Hi Col,
You didn't mention the dx you were given? I echo all that was said here, the net can definitely feed some fears, and if a friend being dx'd w/ppms scare you - don't be. We have health pages if you are interested in learning about MS for your friend.
the topics on the right side of this page are a good place to start!
My advice is stay away from the internet because you will become full of ANXIETY and you will find other things that could be going on which would not be but the mind is a scary place when fear sets in!!!! Start with a vitamin test and go from there.... Hope you find out the cause soon!!!
Welcome to our forum, col61. Since none of us are trained and we don't have access to you or your medical test results, no one here can tell you whether or not you have MS. As far as advice goes, many here have been though the diagnostic process, so we have plenty of that to go around.
My two cents would be:
1. Write your symptoms down in chronological order for your doc. Be as concise as possible and quantify symptoms whenever possible. Give your doc a copy to keep for his files.
2. Read, read, read everything you can about MS and any other disorder/disease that might be causing your symptoms. Focus your reading on reliable sources ("reliable" can be difficult to define, but look more towards information published by universities rather than drug companies or unknown sources).
3. Believe in yourself and become your own advocate. When you work with your doctors, try to think about what they need to move you to the next step and give it to them as much as possible (see item 1. for an example).
Best wishes and please keep us posted on how things progress.
- Jane
you are going to have to see a neuro, then mri, lp, and rule out all of the mimic diseases. (there are many). You also need to see an eye doctor FIRST. I think there is something there.
I gather you are in the UK, so not sure how much you can push your doctors. It will take time, if this is what you have, and we hope you do not.
MS moves very slowly so no panic yet.
Something that leads me away from MS is "feet", not "foot" and your references to both sides of your body. MS generally, note generally, starts with one side or the other.
Check out the "most viewed health pages" on the right of your screen. It has a wealth of information and should answer some of your questions. Then if you have more questions, we are here. we are just ms patients learning as we go.
Good luck with your venture!