Weird symptoms - but are they for real?

[AdamZ]

I am no longer able to write decently (left hander).

My elocution is bad.

My right hand is not as stable as my left one, with some trembling when trying to be contained.

My memory is going. Short-time memory can be awful.

In 2003, I lost control of my legs for a few seconds and crashed in the living rooms with a cup of coffee and a lot of people laughing.

Physically, I have never been able to sustain competition in sports. Was never able to do anything that require equilibrum as skating or alpine skiing.

Severe constipation all my life although I eat a *lot* more vegetables & fruits than pre-2003. Going to the toilets for serious business twice a week typically. I noticed a difference in urinating in the last 2-3 years. Harder to get it all out.

I never talked to the physicians of all the above.

I passed a blood exam in 1990. Nothing was found. Another pre-hiring one in 2003. Detected high triglycerids. Corrected. Another more complete in 2005. It revealed a borderline cardiovascular capacity.

Bad genetics? Just getting older (40...)? Maybe, but I can't help thinking multiple sclerosis. Yet I don't want to disturb people and I never had a 'family physician'.

My rational side tells me that I will wait and hope that nothing gets worse. My other side is pushing me... what should I verify? What actions? I don't want to be in front of a physician explaining potential imaginary troubles. Is there a way to consult directly some neurologic people?

I don't know what I'll do.

[Citruskiss]

Falling down isn't imaginary.

Go see your doctor - explain the symptoms you're experiencing and see what he or she has to say. That's the best course of action in this scenario.

It's easy to look up stuff, and think..."I have <insert scary sounding thing>..."

So go...tell the doctor what's going on, and if necessary your doc will send you to a specialist. Don't worry about how it 'sounds'. Just present your symptoms.

Take care, and make that dr's appt.

[mailbean]

You should see a doctor. Get a full physical, tell them about these symptoms. Whatever it turns out to be, whether it's serious or not, it's the doctor's job to find out, not to judge you. They will set you up with a neurologist if need be. Just tell them everything you've said here, and anything else that might be relevant.

Avoiding going to the doctor doesn't help you in the long term. You're also getting to an age where you probably need to get a "family physician" - someone who is familiar with your health history to go to when you experience new problems, and to perform regular checkups. Especially when you know you have health problems.

[PS Diva]

Sounds like you are scared to go to the doctor because you are worried about what you might hear. But, not going hasn't kept the worry away and hasn't made things better. Things aren't going to get better if you don't make changes. You might as well give the doctor a chance.

[Nancy LC]

You're having neurological symptoms. A "blood test" checking for cholesterol and other stuff isn't going to diagnosis you. You need to talk to your doctor and see a neurologist most likely.

As an aside, I've run into a LOT of people, and you can talk to them at http://glutenfreeandbeyond.com who have suffered severe neurological effects from eating gluten. In some of them it caused low B12 and other vitamin deficiencies and that caused the neurological damage. There's a syndrome called "gluten ataxia" which basically means you have an odd or disturbed gait (walk). I also had a lot of brain related symptoms with my gluten intolerance.

But if you want to explore the gluten angle in addition to seeing your doctors that's great but you must see your doctors. You could have one of many diseases and catching it early is going to make things much, much easier down the road. Don't try to hide from your health... it knows where you live! However many doctors are not informed about how gluten can affect the brain, a few neurologists are but they're hard to find. So explore that on your own, but let the doctors have at you and run their tests.

Also, check out "The Gluten File" in my signature and read up on the neurological symptoms. Don't consider this a diagnosis, I have no idea what's going on with you, it's just sounds familiar to me but it could be something entirely different! Get thee to a doctor!

[ppuffy3859]

Hi. I agree with the above posters. Your doctor won't think you're crazy. My 50 year old brother in law was having a lot of those symptoms, and we thought MS too, but it turned out he had dynovial cysts on his spine, causing imbalance, falling, trembling, fatigue, serious pain-and he's a carpenter, so he got checked out, and he had surgery to remove the cysts and was totally better after a few weeks. It definitely needs to be checked out. I hope it's not MS or anything serious. Put your mind at ease and go see the dr. Best to you.

[cs_carver]

Bad genetics? Just getting older (40...)? Maybe, but I can't help thinking multiple sclerosis. Yet I don't want to disturb people and I never had a 'family physician'..

Who are the people who would be "disturbed?" you will be paying a doctor; he or she will not be "disturbed." Your family? They're not getting disturbed already? If there isn't a family to worry about you, then who?

My rational side tells me that I will wait and hope that nothing gets worse.

This is not rational. You already know it's getting worse, and it's already unacceptable. 40 is pretty young, when you're looking from the perspective of some of us. Furthermore, "hope" is not a plan. Hope is a good thing to have, and a skill to master under some circumstances. But it is not a substitute for tangible answers and scientific evaluation. Hope won't do squat when doxycyline is the answer.


My other side is pushing me... what should I verify? What actions? I don't want to be in front of a physician explaining potential imaginary troubles. Is there a way to consult directly some neurologic people?.

Most insurance companies in the US, and most neurologists, for that matter, will want you to start with a family doctor or internist. These specialties are trained to evaluate the most common causes and refer you once you're outside their area of knowledge. The specialists don't really want to have waiting rooms full of people with self-diagnosed problems that may or may not be treatable under that specialty.

Agreed, everything sounds neuro. You'll get an appointment faster if the family doctor is making the phone call, for sure.

These are not "imaginary" troubles. Few symptoms are. My doctor checks me for tremors every visit, and it's pretty obvious when I have them.

I don't know what I'll do.

Here's another question: What are you going to think/do/feel if/when you find out that what you have is NOT something like MS, but rather something that could have been treated easily had you sought treatment earlier? Spinal tumors have that outcome--treatable enough if they're found early; long-term consequences if they grow. Not all neurological disorders are one-way.

There are hundreds of stories of self-mis-diagnosis. My girlfriend knew it was skin cancer; turned into ringworm. Someone else had thyroid troubles that turned out to be tick fever.

Good luck.