Awaiting for NHS neurologist appt.
Hi all, My names Matt i'm 44 from East Sussex. I've not felt well at all since summer 16. I started having a few dizzy spells at Christmas. In Jan i started having stomach and flank pain which i still have to this day. In Feb, March and April i had severe pain in my legs and going numb from the knee down. In March i developed neck, upper back pain and nausea which i still have to this day. In April, May and June i started having more and more dizzy and off balance spells. I've felt cold all summer and was having the heating on. In July i started waking up with a totally dead right arm and i sleep on my left side so i hadn't been laying on it and it's so bad i can't move it at all for at least 5mins and have to move it with my left hand. At the end of July my dizzyness and off balance became 24/7 and it's horrific and none stop. In mid August my partner called an ambulance as my neck, face and arm went all stiff i couldn't stand as i thought i would fall over and my feet didn't feel like they were there and freezing cold and i mean cold like you've had them in the freezer and they have been like that ever since. The ambulance took me straight to hospital and i was seen straight away by a stroke Dr and all normal, then ecg and blood tests all normal. I left hospital 6 hours later and told my GP would be told to do an urgent referral to a vascular consultant which i then waited 10 weeks for (rubbish NHS). All my tests came back normal and i have nothing wrong with my vascular system but the consultant said i should ask my GP to refer me to a neurologist looking at my symptoms. My GP has now done this but the time is up to 21 weeks to be seen.
My vision is also having blurry spells, my head feels like it weighs 2 tonnes, my fingers are going tingly and numb, i hurt all over and i noticed lastnight i could only walk flat footed with left foot and i can't bend my toes upwards not downwards. I don't feel hungry at all and gone from 22 stone to 14 stone this year.
Can anybody relate to this dizzy off balance feeling? When i sit it's like i'm being pushed back into the chair or being pushed in the back off the chair, when i stand it's like the floor is moving and when lying down it's like i'm being pulled and lifted off the bed.
I've also seen a gastro and had abdominal ultrasound and a CT scan of my chest, pelvis and abdo. Had lots of blood tests and everything normal
Sorry for the long winded post. I'm not looking for a diagnosis but so many things add up to MS to me. What do you think? I feel so ill i've only left my flat 5 times for medical tests since the end of July and thats it.
I've also had some friend requests how do i accept those?
Many Thanks
Matt
Sorry i can only bend toes downwards not upwards.
Hi @mattr73 , I can understand why you've joined us. The majority of your symptoms present directly in MS. The others can be indirectly caused by MS. However, the symptoms of MS can also present in other conditions too. This makes MS notoriously difficult to diagnose. The Neurologist is best placed to untangle this conundrum for you. However, waiting lists for neurology are incredibly long. In cases like this, it is prudent to consider a private consultation to expedite a diagnosis, then switch back to the NHS list. This is of course dependent on your personal financial circumstances. In the meantime, you just have to accept that there's something going on in your body and rest up accordingly. Worrying, which is an obvious reaction, is not achieving anything and can, in fact, make things a lot worse. Sorry I can't make better suggestions for you.