Gotta Get Rid of Denial!! Next week going to get the FINAL ANSWER!

[Buzzing-in-Utah]

Hello Gang....
Well next week have an appointment with a new neurologist (one with an MS Center..woo woo). I figured and after much research they were the best to help IF? Nah!...(**** there goes my denial again). Here is my story in Cliff Note form...
-3 years ago numb in arm and shoulder (note 3 years)
-Went for MRI...
-Saw Neuro....dx possible MS.
-Me--see you next week for LP
-Never showed...never followed up...was afraid.
-Last month had a personal catastrophe
-Two weeks ago (3 years later).....hmmm
------left "pulled groin muscle" type pain (relevant or not...this is how it started)
------followed by left arm and hand numbness
------then left foot numbness
------then left cheek area numbness
------no sleep..etc etc
Ok...is this MS?...sounds like a duck, looks like a duck...you know the story

People's take
Sister #1--Get help
Sister #2--Things happen for a reason!! If Sister #1 loses her job she can come and take care of you....huh...(fatalist without permission...yuk!)
Best Friend--Pull the trigger dude...you need to start getting help.
Employee of mine / Confidant: You dont want MS..that doesnt go away!!!

Well of course I latch on to the Employee.....

I am having the battle of intelect/denial/reality/fear.

I will turn 52 in two weeks....no wife (anymore) no kids. (All that another story)

Bottom line.....HELP me stay the course so I dont go another 3 years without meds and find my excacerbations are off the charts (psst--code for severe side of mild-to-severe)...cuz from my perspective this episode which hasnt ended yet...(or will it?)...has been bad enough and has me at wits end...depressed...blah blah blah!!

Tell me your thoughts!!!

Thanks,
Buzzing

[derrie]

If we're taking votes, I vote you go to the doctor.

Yeah, you don't want MS, it doesn't go away, but not getting a diagnosis and treatment won't make it magically disappear! Also, your current symptoms sound like they are disruptive to your daily life, and regardless of what is causing them, a neurologist is best equipped to help you treat and manage those symptoms.

I think you should at least make an initial appointment. See what the doctor says. Then take it from there.

So that's my vote! (We are voting, right?)

[jbell2435]

@Buzzing in Utah

I'm very new here and don't have much to offer regarding "limbo island" stuff they talk about.

I just wanted to give a BIG ((((HUG)))) and hope you get your answer soon.

I was just dx a month ago and had not suspected this at all, so I can't say how I would feel if I thought it was but didn't have the answer....I just went 2 yrs w/o answer to why my leg/hip were not working...now I know.

[sunshine008]

Hi,

You sound like a smart person, and I think deep down you know the right thing to do....... only you can call, make the appt. and go.

You aren't avoiding it by not making the appointment. As you even stated i dont' want to go another 3 years w/o making an appt and worsening symptoms.

MS is not a death sentence, scary yes it is. I was dx'd some 8 mos. ago and yes I am still processing it. Yet what to remember here is it isnt' cancer, and with medications and the right interventions you can improve your symptoms, and still live your life. That is if you even have MS.

So, give yourself a break, make the appointment and go get your answers and your meds to make the symptoms go away if indeed you wind up having it.

One things' for sure you are not alone in this. We're all here and we've been where you are. It's ok......

(((hugs))

[saywhat]

Just noticed you are in UT. I am as well! I've been seen at the MS clinic by LDS hospital. The first time I walked in there, I just sat in the waiting room and cried. Everywhere I looked was MS literature and it was sooo... official.

I still hate going there and I've had an "More than likely we're dealing with MS, but this is a very atypical case" diagnosis for about 6 weeks.

You're not alone.

Can Relate to You

Buzzing--Sounds like you are going through every emotion that everyone does.

You know, "Best Friends" are "Best" friends for a reason...they usually offer sage advice, stick through it with you during life's challenges, and best of all they are sometimes the only people that really know how to cheer you up.

I think your Best Friend has it right...you need to take care of this now.

None of us want MS, but I am glad I know what I am facing, because I can be proactive in trying to assist myself in having the best quality of life possible.

I'm 48, have had MS for 10 years and just started a DMD...believe me it has been overwhelming starting the DMD, but I am working through it.

They say an "inch is easy, but a yard is hard"...so just take it an inch at a time. Also that best friend of yours sounds like a keeper...I bet they would go to your appointment with you. It is a source of great moral support.

Best regards