diagnosis or not
I had two torn discs in my lower back that required a lumbar fusion. Following that in the recovery room I had problems with sensation and movement that was diagnosed as nerve root damage. My neurologist was puzzled and remarked a few times that my reflexes were not those of a spine injury, but were like a brain thing...the spasticity, and certain relfexes. But because we "knew" what happened it was just a "curiousity". I recovered from this after a time and was fine. I had a mildflare up that went away about a week later. About four months ago I began to have symptoms again...but different symptoms. Both legs felt deeply aching. They felt so heavy that just the act of walking anywhere was a tremendous effort. I was so very tired and I was clumsy, tripping and falling all over the place. Spasticity in both legs. My walking at times was like a tin soldier, it seemed my legs didn't want to bend at the knee when i was walking. Trouble with my right hand. Picking up small things, holding a pen.
My old doctor was gone so i had to find a new one - one I did not like but that my insurance covered. This one did all the regular tests and wanted to just label it neuropathy. My calf muscles grew visibly smaller. Eventually he did the testing for MS - which were negative.
When MS was mentioned and l looked it up on the internet..prior to the lumbar puncture and all, I was stunned because I had a number of other symptoms, but because they didn't fit in with my diagnosis. I had never connected them before.
So, now with a negative diagnosis. I am struggling. No real diagnosis or any plan of treatment. I am not sure it is medically possible to have nerve damage that heals and comes back again. I don't have a doctor who has seen me over a period of time and seen the the symptoms change and come and go. Has anyone else had trouble with diagnosis? Is it even possible to misdiagnose MS when the mri's and lumbar punctures are done?
My old doctor was gone so i had to find a new one - one I did not like but that my insurance covered. This one did all the regular tests and wanted to just label it neuropathy. My calf muscles grew visibly smaller. Eventually he did the testing for MS - which were negative.
When MS was mentioned and l looked it up on the internet..prior to the lumbar puncture and all, I was stunned because I had a number of other symptoms, but because they didn't fit in with my diagnosis. I had never connected them before.
So, now with a negative diagnosis. I am struggling. No real diagnosis or any plan of treatment. I am not sure it is medically possible to have nerve damage that heals and comes back again. I don't have a doctor who has seen me over a period of time and seen the the symptoms change and come and go. Has anyone else had trouble with diagnosis? Is it even possible to misdiagnose MS when the mri's and lumbar punctures are done?
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