I was also fortunate. The same Neuro who was on call when I was in for my CT scan (and the radiologist saw abnormalities) is also my favorite doctor in the world and happened to be a regular Neuro, with a MS fellowship. He diagnosed me and is still my doctor today....
But not everyone gets so lucky. Anxiety presents in many ways...and when they told you to "go to the ER if you had any new symptoms" they elevated your anxiety without you even realizing it. Your symptom wasnt life threatening, and thats what ERs are for...they should have told you to call them with any new symptom, and go to the ER if you were seriously in distress. Nerve type sensory reactions, like you describe- not really ER stuff, and the reason why the ER spoke to you as they did. Not defending the ER- there was NO REASON FOR THEM TO TALK DOWN TO YOU- but there was also no reason for them to make diagnosis's without proper testing to rule out things. If it turns out you DO have MS, youll have a heck of a case on your hands, should you wish to pursue it.
Meanwhile, what makes you relax? Reading a good book? Seeing silly movies? Going to the gym? Spending time with family/ Friends? You need to take your mind off what is going on until you get to see your doctor...or you need to call that doctor immediately and demand to be seen sooner. The anxiety you are describing is actually quite common and there are things you can take to relieve yourself of some of it; however you dont want to entirely depend on chemical help- start by finding ways to physically relieve some of it. Whatever makes you relax will help
Im so sorry that you went through what you did. ITs horrible that any medical professional spoke to you the way they did...and even more horrible that they think they can rule things out, without proper testing. Shows just how little most ER docs actually know about MS and its presentation. You very well could have it- but until you get those tests.....he had no business saying you didnt.
Please try to breathe thru all this. Relax and know that you are not alone.
Nikki
Thanks! You guys really did luck out with your doctors. I just have a bad feeling this family doc will not take me seriously either. After speaking to my brother yesterday who has fibro and has had the biting sensations, I realize I don't know what I have and there could be more than just MS causing it. After a good cry and my husband just telling me to relax, I think I may be ok for the time being. The biting sensations have stopped and I feel good again minus a bit of back pain. Thankful you guys have responded and helped out. I have a bad history of going online and diagnosing. I was convinced my son had cystic fibrosis, my daughter eye cancer and then a brain tumor...all checked out normal so obviously when I try to tell my family now that I've gone online and I have MS. No one will even entertain it hope you all have a great weekend!
Dr. Internet can be a misleading expert. While it is good to be cautious and to be vigilant for the sake of your family, you can talk yourself into things through worry and anxiety. Your husband is quite correct in that you have to learn to relax. Perhaps getting to the root cause of why you felt your children had CF or cancer. Were there clinical observations which supported you or were your observations more subjective?
You might need to invest in 2-3 other outlets to channel your needs. Your Family Doctor may be quite good, but he may be too objective for you due to your subjective feelings.
Dr. Internet can be good too, but for the short-term, you should avoid Dr. Internet and any TV or movies which might influence your ideas such as your child having CF or cancer. Anxiety is quite real and can be quite debilitating. If there are medical reasons for your condition, a doctor will find the answers. I had a neighbor who would always run to the doctor or ER the day after watching a medical show or a TV special on some type of disease. She was sure all the time. Sadly, she missed many of life's blessings. I do not want you to miss a single blessing.
Stay strong!
__________________
MS diagnosed since October 3, 1982
MS onset circa 1977
Proud to be MED FREE!
Eternally blessed and eternally optimistic!<><
Last edited by MSJayhawk; 02-15-2013 at 07:03 AM.
Reason: add
Yes, I have to agree that the Internet is NOT a good idea for diagnosing anything....symptom checkers are like search engines, the things which are "looked for" the most, are the ones which come up first...since MS is the most searched disease on the internet, all things point to MS...and to complicate it, since no two cases of MS are exactly alike, just about anything is possible!
Since you are aware of your history with self diagnosis's- and you admit that its been alittle misleading, its time to take this to the next level. Make an appointment with a MS specialist- go and get all the tests run and have it ruled out. In the meantime MS specialists are awesome at figuring out which way to point you...if its Rheumy related if its Fibro, whatever it is, they will figure it out!
