KATYMAC!!

[chipmonkey]

Just wondering how your dd's vision is? Any improvement?

We'll see - fingers crossed it will help

Katy, usually a fairly simple battery of tests would show up a problem along the optic nerve, even if nothing shows up on ophthalmoscopy, the pupil response would be abnormal. I did wonder if your dd might have optic neuritis, as there is usually a loss of colour vision to start with, particularly the colour red.
I think you would know if she'd had an MRI?

Thanks Chipmonkey - sorry I fell asleep

I don't know atm - I am hovering between getting the GP to refer me to the bigger hospital & getting my parents to pay to go private

I am deeply unhappy with the diagnosis I have been given

Chipmonkey - One of the things DD was talking about was when she saw a letter (about 4 inches square - black on white) if it was a curved letter (S, C, O) she could just see it but if it was a straight letter (N, T, Z) it all curved round; is that significant of anything?

Oh & I was looking up Optical Neuritis & this article suggests that it might show no vsymptoms

We have had a quiet day - I imagine you house has been busy.

How is DD & her chest? (maybe our girls should be penpals?) & your little new arrivals, do they sleep?

katymac, if you think the bigger hospital will be better then push for a referral to it. i thought we were supposd to have the choice of what hospital we use these days anyway??

if you aren't happy with the diagnosis then INSIST on seeing someone else

if you think the bigger hospital may still not offer dd what she needs then I would have no hesitation in ghoing private

Thisisyesterday - I will be on to the GP on Monday

Pixie - Prednisilone? DD reacted badly to stopping that

40mg? That is what DD was on - she was horrid

Ouch that is a lot!!Make sure she comes off it nice & slowly

DD is whittering on about seeing How to train your dragon & I said it was pointless & now I feel guilty

Hmm is she having an allergic reaction to something (thinking about the time of year - it might be something she hasn't reacted to before)?

I would have thought the school would refuse to have her with that level of medication.

I hope it gets better soon.

Thanks for your support for DD & I, during this - you really have enough on your plate without taking on our problems

Katymac, I'm in Ireland and our health service is horrific and I know over here, wrong as it is, you do get much better service if you go privately. I think things may be better in the UK but a big hospital which is a recognised centre of excellence is usually the way to go.

It may be that the doctors are doing an excellent job and have been able to rule out any serious eye complaints by process of elimination but if it were my own child, I would probably be insisting on MRI's etc to be 100% sure.

Also, Katy, when I was looking for your previous thread, I found a thread back in December ( I think?) where you thought your dd might have shingles and was getting pins and needles. Was that shingles or was there ever an explanation for it?

At the time I thought it was a virus (in the end) but looking back at it now it is possible that it was a reaction to the prednisilone.

She was on the steroid at the end of November and had stopped taking it by then, she went back on them in Jan and when she stopped taking them she had lots of problems

It's not a drug I will be keen to let her have again

The lady I saw on Friday last week said it couldn't possibly be an inflammation in her optic nerve as she had recently been on steroids (recently being last tablet taken 31 st Jan - DD ill 28th Feb)

Pins and needles can also be a sign of an underlying neurological condition though. I really would be looking for another opinion. Even if they just back up the first one, at least you will feel better about the diagnosis.

hadn't really thought of that - I am trying to write everything down this evening, so it's al documented properly

Km hyperventilation syndrome commonly gives pins and needles as a symptom. I find a lot of my patients with HVS have an underlying diagnosis of asthma. Basically the asthma triggers an altered breathing pattern which becomes "normal" for them. However, it causes carbon dioxide levels to be chronically low and gives a huge variety of symptoms.

I don't really like online speculation but it's something worth considering and very treatable (breathing reeducation). As well as the asthma, her worries/anxieties also would contribute.

Thanks Northender - her breathing was well out of control at the time

All I know for certain is that something is not right - how I sort it out

I don't know