Hi, just an update :)

[chooky01]

G'day again...
No still no diagnosis of any sort...

Yesterday at work and today/ thismorning, It started again, the constant pins n needle jabs in my face, nose and lip, with numbness in my lip, but also something new. The back of my left hand went numb along three fingers and the top of my hand.

Made it hard to type at work, I had to use one hand finger typing instead because although it was numb, it would also cramp. Then my two outer fingers started twitching involentary, like moving on their own.

So went back to my GP again thismorning, just got back, I had to go to get blood results anyway, but I told him my situation at work (well just what I've just mentioned above) he noticed a slight tremor in my fingers but said it was ever so slight. Ofcourse because it's kind of not happening as much thismorning.

He showed me my blood work, and said see, everything, b12, iron, calcium, sugars, thyroid etc etc, was heaps on it, are all normal infact he said very normal.

He called my neuro, they will be sending me a letter for the next available appointment. Why they can't just call me I do not know sigh. He told me to bring all my results because there is something going on and it is not showing in my blood work.

Oh, and went to the heart specialist, my heart is good, no probs there also, heart guy thinks it's neurological what is happening to me.

So now waiting on a letter to see my neuro, but if they make an appointment for 3months away, I'm going to call and see if I get on a cancellation list.

And thats about it... must say, getting new symptoms is a little unnerving.. but dr assures me still that I am not a lunatic :) and it is not my imagination playing tricks on me lol. He likes to assure me every time I see him.

Be well all
:)

[chooky01]

Hi HVAC,

Oh my, sorry to hear :( I've seen alot of posts from you here, and you seem such a nice strong person, it is flooring to hear you have terminal cancer, i pray you have many many more years ahead of you...and we see many more of your posts

I don't know really how to get upset, know that sounds strange, but it just isn't me. I always believe theres some people out there who have it worse than me so try to be content with everything in my life, and those who have a lot in life that is worse than my lot I find inspirational.

My step father died of cancer of the bowel, he was such a happy go lucky guy, even at the end he joked with me, he always had a smile on his face and a kind word even though we knew he was suffering. I guess I get my demeanor from him lol

My partner is going to the appointment with me, he comes to most appointments with me because I forget things often, specially when with my neuro..i call em brain farts lol, even got my neuro calling them brain farts haha...i insisted (she was hesitant) lol


I am taking the afternoon off work for the appointment, my boss was soo rude to me, she complained that she might not be able to cover my shift.
Later before she left she apologised saying she was insensative..

Thank you HVAC for your encouragement, I am saddened about your diagnosis but inspired by your resilliance and selflessness when encouraging others here on this forum

Will keep all posted :)

[chooky01]

Hi aspen2,

Glad it was a minor one, though I can't see anything minor about a cancer diagnosis :s I certainly hope it does not return for you! Well wishes for your next check up. :)

[chooky01]

Thanks aspen,

How are you now? Cancer free? I hope so! Must be hard having the M.S on top of the cancer..

The shadow on my jaw was incidental also, am kind of glad I have all the weird symptoms now, or they may never have found it. Glad my neuro ordered an extensive MRI of the head/base of skull.

I will keep all posted :)

[aspen2]

It's a minor cancer, but it recurs.  I've had three surgeries for it.  Should have moved to yearly monitoring by now, however I'm still every three months.

Last check was clear -- it SHOULD stop recurring at some point.  If the next check is clear it might be the begnning of the end of it :).

Yes, please let us know!

[HVAC]

I know no one wants to hear the C word. I actually have terminal cancer. I have survived 4 more years than they expected. You just never know. It is like MS it is different in every case because we are all different. I had a dog with cancer of the jaw. They removed the part of the jaw and that was the end of it she had no more issues.

It is okay to be upset. We do not expect such news. I felt like my life was turned upside down. I had cancer in 14 places. They blamed the symptoms on MS. I kept going back and saying something is very wrong. I even went to the ER and they did no tests.

Make sure you like the doctor and hospital. Do not be afraid to get a second opinion. My first oncologist was a great surgeon but terrible for chemo. The hospital had a new cancer center and the only cancer they did not treat there was ovarian cancer. They did chemo in a hall way. I was shocked when I saw the chemo area. I should have changed then.