And work on that anxiety. A little help in the form of an antianxiety may be called for (Ativan or Xanax) but you can also help yourself by increasing your exercise, spending more time doing things you enjoy or with people you love....or take up a hobby- take a foreign language class - anything to stimulate a part of your brain which is normally not used! Youll find less time to be anxious if you get involved in a new project.
Hi,
I have MS and I know how it feels to be looked at sideways by Dr.s and to be made to feel like you are crazy. Do you know how the diagnosis of MS is finally reached (other than spinal tap)? They have to rule out EVERYTHING else. After 10 years of searching for answers I finally found a Neurologist who was willing to keep looking. He tested for Lyme Disease, Thyroid prblems, Menopause, Diabetes, Vitamin B dificiency, blood disorders, disc problems, depression, etc. everything except for disc problems came back negative. So he decided to MRI Brain and entire spine with and without contrast dye. Then multiple lesions were seen in my brain and spinal cord.
That took over one year to finally reach my diagnosis of MS and at the time I was barely able to walk. It's ridiculous when something so obvious is dismissed by medical professionals as being related to mental illness! Bottom line is, you know your body better thatn anyone and if you think or if you know something is wrong, then do not stop looking for the doctor who will finally help you! Never take NO for an answer and don't wait for referrals. Lots of Specialists don't like it, but they usually will see you even if not referred. There is no cure (yet) for MS, but there are a lot of good medications that help hold-off the disability and really, just finally knowing what is wrong and knowing you are not NUTS is a huge relief! Good luck to you!
BTW my first symptoms were similar to yours. Tightness in chest, sudden neuropathy in left arm and hand, tingling, etc. Came and went for months. Not typical MS symptoms either. But no pinched nerves or bulging discs. Given muscle relaxers, told it wasn't MS and then was dismissed. A long journey to the final conclusion. But, I was right the whole time!
Just to add to a possible help aid, on this web site at the top of the page you can look under "Health Centers" and there is one specifically set up for Anxiety. There are tips and helpful information. Here is the page link too if you cannot see it: http://www.healthboards.com/healthcenter/anxiety/
I certainly hope you do not have MS. We are here for you!
__________________
MS diagnosed since October 3, 1982
MS onset circa 1977
Proud to be MED FREE!
Eternally blessed and eternally optimistic!<><
Thanks for your story slmc. MSjayhawk, I'll check out the link, thank you. Msnik, I also think I'll take your advice and look into finding an ms specialist. I can already see a neuro telling me the MRI was clean....I will however still go on to question it bc it was not from a ms specialist, in fact I will probably obsess over it. My goal now is to go to the two doctors this week, take there opinions and whatever tests they offer and go from there finding an ms specialist unless I suddenly show up with a positive Lyme disease or some other answer for my symptoms. Heading out to dinner, should be good for my mind
Back from the family doctor, not much to report as I expected. He wants to blame everything on a slipped disc. Although my back hurts a bit at certain times yet, my main symptom now is that my arm just does not feel right, feels dull and achy. It's not weak as I can still use it, just feels odd. I don't know why I still wouldn't have awful back pain if my arm is still messed up. I asked how a slipped disc is causing pin ***** sensations all over my body and tingling off and on in different spots. He said something as easy as lack of sleep could cause that. I flat out asked about ms and he said while it could be on the list of things to look for, with my symptoms it's low on the list....ughhhhhh. So he did take blood for all sorts of tests including B12 which I know I've read about causing similiar issues. I asked for an MRI for my back, but he said not at this time. Lol. Hoping the neurologist has more to offer on Thursday!!
Slmc, if you happen to read this, why did your diagnosis take so long? I know you said your first symptoms were similar to mine. Did they do mri's that were clear originally? Or were they just writing you off without doing tests?
Some Family Doctors are able to help early on with MS, but it can depend on whether the Family Doctor was given a rotation in school which covered MSers. I had a Family Doctor who did a rotation of MSers and he enjoyed working with me as it was refreshing to his experiences and his discussions with my MS Specialist piqued his interest.
If your neurologist is an MS Specialist, MS may still be low on a list of probable causes, but you would be able to run the gauntlet of tests and at the very least, be sent to a specialist should a result warrant such a move. If you have a slipped disc, were you shown the evidence of a slipped disc? You definitely want to get all your records and test results together for your visit with the neuro. You should also have al your blood test results in hand to at least know if a nutritional deficiency is at the root of your problems.
