dumpling
05-05-08, 11:00
Hi,
I felt I had to write in and tell everyone my story!
3 years ago I suddenly went very dizzy, I went to the emergency docs who said is was vertigo and gave me some tablets. I have always suffered with a bit of health anxiety but did not know this at the time, I decided to go and see my GP for reassurance.
He did all sorts of tests and said well, I don't think you've got MS! I said What do you mean you don't think? so he proceeded to tell me MS can start with dizziness but is hard to diagnose etc. It had never even entered my head about MS!
I came out of there in total shock and immediately googled MS, BIG mistake!
There followed nearly two years of me being convinced I had MS and my doctors had misdiagnosed me. You name it, I had it, tingling, burning, pins and needles, blurry vision, every sympton I read about I then developed! I drove my doctors mad, one lady doc said at the beginning my partner has MS if you need to know anything come and see me - I saw her everyday for 2 months lol I can laugh now but at the time it was pure hell!
I demanded to see a neurologist which I paid privately for cos I thought I would be crippled with MS by the time the NHS would see me, the neurologist told me it was just nerves, anxiety etc but he let me read the letter referring me from my docs so then I was convinced he was believing them not me (they said I was a nervous wreck and was doing it to myself!) I did take comfort from what he said for a while but anyone with health anxiety knows reassurances don't last for long!! I was soon back on the internet convincing mysely even more!
I ended up at A & E cos of my dizziness and they said I had a hole in my ear drum from an old ear infection and this would make me off balance/woozy. They really listened to me and did various checks and said MS wasn't an issue. I felt great and went back to my GPs to get a referral to an ear, nose and throat doc. My GP said a hole in your ear drum won't make you dizzy!!
Off we go again!! Back to the internet, MS totally consumed my every day life, it's all I thought about, talked about and dreamt about!
My GP referred me to our practise counsellor and I have to say she was brilliant, she really helped put me on the road to recovery! She taught me to think whatever thoughts I needed to think as they then become fleeting thoughts instead of all consuming thoughts. Everyone had been telling me to distract myself before, which as we all know doesn't work cos all you end up thinking about is your particular health anxiety!!
It really did work, as the days passed on I still thought about MS alot but also found my mind wandering on to other things too.
She also made me see why my health was a bigger issue to me than to other people, I have a son who would be left alone if anything happened to me etc.
I realised I had always had this health anxiety, I used to worry about cancer alot but since discovering MS I prayed for cancer instead!!
We had an eldery GP at our practise who would give you anything you wanted so I made her refer me to a private ear nose and throat doc. Seeing him was brilliant, it cost me £1000 but was worth every penny, he really listened and went through all my health history and after numerous tests I was finally diagnosed with labyrinthitis. I had had a chest infection, in fact was hospitalised with it just before I went dizzy and the labyrinthitis was a residue of that chest infection!
I still have odd moments of worry about MS but I just think it and then get on with every day life. I sometimes get twitching and tingling but I more or less ignore them too, cos they do seem to be when I'm worrying, run down, highly stressed.
I hope I can help somebody with my story, there is light at the end of the tunnel - I promise lol.
My counsellor even taught me to think that MS wouldn't be the end of the world!! I never thought I would be able to think that never mind even type it!!
Good luck everyone, remember you are not alone and you can get through this!!
I felt I had to write in and tell everyone my story!
3 years ago I suddenly went very dizzy, I went to the emergency docs who said is was vertigo and gave me some tablets. I have always suffered with a bit of health anxiety but did not know this at the time, I decided to go and see my GP for reassurance.
He did all sorts of tests and said well, I don't think you've got MS! I said What do you mean you don't think? so he proceeded to tell me MS can start with dizziness but is hard to diagnose etc. It had never even entered my head about MS!
I came out of there in total shock and immediately googled MS, BIG mistake!
There followed nearly two years of me being convinced I had MS and my doctors had misdiagnosed me. You name it, I had it, tingling, burning, pins and needles, blurry vision, every sympton I read about I then developed! I drove my doctors mad, one lady doc said at the beginning my partner has MS if you need to know anything come and see me - I saw her everyday for 2 months lol I can laugh now but at the time it was pure hell!
I demanded to see a neurologist which I paid privately for cos I thought I would be crippled with MS by the time the NHS would see me, the neurologist told me it was just nerves, anxiety etc but he let me read the letter referring me from my docs so then I was convinced he was believing them not me (they said I was a nervous wreck and was doing it to myself!) I did take comfort from what he said for a while but anyone with health anxiety knows reassurances don't last for long!! I was soon back on the internet convincing mysely even more!
I ended up at A & E cos of my dizziness and they said I had a hole in my ear drum from an old ear infection and this would make me off balance/woozy. They really listened to me and did various checks and said MS wasn't an issue. I felt great and went back to my GPs to get a referral to an ear, nose and throat doc. My GP said a hole in your ear drum won't make you dizzy!!
Off we go again!! Back to the internet, MS totally consumed my every day life, it's all I thought about, talked about and dreamt about!
My GP referred me to our practise counsellor and I have to say she was brilliant, she really helped put me on the road to recovery! She taught me to think whatever thoughts I needed to think as they then become fleeting thoughts instead of all consuming thoughts. Everyone had been telling me to distract myself before, which as we all know doesn't work cos all you end up thinking about is your particular health anxiety!!
It really did work, as the days passed on I still thought about MS alot but also found my mind wandering on to other things too.
She also made me see why my health was a bigger issue to me than to other people, I have a son who would be left alone if anything happened to me etc.
I realised I had always had this health anxiety, I used to worry about cancer alot but since discovering MS I prayed for cancer instead!!
We had an eldery GP at our practise who would give you anything you wanted so I made her refer me to a private ear nose and throat doc. Seeing him was brilliant, it cost me £1000 but was worth every penny, he really listened and went through all my health history and after numerous tests I was finally diagnosed with labyrinthitis. I had had a chest infection, in fact was hospitalised with it just before I went dizzy and the labyrinthitis was a residue of that chest infection!
I still have odd moments of worry about MS but I just think it and then get on with every day life. I sometimes get twitching and tingling but I more or less ignore them too, cos they do seem to be when I'm worrying, run down, highly stressed.
I hope I can help somebody with my story, there is light at the end of the tunnel - I promise lol.
My counsellor even taught me to think that MS wouldn't be the end of the world!! I never thought I would be able to think that never mind even type it!!
Good luck everyone, remember you are not alone and you can get through this!!