Burnt Bees
02-15-2006, 11:33 AM
Hello to Everyone. My name is Michelle and I am 19 years old.
I have recently joined this wonderful board, hoping to find some peace of mind. My symptoms all started after Christmas, beginning with a decrease in vision in my right eye. I thought nothing of it, but it has gotten worse, with a lot of "spiderweb floaters." Then I began having some pain in the right side of my neck, went to the Chiro, and he said my C curve goes the opposite way, a Kyphotic neck, and that he will work with me. Immediately after that I started having numbness and tingling in my left pinky, but attributed it to the neck problem. It started to get worse, and the numbness spread vaguely to my ankles. I thought, "this cannot all be caused by an ill neck," and my concern heightened. Now, I am awakened in the night by a dead feeling in the numb hand. It is totally dead, and I have to shake it to return it to normal state. I also have a heightened sense of hearing, sometimes ringing, sometimes electric sounds, all happening when I am around a lot of noise. This was all too weird.
I saw a neurologist this week, and he was very impersonal, treating me as if I was depressed and unfulfilled, and he said "you do not have MS." How could he make such an accusation? Anyway, I am having an MRI tomorrow of the brain, but I am concerned, especially after reading your posts, that if I do not have any damage done to the brain yet (since this all just started 1 1/2 months ago), my bad neurologist will misdiagnose me. I am very scared that these symptoms will progress with no support from a good doc. My family all thinks it is stress-related. I feel very alone and scared.
I have recently joined this wonderful board, hoping to find some peace of mind. My symptoms all started after Christmas, beginning with a decrease in vision in my right eye. I thought nothing of it, but it has gotten worse, with a lot of "spiderweb floaters." Then I began having some pain in the right side of my neck, went to the Chiro, and he said my C curve goes the opposite way, a Kyphotic neck, and that he will work with me. Immediately after that I started having numbness and tingling in my left pinky, but attributed it to the neck problem. It started to get worse, and the numbness spread vaguely to my ankles. I thought, "this cannot all be caused by an ill neck," and my concern heightened. Now, I am awakened in the night by a dead feeling in the numb hand. It is totally dead, and I have to shake it to return it to normal state. I also have a heightened sense of hearing, sometimes ringing, sometimes electric sounds, all happening when I am around a lot of noise. This was all too weird.
I saw a neurologist this week, and he was very impersonal, treating me as if I was depressed and unfulfilled, and he said "you do not have MS." How could he make such an accusation? Anyway, I am having an MRI tomorrow of the brain, but I am concerned, especially after reading your posts, that if I do not have any damage done to the brain yet (since this all just started 1 1/2 months ago), my bad neurologist will misdiagnose me. I am very scared that these symptoms will progress with no support from a good doc. My family all thinks it is stress-related. I feel very alone and scared.
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duttin
02-15-2006, 11:42 AM
Burnt Bees
Welcome, Neurologist are a different breed of DRs.MS can take months to years to diagnose.The first step is having the MRI,hopefully with contrast.There are several disorders that mimic MS and it is a difficult and time comsuming to rule each out.Stress can cause many symptoms pertaining to MS,and it can add to the flair ups.
Did the neurologist order th MRI?
Sometimes families are not the most understanding when it comes to disorders that can't be seen.Just keep them updated on the test and they'll come around.Best of luck to you
Toni
Welcome, Neurologist are a different breed of DRs.MS can take months to years to diagnose.The first step is having the MRI,hopefully with contrast.There are several disorders that mimic MS and it is a difficult and time comsuming to rule each out.Stress can cause many symptoms pertaining to MS,and it can add to the flair ups.
Did the neurologist order th MRI?
Sometimes families are not the most understanding when it comes to disorders that can't be seen.Just keep them updated on the test and they'll come around.Best of luck to you
Toni
StephanieAnne
02-15-2006, 06:07 PM
Hi Michelle
Sorry to hear about all that you are going through and yes stress plays a bug role with MS. Who sent you to that Neuro? Can't you get another one? If you can change, then change, and if you are concerned about finding a nice or a pleasant neuro, call around and ask the person who answers the phone at the prospective neuro's office they can tell you alot. You say, is this DR nice, and does that person like working there? If he treats his help good, then he will treat his patients good.
Get copies of your MRI, and copies of the interpretation of the MRI and if you can get copies of the Neuro office notes, get them too. When it comes to your medical care, you have to be pro active, you are in charge!! Dr's don't like to diagnose MS right off the bat, no matter what symptoms that you have, there are tests that can be run, a lumbar puncture aka spinal tap, and blood tests.
Just remember that not all Neuros have bad bedside manners, just some of them :)
Let us know what happens, and I am sending you good thoughts :wave:
Steph
Sorry to hear about all that you are going through and yes stress plays a bug role with MS. Who sent you to that Neuro? Can't you get another one? If you can change, then change, and if you are concerned about finding a nice or a pleasant neuro, call around and ask the person who answers the phone at the prospective neuro's office they can tell you alot. You say, is this DR nice, and does that person like working there? If he treats his help good, then he will treat his patients good.
Get copies of your MRI, and copies of the interpretation of the MRI and if you can get copies of the Neuro office notes, get them too. When it comes to your medical care, you have to be pro active, you are in charge!! Dr's don't like to diagnose MS right off the bat, no matter what symptoms that you have, there are tests that can be run, a lumbar puncture aka spinal tap, and blood tests.
Just remember that not all Neuros have bad bedside manners, just some of them :)
Let us know what happens, and I am sending you good thoughts :wave:
Steph

