsiest of evidence is the most constructive advice she could have given.

Even if she does think she’s spotted “similarities” with the symptoms of a friend who has MS, fatigue and aches and pains are hardly a smoking gun, as these are common to lots of diseases and conditions - so many, in fact, that it does make it hard to diagnose the cause.

Bear in mind that MS is a comparatively rare disease - prevalence in the UK is only about 1 in 800 to 1 in 1000 people. So most people who go to the doctors with fairly common and generalised symptoms like pain and fatigue will NOT emerge with a diagnosis of MS. For the few that do, it will only be after exhaustive tests and ruling everything else out.

MS is what’s called a “diagnosis of exclusion”, which means it’s always the last suspect, not the first, and can only be diagnosed when all other explanations have been eliminated, one by one.

So at the moment, it would be premature to second guess. So far, you are not even down to a shortlist, with MS on it.

As the previous replies have said, current symptoms could be down to many things, and MS certainly would not be the first or only suspect.

Try to let investigations take their course, and not get too hung up on “worst case scenarios”. Having MS, or knowing someone with it, does tend to make people look for it everywhere, but your health issues could be completely unrelated. Friends pointing out serious illnesses they happen to know are almost certainly not what you need right now. “Friend of a friend” does not make her an authority on MS. So far, all your replies have been from people who actually have MS, not “know someone that knows someone”. The common theme is that everyone is saying: “It’s too early to conclude anything”, and nobody is saying: “It sounds like you probably have MS”.

Tina

Thanks for the replies and helpful advice ,as I said I’m clutching at straws and it’s been nearly a year without getting anywhere with my gp but my symptoms getting worse . I’m sorry if I came across a bit abrupt or thinking I did have ms ,I just want to get to the bottom of pains and stop the worrying thanks Steve .

Hello, It takes the doctors a very long time to diagnose something like MS, this disease is extremely difficult to diagnose. Even if you have had all of the symptoms at one time or other in your life they will make you go through extensive tests. The lumbar puncture is extremely painful and still you will have no diagnosis. Prepare for a long journey of tests.

Hi Anon, the chances are the OP has had their issues addressed by now as the thread is nearly 3 years old. If you want to start a new 1, just press on new thread button & start your conversation. I will add though, your comment about the LP will not be helpful to others that are new to all this & are having investigations ongoing. I’m sorry your experience wasn’t a pleasant 1, but not everyone will have such a bad account of the procedure, uncomfortable or not. Fear of the investigations will not help the anxiety of the whole process. Each person is different, not all will need all investigations & even if they do, they should not be in fear of them. The whole business of investigation, dx & disease is bad enough without instilling dread prior to any conclusion.

Did you ever get answer Bud?