Have someone go with you to talk to the oncologist. I went alone which was a bad move. I knew it probably was cancer but it still was a shock. I am a tough cookie but I found a chair in the lobby and shook.

[chooky01]

Thanks JJ,

Sorry to hear about your daughter, I can understand how she might feel.
Parts of me is saying I should be terrified and a nervous wreck, but that just
is'nt me.

My partner had prostate cancer, and is now free of it for two years.. but when dealing with it, his Drs kept saying that we myst be the most cheerful patient
and couple he has met yet.. also says our demeanot and sense of humor played a roll in his eventual remission.

But that is just how we roll, yes we are worried and were for him initially, but you move forward.. as we say "As ya do" plus who couldn't laugh, when after getting female hormones to aid in his treatment, he was crying at movies and having mood swings lol.. it was his time of the month lol, plus my gawd his hairy legs were smoother than my waxed legs because he lost the hair on them...i was jealous lol
We laughed alot, and I believe it helped.

We will continue to laugh

Well wishes for your daughter

:) :)

[supermum_ms]

As i was reading your post and i got to the bit about your GP calling you in, i knew you were going to say in might be cancer, the same thing happened last year to my daughter on her first pap test results, she definitely doesn't have your calm head on her shoulders though, freaking out is kind of expected when your GP sits you down and mentions the big C......hugs

All i can say is hang on to that calm, it's not cancer until it is and it may not be, so keep a hold of your happy go lucky outlook during the tests to come!

Wishing you luck and good health.....JJ      

[chooky01]

Hi Alex,

No, my neuro is specialised in stroke, but she has some experience with M.S

New update:
I went back to my GP on friday because he called me back in after my neuro called him up with new results from my latest MRI. At first he wanted to see me at 3pm, but I start work at 2pm, so he said to come in right away before I go to work.

Indeed I was a little concerned, it sounded urgent, and he has never called me back in on the same day before. So, I finished my coffee, because i thought what ever it is, I'm going to need the coffee hit lol, then headed back in.

Background info:
On a previous MRI don for trigeminal nerve symptoms they noticed a small shadow in my mandible close to my alveolar nerve that they were worried about, and for which I had to have two teeth out for. The dentist didn't see any infection in the sockets so said my symptoms were neurological.

Back to update:
I got to my GP, and he proceeded to tell me my latest MRI has shown this shadow area of my jaw along the nerve area has gotten bigger, and both he and my neurologist are very concerned about it.

Theybelieve that this is the cause of my facial pins and needles and suspect it is cancer of the mandible along the nerve area that is pressing on my nerve..they also suspect cancer because I am a long term smoker..(I know, bad habbit that can lead to cancer, but I useto be addicted to drugs when I was younger, smoking was my last vice, and for months I have been weening myself down off of them)

They are sending me to a head and neck oncologist / professor, who is supposed to be very good at what he does, one of the best in Sydney Australia, to determine if infact it is cancer as they suspect, or something else.

Apparently if it is not cancer, it could be something like bone death in my jaw that will or might need extensive treatment/surgery.

So I am seeing the oncologist on Friday this week, and am pretty sure I will need a biopsy soon after that to help determine what it exactly is.

None of this though explains my other symptoms, so my neuro is still schedualing an appointment in the near future. She wants me to get the jaw figured out first.

So now I may have cancer.. yippee..not! But I have a happy go lucky outlook / perspective on life regardless what it throws at me, and figure, eh, well, lets just get on with it and see where things lead.

A saying I learned early in life is if you can't change something, you can change how you respond to it. So I am in an upbeat mood as per usual lol, more worried about my partner because he is a softie and a worrier.
I just want to make sure he knows I am not worried regardless of the outcome, and that I am happy.

Yes I would've rather an M.S diagnosis than a possible cancer one, or ultimatly even back to limbo a little but you roll with the punches hey ;)

So might come back Friday afternoon to make another update :)

[aspen2]

I managed a cancer diagnosis prior to the ms dx  ... thankful it was found relatively early, and only because I was being worked up for ms.

Praying it ISN'T cancer for you as well.

Keep us posted!!! (((hugs)))

[HVAC]

I guess you just have to wait to see the neuro. I know that is hard. Is the neurologist a MS Specialist? If so it can take months. There are so few of them. There are 5 for a large portion of NC.

Alex