Really nice neurologist

New diagnosis and before diagnosis
1

Hello everyone!,

I’ve been posting on here alot as Ive been getting new weird symptoms (mostly the everyday forum).

I saw the neurologist for the first time yesterday. My GP refered me because I saw him twice in one week, once about my numb arm and the second time about the numbness being in my left foot too, AND was ver upset and emotional so he refered me even though he didn’t think I had anything serious.

The neurologist I saw wasn’t an MS specailist.

He saw me half an hour late so he was talking very fast ans said ok after everything i said ( so i felt like I had to go on to the next thing)

BUT he did do loads of strength tests and nose finger tests and tremor tests. He said they were normal. (I could see my tremor and lost my balance in the balance test) He did make me repeat the shaking your hand and holding it still LOADs of times. He zoomed through everything but he was thorough it was like he was on fast forward!!

He asked me what the GP thought and I said he thinks its all in my head.

He ordered an MRI for the brain and top of the spine

And he said its most likely it will be normal and usually when theres so many symptoms its just the brain malfunctioning and not anything serious especially with normal obs. Did this apply to you?

He gave the example of how people with no arm experience pain in the arm that they don’t have and about people with half a brain only see half of things. I think that was a very nice way of saying that it may just be nothing and didnt make me feel annoyed like it usually does. And he said the brain can cause all sorts of weird symptoms and i felt really understood this was a much better explanation than the GPs “youre just working yourself up”

He also said MRIs are quite sensitive and if there is something it will in most cases show up

Ive yet get the scan and I was worried about it being clear and my symptoms happening for no reason (feeling like a hypochondriac) but now ill be ok either way. Thanks to that lovely neurologist.

Another question: How long does it take for you to get a scan after being referred?

Just for ref :my symptoms:

-come and go randomly (not all together)

-whole of left side numbness mostly arm and leg now

-tightness and pain when walking in my left leg

-chest tightness (not very often now)

-Right arm tightness/cramp when doing fine tasks eg writing

-bad short term memory and attention

-stutter and missing out words

2

I’m glad you felt it went well, as I know you had been worrying about it (haha - I did warn you it might be rather rushed - sounds like that was not far from the truth!)

I’m afraid I wasn’t ever told it was “probably nothing” - at least, not once I’d reached the right department, which was neurology.

I firmly believe my neuro knew we were dealing with a likely case of MS the first day he met me. The rest was just proving it.

In the years prior to my neurology referral, I’d seen a number of people, and been told a number of ridiculous things, though. These included: “It’s wearing silly shoes!” (I never had), “It’s because you have one leg longer than the other”, and: “It’s just wear and tear.”

With hindsight, it’s rather worrying there are so many so-called professionals willing to confidently tell a patient things like: “It’s your shoes”, when they don’t have the faintest clue.

I’ve spent years blaming my shoes, my chair, my bed, my hormones, work stress - you name it.

But of course, none of this has any bearing on whether your neuro is right to say it’s probably not serious. He is at least a neuro, which means he’s better qualified than the folk who fobbed me off with ridiculous explanations for years.

Let’s hope he’s right, but the MRI will be the really telling thing. Can’t help you out on the waiting time, I’m afraid, as I was diagnosed on BUPA, and usually got an MRI within about a week of it being requested (and I had four or five of them). In fact, I’ve even had: “See if they can do it now!” - which as it turned out, they never could, but I was always back for it within a matter of days.

Tina

x

3

Thanks for your reply! It was very informative .Did the GP suspect MS and then tell the neuro? Also when your are in remission do the physical tests show anything. What I mean to say is do you ever get an abnormal MRI with normal physical tests?

4

Hi again,

No, the GP never suspected MS. She was visibly upset when I was diagnosed, as she immediately realised there had been things in the past that she’d been a bit short with me about - I got an apology, although I didn’t really blame her, because they’d been very vague and non-specific, so nothing to make a normal person, even a doctor, suspect we were dealing with MS.

But when she did eventually refer me, it was to a neurosurgeon, not a neurologist, as the provisional diagnosis was “slipped disc”. The neurosurgeon ordered an MRI, and found no slipped disc, but identified an anomaly which caused him to refer me to one of his colleagues for a second opinion. The colleague was an MS specialist. He knew what it was, Day 1, although he wouldn’t diagnose me for another eight months. My first appointment with him was the first time I really felt confident I’d seen someone who was onto something, and didn’t walk away feeling vaguely unconvinced.

Tina

x

1 Like
5

Thank you so much! Can I ask what your symptoms were?