MS OR STROKE??? WHO KNOWS
An_245496 posted:
I recently have had several symptoms and a few tests as follows: extreme fatique, for a while I had migrains for over a week, very noticable vision changes, walking gate unbalanced everyday all day/night, dizziness, short term memory loss, spot floaters in my eyes and least by not last when I get fatiqued and I don't lie down immediately, if I close my eyes for even a few seconds I go weak and feel weightless and fall to the floor. (kind of fainting). I have had blood work for B and D deficiency (normal), MRI (normal). Still waiting for Neuro exam appointments from my MD. I have been told by one of my husbands doctors he doesn't appreciate me looking up my symptoms on the computer. But who in the ??? else can figure out what is going on with yourself? Especially since I go to the doctor and the confusion and memory lost is there, when some doctors seem to be asking questions you cannot answer their questions the way they want you to? I find it easier to find a close list of symptoms to help them find out why I am having these problems. What should I do from here. I believe they should first look at MS for my symptoms since I seem to have several of them, then go from there.
Am I wrong?
Confused in CA
Am I wrong?
Confused in CA
2 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:MS OR STROKE??? WHO KNOWSI recently have had several symptoms and a few tests as follows: extreme fatique, for a while I had migrains for over a week, very noticable vision changes, walking gate unbalanced everyday all day/night, dizziness, short term memory loss, spot floaters in my eyes and least by not last when I get fatiqued and I don't lie down immediately, if I close my eyes for even a few seconds I go weak and feel weightless and fall to the floor. (kind of fainting). I have had blood work for B and D deficiency (normal), MRI (normal). Still waiting for Neuro exam appointments from my MD. I have been told by one of my husbands doctors he doesn't appreciate me looking up my symptoms on the computer. But who in the ??? else can figure out what is going on with yourself? Especially since I go to the doctor and the confusion and memory lost is there, when some doctors seem to be asking questions you cannot answer their questions the way they want you to? I find it easier to find a close list of symptoms to help them find out why I am having these problems. What should I do from here. I believe they should first look at MS for my symptoms since I seem to have several of them, then go from there. <br />Am I wrong?<br />Confused in CA
hackwriter responded:
Dear Confused in CA,
First off, please know that any doctor who scolds you for doing research is one who is way behind the curve in seeing the benefits of having a patient who actively searches for information.
Though a lot of doctors appreciate having an informed discussion with a patient based on research, there are still a significant number who think that people convince themselves they have the disease they are reading about. Some patients do this, of course, but those who have more savvy research skills look for patterns, discover that many diseases can share common symptoms, and search reputable sites such as pubmed, NIH, NINDS (any .gov site is reputable), medline, university .edu sites, well-established clinics around the country, etc. The smart doctor will direct the patient to those reputable sites to save the patient from wasting time and anxiety plowing through misinformation.
Keep up your research, avoid doctors who cop an attitude about that, they will be of no use to you. Prepare yourself with notes before an appt., keep a symptom log, and it might be a good idea to refrain from sharing your research with a new doc until you feel comfortable that he/she will be open to it.
Your neuro exam is important, do follow up with that; an MS diagnosis is still, essentially, a clinical one. That means the physical neuro exam will reveal any abnormalities in strength, balance, coordination, and reflexes. Additionally, your description of symptoms and history will further inform the doctor. It is this exam and history that might prompt a neuro to order brain and spine MRIs, EPTs, and lumbar punctures. These tests are used to confirm a suspicion of MS. However, they don't always show signs of the disease in the early stages, so they might then track you with routine follow-up tests every six to twelve months to check for changes.
Your research has probably shown you that an MS dx most often involves a process of elimination. Many other conditions must first be ruled out, and that can take time.
Please do keep us informed about your test results, keep researching, and, of course, bring your questions and concerns here as often as you wish.
Kim
First off, please know that any doctor who scolds you for doing research is one who is way behind the curve in seeing the benefits of having a patient who actively searches for information.
