Hi Jamie and welcome to our little MS community, others have brought up mimics, our health pages etc but i would like to mention the importance of getting your mental health fully assessed, now that the CD card has been thrown down.
I look at it this way, until the CD card is taken off the 'possible' list, it will stick to you like glue and getting anyone to look beyond it will be difficult and may cause you even more unnesesary frustration. So its a lot better for 'you' overall, if you have the diagnostic evidence to prove, that mental health is not the issue.
General anxiety or Depression is not the same as Heath Anxiety, and Healthy Anxiety is not the same as Conversion Disorder but its become surprisingly easy for alternate causes to be more readily dismissed, if a person is already dx with one of the more common mental health conditions. It seems really strange to me, when a person doesn't even have a history of mental health, that CD even comes up at all. CD is quite rare so why it even gets mentioned half the time, is just mind boggling imho.
So my advice to you and anyone else in a similar situation, is to get the proof in writing that its 'not' mental health, get it fully investigated just like you'd do for any other possible causation. It wont hurt anyone to do this and in the long run, it may actually prove to be rather helpful.
Hugs........JJ
Hello Lisa..Its so funny everything that you wrote about fits me to the tee.Before being Dx.i was haveing problem for three years and i was just dx Nov,2012. I was also told in 2010 that i had converion disorder but i was like you on that note i new that something was really wrong and it was not conversion disorder.my system were really bad and had to be amitted to the hospital because i was haveing a relapes a d believe me it was'nt pretty. The ms had attack eyes, my speech and i could not walk my balance was off andi had another bladder infection this was my third infection ln a year.I am now takeing pysical therapy,and speech therapy and occ therapy at home.Im starti g to feel a lot better thank God.I have startec on copaxion 20 mg injection once a day .I will take it one day at a time and one step at a time.Praying that you have gotten your dx. About now and you are doing well. Praying that it wjll work out.
Thank you Lisa. Yes as a nurse I would be the first to agree with the doctors and admit I have conversion disorder. I will keep in touch with you.
Hi, there, and Welcome! I think you'll find this Health Page informative and possibly entertaining:
http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Multiple-Sclerosis/So-they-think-youve-got-conversion-disorder/show/1137?cid=36
I second LisaJF's suggestion to get a second opinion from a different neurologist. Some folks around here have been to multiple neurologists to get a diagnosis of some sort. And remember, MS has many mimics. It may be something different than MS, but you at least deserve a diagnosis of SOME kind!
Cheers,
Lisa
I just wanted to say hi, welcome, and offer support.
The others have given you some very good suggestions. The Health Pages are an excellent resource.
Hang in there! The diagnostic process can be daunting andffrustrating as I am finding out.
Hugs, prayers and blessings,
Minnie
typo
it been years for some us, I meant
I second what Lisa says, find a good MS Neuro.. The only thing I can say don't expect a quick DX, it been years for some of before we get a DX.
Have you had any MRI'S of the spinal cord completed?
Some people can have MS with silent lesions. Visit our health pages there are loads of fact based information there..
take care.
JB
Welcome to the forums where you will find continuous support emotionally and educationally.
I am sorry you're going through all of this and to have the stigma of "conversion disorder" placed upon you must be infuriating when you know it is something other than that. I'm not saying that "no one" ever gets conversion disorders, malingering, psychogenic or somatoform disorders, but I am saying that when they have nothing to go on ie: blood work or diagnostic tests such as MRIs and lumbar punctures, the doctors tend to hold onto the psych aspects.
On one hand, you can understand and you're compliant by taking the anxiolytics even though they contribute to your fatigue.
You know when something is wrong with your body and I assume as you're a RN, that you would admit if there was anything psychological going on and would do something about it. Why not right? Mental illness is a disease too just as diabetes, thyroid conditions,etc.
My thoughts on this is to go and get a second opinion.
I do have a question, when they did the MRI, was it only of the brain or did they do cervical and thoracic too?
Again, welcome to the forums and please let us know how your appointment goes in two months, and if you make a new appointment with a new Neuro, let us know about that too.
Lisa