Waiting game on results from brain scan

Hi. I am new to this forum. I haven’t had a diagnosis yet. It all started with severe pain in my lower back that was absouletly unbearable, then it went into my legs. My legs felt cold and numb, pins and needles like. All around my private areas was numb. I was constipated for about a week. Doctor thought i could have a trapped nerve, so i had an MRI scan and it found a bulging disco but it wasn’t protuding onto my nerves. Since this, i was prescribed some gbapentin and i was so poorly for a couple of weeks with my balance, and just felt generally unwell, then my legs and feet started to itch really badly, so i got prescribed some anti-histermines. Eventually the pain left my legs and i have the feeling in my upper body, all in back of my arms and back and tummy, it feels like sunburn. I get a rush of almost goose pimples feeling quite easily. Since this, I’ve lost vision in my left eye, and have been diagnosed with retrobulbar nueritis. So, i’ve just had a brain scan and I’m awaiting the results. She did mention to me at the eye clinic that becauae of my other symptons and having retrobulbar nueritis, these are signs of MS. I have had a very light tremor down my left arm too. I feel like my symptons are pointing towards this but I’m in denial and I’m just struggling with waiting for a diagnosis. I just have no desire to do anything. What are people’s thoughts? Does this sound like it could be?

Hello Sam

Having had MS mentioned to you, obviously that fear is something you’ll focus on. However, MS presents itself in so many different ways, there’s no way any of us could say, ‘oh that sounds like X’, or ‘Y’ come to that.

Unfortunately you’ll just have to wait for the results.

Have you seen a neurologist? And was it this that prompted the brain scan? I assume it’s an MRI? If not, and you are waiting for results to come from an ophthalmologist or GP, you should be aware that only a neurologist can diagnose MS. Or in fact completely rule it out.

So, while you are waiting, if you’ve not seen a neurologist, see your GP and get a referral. If you have seen a neurologist and that’s who you’re waiting for results from, try phoning their secretary and ask when and how you’ll get the results.

Try not to worry too much. I know that’s easy to say and hard to do. But worrying won’t speed anything up, and you’ll panic yourself silly if you’re not careful.

Sue

i second what sue said about not panicking.

we don’t have the energy to spare.

be warned stress makes symptoms worse.

breathe and relax, repeat.

make a cuppa and relax, repeat.

It was when i went to the eye clinic that she referred me to have an MRI and they said results would go back to ophthalmologist. I’ve got a phone appointment on Tuesday with my GP, so i’ll ask for a referral to a Neurologist. Thanks for the advice.

Thank you. It’s just thw waiting what I’m finding extremely difficult to deal with.

Is thwre a difference between optic neuritis and retrobulbar nueritis?

Advice needed please. Hello everyone, this is my first post and I’m looking for some advice. I haven’t been diagnosed with anything yet but have had a brain mri which showed up a lesion on my frontal lobe. My doctor said that the results are inconclusive and I could either have had strokes or have ms. I am 58 in reasonable health (apart from this) and don’t smoke. My symptoms first showed themselves 6 weeks ago . I was sitting in the living room when I started to feel as though my left foot had gone to sleep. On standing it felt as though my left foot was made of really thick sponge and it was tingling lying slightly. The numbness then spread up my leg and into my left buttock. My left buttock felt huge and as though it was made of thick sponge. This sensation although weird was completely painless. I spent the next couple of days shaking my leg and-stamping around the house trying to get rid of this strange sensation. This happened on the Friday and by Sunday my left leg had gone weak and my foot was dragging. The numbness lasted about a week in my left leg but my right leg is still not back to normal. I also experienced hypersensitivity on my tummy with the sensation of being pricked with pins. Again not painful , just weird and uncomfortable. This too has now gone away. I keep feeling unbalanced as though I’m going to fall sideways and have the tendency to trip up although I haven’t actually fallen over. My doctor is trying to arrange for me to have a lumbar puncture and I’ll have to see a neurologist. Has anyone else experienced these symptoms or have any advice for me? Thank you, I’d really appreciate some feedback.

Sorry Sam, don’t know. You’ll maybe have to ask your optometrist or a neurologist. Unless Dr Geoff is about? He’d probably know.

Sue

Hello Cinders

You’re probably better off starting a completely new thread rather than joining on the end of an existing one. This has the title related to results from a brain scan.

You start a new topic by hitting the box marked New Thread, give it a title related to the content and post your thoughts.

Meanwhile, with regard to what you’ve written, it’s actually a little bit premature, or maybe a tad irresponsible of your GP to predict a potential toss up between two diagnoses without your having seen a neurologist for an examination. Only a neurologist will be able to diagnose either MS or a stroke. But perhaps the MRI scan has been reviewed by a radiologist and/or a neuro. But you would normally still need to see a neurologist before considering any actual diagnosis.

The problem with the sorts of symptoms you’ve described is that they could relate to either of these diagnoses, or to something completely different. So we might be able to recognise some aspects of your symptoms, but that wouldn’t mean anything since MS is one of those diseases which has the potential for so many symptoms that virtually anything could slot into the diagnosis.

I do hope you get your Neurology appointment soon.

Sue

As far as I’m aware retrobulbar neuritis is optic neuritis. I seem to remember that there are different terms depending on which bit of the nerve is effected, i.e front or back.