Saw neurologist #1 back in the mid-90s for severe headaches. He did an MRI and an evoked potential then he or his office convienently lost the test results. Never occured to me back then to contact the hospital where the tests were run to find out the results. No clue what those tests showed.
I've been putting up with dizziness for years. Just figured it wasn't a big deal so never mentioned it to my family doctor. Then I started getting clumsy and seemed to trip over my own feet all the time. In July, had a major fall out of the bathtub and hit my head on the sink. Probably should have gotten checked out but didn't. Then in November, I was carrying my 1 year old granddaughter, lost my footing and nearly fell. Thank goodness, I fell against a wall instead of hitting the floor and my granddaughter was OK. That's when I realized I should see a doctor to find out what was going on.
On to neurologist #2. At the first visit, she said my reflexes were off and I had ataxic (sp?) gait--turns out I can't walk heel toe on a straight line. I'd flunk a drunk test for sure!! I told her about the dizziness, falling, pins and needles in my legs and feet, tiredness and forgetting words when talking. So far, I've had an EMG, MRI (w/and w/o contrast), MRA, ultrasound of my carotroid (sp?) arteries and a CT scan. The MRI showed some blockages of blood vessels hence the MRA, ultrasound and CT scan. But those came back clear. Other than the blocked blood vessels, everything else looked OK. The last time I saw the neurologist and asked what this is...what's causing all my symptoms...she didn't have an answer.
I asked what I should do about the tripping and she said I should buy a cane. Needless to say, I left that visit crying. I don't know what to do anymore. Should I go back to her and hope she figures something out? Should I go to another neurologist? Is this just a part of ageing (I'm 58)? Or should I just forget the whole thing and buy a cane?? I have no clue what to do next.
I've been putting up with dizziness for years. Just figured it wasn't a big deal so never mentioned it to my family doctor. Then I started getting clumsy and seemed to trip over my own feet all the time. In July, had a major fall out of the bathtub and hit my head on the sink. Probably should have gotten checked out but didn't. Then in November, I was carrying my 1 year old granddaughter, lost my footing and nearly fell. Thank goodness, I fell against a wall instead of hitting the floor and my granddaughter was OK. That's when I realized I should see a doctor to find out what was going on.
On to neurologist #2. At the first visit, she said my reflexes were off and I had ataxic (sp?) gait--turns out I can't walk heel toe on a straight line. I'd flunk a drunk test for sure!! I told her about the dizziness, falling, pins and needles in my legs and feet, tiredness and forgetting words when talking. So far, I've had an EMG, MRI (w/and w/o contrast), MRA, ultrasound of my carotroid (sp?) arteries and a CT scan. The MRI showed some blockages of blood vessels hence the MRA, ultrasound and CT scan. But those came back clear. Other than the blocked blood vessels, everything else looked OK. The last time I saw the neurologist and asked what this is...what's causing all my symptoms...she didn't have an answer.
I asked what I should do about the tripping and she said I should buy a cane. Needless to say, I left that visit crying. I don't know what to do anymore. Should I go back to her and hope she figures something out? Should I go to another neurologist? Is this just a part of ageing (I'm 58)? Or should I just forget the whole thing and buy a cane?? I have no clue what to do next.
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