Experiences of MS diagnosis

[Hourbyehours]

Hello, I am really concerned that I may have MS. I am seeing my GP and will be having some tests but I wondered if anyone had any similar experiences or advice? I have suffered with recurrent thrush and UTIs for a while and now have some other new symptoms- flushing in my face and a feeling of crawling over my cheeks… some electric shock type sensations over my abdomen and a burning sensation to the right side of my abdomen.. I have mild congenital hearing loss but this has worsened significantly in the last 5 months…but alarmingly I now have a numb area on my left foot and can no longer feel my smallest and next toe or move them- I can no longer spread my toes and my toes are also moving behind each other. I am terrified. For context I’ve had blood tests this week which do show low ferrtin( I have had this on and off for a couple of years) and I do run regularly, no injuries or pain that I have been aware of. If you’ve been kind enough to read through I am very grateful 😊

Hello. If you get, say, 7 replies from people who have ms, you'll get 7 different stories of first symptoms. Some of those things you describe could be symptoms of MS, some sound less likely. Thrush is certainly not. UTIs can be but only indirectly due to other longstanding bladder issues.

The sensory issues you describe are certainly common in MS but could also indicate lots of other conditions many of them benign and fairly easily fixed e.g. b12 deficiency.

Be honest with your GP about both your symptoms and your fears and if they think it's a possibility they should refer you (it'll be a long wait). If they think that its not then ask them to explain why they are ruling out so you can stop worrying.

If you do have it, it's not wonderful news but neither is it a necessarily a tragedy. There's a lot of us with MS busy getting on with our lives and whilst we're a long way off a cure, lots of good treatments these days.

It’s just been ruled out for me. The worst bit was the waiting, I had an MRI, nerve conduction, CAT scan. All were fine; just waiting for results from blood tests now.

My symptoms were too varied to go through all of them but the most obvious is a tremor and patches of numbness and weird pain in fingertips.