Sorry if this is long winded, I have never felt what I would call well for about 5-6 years. But at this time I would say I am at my lowest and with my own investigation believe I may have MS.
Do I have a right to go to my GP and say I strongly believe I have MS? Would appreciate some honest feedback.
My symptoms over the last few years and currently are as follows:
Pain in chest when breathing
Complete muscle ache
Unable to find words when speaking
Occasionally minor head wobbles/shakes
Shooting pains in hands and forearms
Numb left leg
Unable to stretch when getting dressed or undressed to put on t shirts jumpers, its causes pain in my muscles
At times have no strength in hands to pick up cups tools or write
Arms and legs shake randomly
When in bed symptoms become worse
Unable to roll over in bed without severe pain all over
When getting out of bed unable to get moving, walk and difficulty getting down the stairs
When sat at work I struggle to rise and walk away from desk until I feel I have warmed up.
You do sound in a bad way. Yes, some of your symptoms could possibly indicate MS but there are many other things to rule out. None of us here is medically qualified and Dr Google is very unreliable. Go and see your GP but if I were you, I wouldn’t be going in all guns blazing. Remember he/she is a human being too.
I agree with Moirah. Definitely one for the GP. Of course there’s no harm in sharing your personal fears about what this might be. It sounds as though you have been putting up with a lot recently and I hope that you are soon on a path to finding some answers.
Hi @jonjacobs1836 . Have you not been to your GP before now about your list of long standing symptoms?
We all have a ‘right’ to say that we strongly believe we have MS but don’t be at all surprised if your GP simply says something like ‘ well let’s have a look and then comes up with a completely different diagnosis and / or sends you off for blood tests, a CT scan or perhaps an MRI. Its highly, highly unlikely that she/he is going to say ‘you are right’ ( diagnosis of MS is made by a neurologist not a GP)
As the others have said we on this forum aren’t medics but you seem to have an awful lot of symptoms that could well be caused by things other than MS. I’m not quite sure why you strongly believe you have MS - so best to start with a proper assessment of your various symptoms which could point to something equally or more serious or something that is relatively easy to address.
That’s a long list of symptoms. Every person with ms has their own personal journey. Many of your symptoms are quite typical But many are not.
But they need to be brought to the attention of your GP and even a brief neuro examination should throw some light on it quite quickly. You certainly should not be embarrassed to share some of your thoughts!
It is completely understandable to feel overwhelmed when you have been struggling for such a long time. You absolutely have the right to discuss your concerns and specific suspicions with your GP—they are there to listen and investigate. It might be helpful to bring a written log of your symptoms to your appointment to help them see the full picture and decide on the next steps for a diagnosis.