Help?

[chape17]

I have suffered for 10 years with paresthesias, dysthesias, weakness, fatigue, memory loss and now blurred vision.  I have been diagnosed with everything from Lyme disease (later UN diagnosed), RSD, "I don't know, take this pill" to depression.  I had Parvo b19 in 1996 and one MD thought that explained my waxing and waning symptoms.  I had an MRI and LP in 2003 and was told both were normal.  I recently have had SEVERE memory and thought process problems along with debilitating fatigue, had another MRI which showed 8 foci of hyperintensity in the periventricular white matter.  Now I find out I had 4 of those in 2003 which were dismissed as normal findings because I had borderline blood pressure.  I have no lesions in the corpus collossum so, the latest neuro doesn't think it's MS....says, "You're really hard to diagnose, take this pill (Provigill) so you can work".  
Am I crazy?  I have pretty typical symptoms........I think...I'm only a nurse but, what does a girl have to do to get some treatment?

[essdipity]

Hi there and welcome. I can't supply any medical expertise but I CAN supply support. We are good at that here, and all of us give it and take it. It's a wonderful system that I hope you will participate in.

Rena has done her usual thorough job of covering the diagnostic bases, at least the bases that a neuro should investigate first. There are a lot of MS mimics as well, that need to be eliminated before your doctor will be able to say with any certainty what's going on with you.

However, you have to push push push to get all this accomplished. It's an uphill battle to say the least. Please find an MS neuro as soon as you can, and be persistent as all get out. And please keep in touch with us.

ess

[Rena705]

Hello and Welcome to the Forum.  I am so sorry to hear about all of the symptoms that you have been suffering from and your difficulty in obtaining a diagnosis!

I just want you to know that I am glad that you found us here and I am hoping that we might be able to help you somewhat.

We are not able to make any diagnosis as we do have one retired MD who was a pediatrician but the rest of us here are here simply because we found ourselves in a situation probably similar to yours and we had no where else to go!

First of all, I personally don't think you are crazy honey...you have just been given the run around and it's time to get all your "ducks in a row" so to speak and figure out what the next step should be.  

Are you or have you been seeing an MS Neurologist or just a Neurologist?

Have you had an in-office Neurological exam performed by a Neurologist.  This test should last at least 1/2 hour and a full exam will tell a Neurologist if there are problems with your mental status, cranial nerves, motor abilities, reflexes, coordination and gait as well as your senses.  This exam is crucial in the diagnosis of MS.

In my opinion, the next test would be a Lumbar Puncture.  The results from this test can tell a Neurologist not only if you have MS but also whether or not you have other diseases instead.

Like I said before, we cannot diagnose you or anyone else, all we can do is advise as to what we think might be the next step in getting healthy.  Is this drug (Provigill) making it easier for you to continue on with your life in the manner that you would like to live it?  If not you are the one that is going to have to do something about it.

I completely understand that it is so difficult to be pro-active for yourself when you are not feeling well but it sounds to me that you are going to have to be to get where you need to be.  

I think your first step should be to look into having an MS Neurologist look at the MRI that you had done or have an MS Neurologist perform another MRI so that you can be sure of what you are dealing with.

I am sure that other people on the Forum will advise you of other things that you might be able to do and I want you to know that we are behind you 100%.  You can come here to rant, rave, cry and laugh and we will be here.

We are a group of people that have a lot in common and yet with a disease as diverse as MS with such varying symptoms it is surprising yet comforting that we are all here for each other in a time of need.

Please keep in touch with us and let us know how you are doing and if you have made any new steps toward finding a diagnosis.  It is a tough road...I have been on it and I am still travelling it as I have been diagnosed and am having debilitating problems and yet my Neuro has stated that I am not in a relapse and my disease is not active and yet I am still sick and there have been no other answers.  Please don't give up...there is hope and we will be there to help you find it!

Lot's of Hugs,

Rena705