Thanks for the replies.

So get in with a Neurologist. Sounds good to me,.. but the right one for my symptoms..

I will relist my main complaints..

1) Brain fog/cognitive function -- feel way below par, creates anxiety etc.

2) Visual -- Tied into the first symptom heavily I believe.

3) Pain -- Primarily Neck and Back ( in a few specific spots, and some not so specific)

4) Muscle weakness -- all over.

That would cover the main complaints.. just going into detail with these things is difficult because none of them are cut and dry things like.. Doc, it hurts here, and only here -- (Doc takes Xray, Ahh little guy, it is broken.. lets fix that up.)

I think to myself, when a doctor asks me.. "So what seems to be the problem today?" .. It is more, what is not the problem? Sounds ridiculous .. but sadly it is harder to find things that are working as they should than not.

Would a neurologist be capable of better diagnosing my pain in my neck and back? The GP took a Xray, and ran a blood test for Rheumatoid factor and Ankylosing Spondilitis. Thats it.. I asked several times about "Doc, what about my pain? What is it? What can I do about it? " -- He just didn't know.. said things like.. well, it might be a Fibromyalgia .. or just from depression. He gave me 'Mobic' after I asked him several times. It might help some people, but useless for me, besides I want to figure out why I am hurting everyday, all day, for not discernible reason. This started in my late 20's.. I didn't get into any accident that spurred this on.. it makes zero sense! Further frustrating to have doctors just brush it aside like it is no big deal. If I could only have my doctor live a day in my life.. just to feel and see what is really happening I think he might take things a little more seriously.

Anyhow -- I think I need an MRI of my neck and entire spine (even pelvis/hips perhaps in there) -- but the entire spine in one shot should give some clues as to what is going on "pain wise".

Who knows, maybe something in the spine is creating some of my other symptoms (or some of them).. it isn't out of the realm of possibility.

I would like a team of doctors to do a bajillion tests and just keep on till they figured out what ALL was wrong and how to treat it. I'm sick of burning money on these 10 minute appointments that result in no progress.

There is a medical school close to me.. UAB (One of the top) .. but it is on a specific insurance they own.. 'Viva' .. I have Bluecross.. so I don't really know how that would work out.

I live in the Birmingham , AL area.

Thanks for any help you can provide. I am always skeptical of going to new doctors cause from 'my' experience they most all don't have a clue. I have met one or two in my lifetime that truly were detective like,.. in that they always got to the bottom of even the most odd cases.. and were also incredibly intelligent. Generally a doctor is going to be pretty intelligent in general,.. but most of them for numerous reasons just aren't qualified to do much more than diagnose and treat anything but the common everyday problems seen. Which makes sense,.. but I need a Doctor House with a team lol.. only with a little empathy.

I really don't care much about anything as long as some answers come -- though I am fed up with the mental illness card being played so quickly and being the 'catch all' for anything that doesn't neatly fall into one of a handful of common diagnosis. I really think using "depression and anxiety" as a pathology shows the lack of willingness, and perhaps ability of the doctor at hand... while also undermining many patients self confidence and just doing more harm than good.

So if anyone has a referal/recommendation to a superman neurologist who would fit my case well.. I'm all ears. -- Or anything else for guidance.

There are so many specialists , and money doesn't grow on trees... But my quality of life is so low that I'm willing to spend all I have until some answers come forth. What else better does one have to do while in such a state of being but to advocate for themselves and hope that one of these days someone will actually find something that will help explain some of this. When that happens then finally one can move on to the next step -- ok so it is This (and maybe that).. now that we know,.. we can treat with X, Y, or Z.

Thanks,