__________________
MS diagnosed since October 3, 1982
MS onset circa 1977
Proud to be MED FREE!
Eternally blessed and eternally optimistic!<><
Thanks! Exactly, this is the second time I've asked someone to image my back and show me the issue but no one will. He claimed it usually takes 4 weeks and will get better by itself. He said he would be more concerned with ms if I had a vision issue. I don't get it, not all ms starts with vision issues, geez. This is frustrating, I can't imagine doing this the next 10 years to get a diagnosis. I feel for all of those who have had to endure that!
The only way to settle the question of MS or Not MS is to see an MS Specialist. Due to how we are created MS varies in first symptoms, etc. You really need the specialist to assist you in exiting limbo land. 10 years would be much too long to go without an answer.
__________________
MS diagnosed since October 3, 1982
MS onset circa 1977
Proud to be MED FREE!
Eternally blessed and eternally optimistic!<><
Nekole,
Just so you know, back problems can cause numbness and tingling in the arms. I have 2 herniated discs in my Cspine and that was the initial reason why I thought I was having pins and needles and a numb left hand....and the reason they sent me for a CT scan NOT an MRI originally. Thanks to a really good radiologist who saw "abnormalities' on the scan, a Neuro was called in and into the MRI I went...
My dx was almost instantaneous and verified by a MS specialist the very next day....but to this day, I argue whether or not my numbness and tingling come from my herniated disc or from the MS. An EMG, a nerve conduction test, has been done 8 times on my hand and fingers; each time proving that its MS related and not nerve damage, however I still argue with my family doctor regularly...
Jayhawk again is right..if your neuro isnt going to help you later this week, get yourself to a MS specialist, where at least you know the tests will be ordered properly and no one will write you off until they have explored every possiblity.
I hope you feel better soon.
Nikki
I've read everything over, and just wanted to offer my 2 cents I myself do not have a diagnosis either, but am in the works. As others have said, everyone presents differently, but there are symptoms that are common with MS, and some that aren't. None of us are Doctors here, and don't pretend to be, but all have an opinon Your Symptoms to me truly do not scream MS. If I am feeling crappy a hot bath/shower makes it much worse! I think this is very, very common. I get very weak, and whatever symptoms I have going on seem to get worse. I just got over a bout of Optic Neuritis, which of course everybody doesn't experience, but again probably quite common. It lasted a duration of about 5 weeks, then slowly cleared up. My balance is terrible, and I've had vertigo for what seems like weeks. Not fun! Hey man, who keeps rocking the boat My trouble is mostly on my right side ( Optic Neuritis affected my right eye) and I have difficulty with my right arm, leg, foot. I have pretty bad parathesia/weakness/clumsiness that a lot of the time does affect walking/daily living quite a bit. I also have severe fatigue that can be quite bothersome. These are just some of my experiences as a comparison for you. But like others said, it is different for everyone! I hope you get the answers you need soon.
Thanks guys again for your input. mamax3, thanks for your two cents reading your list of symptoms makes mine seem minuscule. I really hope you get a diagnosis of something soon! Have a great night everyone!
Good luck Nekole...we are rooting for you! Remember, to take this one day at a time, its unfortunate that you are being dragged through so much to get this dx, but in the end, you certainly do not want a dx unless its correct! Prayers for strength coming your way....and answers too!
Just updating.. I do not have a follow up appt with my neuro until the 28th to discuss all of my test results but I did pick up my cspine MRI report from the hospital. According to what is written, there are 4 bulging discs, lots of uncovertebral hypertrophy, disc osteophyte complexes and neuroforaminal narrowing. I really have no idea what that all means or if it explains my symptoms....I'm just glad it didn't come back saying normal, hope this will maybe explain something, we will see....hope everyone is well!
The following 2 users give hugs of support to: Nekole9 Whimpurr (03-13-2013)
Bulging discs can affect your body and might very well be the cause or possibly a partial cause to your problems. The 28th is close. Please relax and do your best. I think you will have answers soon enough.
__________________
MS diagnosed since October 3, 1982
MS onset circa 1977
Proud to be MED FREE!
Eternally blessed and eternally optimistic!<><
hope you all have a great weekend!