Though a lot of doctors appreciate having an informed discussion with a patient based on research, there are still a significant number who think that people convince themselves they have the disease they are reading about. Some patients do this, of course, but those who have more savvy research skills look for patterns, discover that many diseases can share common symptoms, and search reputable sites such as pubmed, NIH, NINDS (any .gov site is reputable), medline, university .edu sites, well-established clinics around the country, etc. The smart doctor will direct the patient to those reputable sites to save the patient from wasting time and anxiety plowing through misinformation.
Keep up your research, avoid doctors who cop an attitude about that, they will be of no use to you. Prepare yourself with notes before an appt., keep a symptom log, and it might be a good idea to refrain from sharing your research with a new doc until you feel comfortable that he/she will be open to it.
Your neuro exam is important, do follow up with that; an MS diagnosis is still, essentially, a clinical one. That means the physical neuro exam will reveal any abnormalities in strength, balance, coordination, and reflexes. Additionally, your description of symptoms and history will further inform the doctor. It is this exam and history that might prompt a neuro to order brain and spine MRIs, EPTs, and lumbar punctures. These tests are used to confirm a suspicion of MS. However, they don't always show signs of the disease in the early stages, so they might then track you with routine follow-up tests every six to twelve months to check for changes.
Your research has probably shown you that an MS dx most often involves a process of elimination. Many other conditions must first be ruled out, and that can take time.
Please do keep us informed about your test results, keep researching, and, of course, bring your questions and concerns here as often as you wish.
Kim
Report This| Share this:MS OR STROKE??? WHO KNOWSDear Confused in CA,<br /><br />First off, please know that any doctor who scolds you for doing research is one who is way behind the curve in seeing the benefits of having a patient who actively searches for information. <br /><br />Though a lot of doctors appreciate having an informed discussion with a patient based on research, there are still a significant number who think that people convince themselves they have the disease they are reading about. Some patients do this, of course, but those who have more savvy research skills look for patterns, discover that many diseases can share common symptoms, and search reputable sites such as pubmed, NIH, NINDS (any .gov site is reputable), medline, university .edu sites, well-established clinics around the country, etc. The smart doctor will direct the patient to those reputable sites to save the patient from wasting time and anxiety plowing through misinformation. <br /><br />Keep up your research, avoid doctors who cop an attitude about that, they will be of no use to you. Prepare yourself with notes before an appt., keep a symptom log, and it might be a good idea to refrain from sharing your research with a new doc until you feel comfortable that he/she will be open to it.<br /><br />Your neuro exam is important, do follow up with that; an MS diagnosis is still, essentially, a clinical one. That means the physical neuro exam will reveal any abnormalities in strength, balance, coordination, and reflexes. Additionally, your description of symptoms and history will further inform the doctor. It is this exam and history that might prompt a neuro to order brain and spine MRIs, EPTs, and lumbar punctures. These tests are used to confirm a suspicion of MS. However, they don't always show signs of the disease in the early stages, so they might then track you with routine follow-up tests every six to twelve months to check for changes.<br /><br />Your research has probably shown you that an MS dx most often involves a process of elimination. Many other conditions must first be ruled out, and that can take time.<br /><br />Please do keep us informed about your test results, keep researching, and, of course, bring your questions and concerns here as often as you wish.<br /><br />Kim
jackson1956 replied to hackwriter's response:
Thank you. I am staying as positive as possible until my own/over 7 yrs doctor gets copies of test results from the other medical company so I can go to Neuro. Long road ahead I know. Thanks again for replying. It can be a lonely road on some days. JUST WAITING GAME
Report This| Share this:MS OR STROKE??? WHO KNOWSThank you. I am staying as positive as possible until my own/over 7 yrs doctor gets copies of test results from the other medical company so I can go to Neuro. Long road ahead I know. Thanks again for replying. It can be a lonely road on some days. JUST WAITING GAME
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