Flares ?

[ShockedToday]

I know it has probably been asked before, but the whole flare thing flusters me.  I say that because my dr said that in addition to my negative lp, the fact that my symptoms (flares) don't last weeks at a time "all together" makes him think I do not have MS.  Therefore, he took my dx away.

Now, I've gone to many sights and they said flares need to last 24 hours and be a month apart.  Here are my symptoms for example:

back pain: started July and continues till today.  Some days I notice it more than others.

tremors: lasting for years, but got worse around the same time my back started hurting.  Told it was not MS related when I got the MS dx.  On meds for it.

eye issues: started July at the same time as back & tremors getting worse.  Twitching, pain on movement, loss of vision for 1 week, month later loss of vision (scotoma) that is still there today, month after got central scotoma that is still here as well, and three weeks ago I had another scotoma that lasted about a day and a half.  

pain: right arm has cramping and just plain aches daily for weeks and weeks

tingling: every day in back and toes, though it doesn't last all day, comes and goes, and I also get it on scalp, inside mouth, arm, leg, etc.

Balance: fell 3 times in 2 days last week.

This is just a sample.  Unfortunately.

I guess I just don't understand.  Most of these things I've had before over the last 10+ years, but they would hang around maybe a month or two and go away.  And I've never had all of them together before.  Now I've been 'sick' since July.  I don't see where he is saying they aren't lasting long enough.  Am I suppossed to continuously fall all day long?  That is impossible.

Any thoughts?

[diemyn]

Do you use the pain tracker medhelp offers? I've found it very interesting and lament not having it to reference when I was still seeing doctors. I do wish that there was an MS one, but you can use the journal entry to keep track of that stuff too. It'd just be so nice if there was a checklist that had the diff sensations and descriptions common with MS. I would get a second opinion too. It seems like your doctor is less informed than he should be. Just using the web you can discover how difficult it is to rule out MS and it's not done just the LP being neg. Love to you in these trying times. Stay strong. =]

Diemyn

[doni54]

Hi, I agree with jen about doing your timeline.  I also keep a journal.  I was surprised when I did my timeline, and realized I'd had symptoms for years.  Never even thought about it before.

Hang in there, and if you aren't comfortable with this neuro or if you think he is not listening to you, maybe it's time to find a new one, or at least get a second opinion.

Take care,
doni

[jensequitur]

i think you need to create a better timeline for him, if he's confused about your symptoms.  A negative LP is not enough information to take away a diagnosis of MS.