Neuro appt coming up and tests
Last year I had the experience of my symptoms being put down to anxiety or that it could be seizure activity as I have epilepsy. I really felt like I wasn't being taken seriously due to the fact that I take meds for anxiety. My MRI was clear. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see the neuro when the symptoms were really intense and active. It was months down the line.
I am finally seeing someone for a second opinion on the 7th of December. I am nervous about it due to my previous experience but also feel stronger and more able to go in to battle to advocate for myself. Over this year the symptoms haven't been as bad as last year but they are still there...mostly spasms/jerks/twitchiness, tingling, sometimes electric shocks in my tongue, brain fog/poor concentration/poor memory. Pain in my right foot.
I have also tried some of the Neuro tests like walking one foot in front of the other, walking on tip toes and on heels. Tip toes seems fine. Heels my right foot doesn't stay up and basically ends up touching the ground very quickly. The feet in front of the other test, I kind of jerk/twitch as I try this and I'm very unstable and often lose my balance.
What experience did others have with those Neuro tests or others?
I hope the new Neuro will be open minded and take me seriously and that I will get some answers.
Hi
. I am glad you are advocating for yourself and getting a second opinion. Clearly, something is going on. You deserve to be taken seriously and have your symptoms fully investigated. It is always possible that you have MS and that the lesions are too small to see at this point, but there are also several other health conditions that mimic MS. Those should also be investigated either by your primary care doctor or the neurologist. Here is an article that lists them: https://multiplesclerosis.net/diagnosis/ruling-out-other-health-conditions. I hope you get responses from the community and answers from this new doctor. Keep us posted if you feel comfortable doing so. Best wishes! - Lori (Team Member) I think what you’re feeling is normal. Don’t let imposter syndrome take over…. You feel sick you did not one day wake up and randomly come up with something to pretend about. Nobody has that time of patience!
You have invested in yourself….. these doctors have not.
You know yourself, these doctors know science.
Just remember too, I get so discouraged when they look into alternate causes but then my GP explained to me that I shouldn’t worry because really they are ruling things out for me that way. I saw the psych, they said I’m fine. I saw the Physio, they said its not an injury or anything requiring physio. I saw the speech, they said I wasn’t faking and that I had nerve damage.
And now… the doctor can only really look at neuro because they have ruled out everything else and out themselves in a spot where they have to pay attention to the elephant in the room.
If they bring up some weird cause, just tell them that you agree that it would be good to rule some things out but that you are confident it is not due to those factors and are not interested in disregarding neuro problems as you know your body and mind.
I asked my doctor, would you let your wife, sister or daughter live like this? They said no. And I said so why do I have to? With all due respect I have paid for your time with my hard earned money doctor, money I can’t afford to be spending ona pretend or fantasy disease.. and all I would like is for you to look into the neurological causes for my illnesses.
I wish you all the best sez, seriously all we can do is advocate for ourselves!
