Awaiting MRI
Starting to feel like I’m crazy, I am 39 female and about
3 months ago I blacked out (thought I had a stroke, didn’t go to hospital and felt fine about 2 days later) it started with real bad pain over my left eye and headache with nausea about a month ago I developed spasms (jerking motions) I was started on backlofen which is helping with that aspect. I have developed left sided weakness and drooping left eye, I am in constant pain and so exhausted I don’t know what to do with myself. I started having issues with my speech as I’m pausing because I can’t get words out, stutter, forgetting words etc. I have tingling in hands and feet and numbness in left hand. I get this feeling like there’s a vice around my body squeezing me, I have leg and arm weakness and find it hard standing for anymore than 5-10 min, and my vision on left side feels like there’s a film over my eye and makes my vision blurry/doubled I guess I’m writing all this because they said I have a year or more wait to have a MRI to diagnose or rule out MS, should I fight to get this sooner? Are these MS symptoms ? Thanks if anything for listening, really struggling here.
Hi,
, and welcome!
First off, my goodness, but that is a long time to wait for an MRI! I am not sure where you live, but that seems like a very long wait to me. The symptoms you described could be MS (read about those here -- https://multiplesclerosis.net/symptoms) or could be any other number of conditions and a doctor will want to check for those conditions while seeking a diagnosis. you can read a bit about conditions that share symptoms with MS here -- https://multiplesclerosis.net/diagnosis/ruling-out-other-health-conditions. And, while an MRI can be a defining part of the diagnostic process, it is not the only tool a doctor will use to diagnose (or rule out) MS. You can read about the battery of tests your doctor may run here -- https://multiplesclerosis.net/diagnosis/tools-your-doctor-will-use-to-make-a-diagnosis. MS does benefit from early treatment, so getting a diagnosis sooner would definitely be helpful. Is there any way to push that timeframe up? I would definitely be the 'squeaky wheel', if that makes sense. You deserve to have your symptoms addressed and treated as promptly as possible and you can be assertive while still being polite, so I say go for it! See if you can get that MRI done sooner.
I hope you can get the ball rolling and get testing done soon!
Best, Erin, MultipleSclerosis.net Team Member.
