My name is Tammey, and in 2005 while working up a potential pituitary issue (idiopathic galactorhhea), my neurologist told me that he found two "footprints" on my MRI that were consistent with MS. He said not to worry about it, since I had no symptoms, and at the time, three lesions and an episode were required for diagnosis.

Recently I lost my job and had to move, which was very stressful and traumatic for me and my family. Since then I have been having symptoms consistent with MS, and I am miserable. First, I had severe pain and burning in my right foot that lasted for about two weeks, then slowly improved. My latest bout started about 9 days ago, with pain and stiffness in my right hand and arm, an unrelenting burning sensation along the entire radial nerve, weakness, and loss of coordination.

I cannot hold my coffee cup unless I am concentrating on what my fingers are doing. When I do not concentrate I drop things. Typing is a chore, because I have to concentrate on the fingers of my right hand to make sure they are hitting the correct keys. I am very fatigued. I wake up around 9 am, then go right back to sleep until noon. Then I take a nap around 4 pm, and wake up and stay awake until about midnight. I have no appetite, and my stomach is upset often. I have been having mild flu symptoms for almost a year.

At first, I went to my GP for suspicion of atypical shingles (due to the extreme sensitivity along the nerve route), and the doc is working me up for a variety of issues. I have also recently had a change in my emotions that I do not feel relates to a situational depression. I had been feeling fine for over two months, and was looking forward to starting back to college to finish my masters in nursing, and be a soccer mom to my teenage daughter. I was already taking a low dose of zoloft, and have found that if I am more than two hours late taking the medication, I am an anxious, tearful mess.

I decided to call my neurologist for an appointment, who belongs to a large local medical practice. The nurse got on the phone, reviewed my symptoms, and told me point blank that I have carpal tunnel syndrome, and that she was NOT going to make an appointment with my neurologist, but someone who specializes in carpal tunnel. As a Registered Nurse who worked in ICU, Emergency Room and Administration I am pretty shocked by this response, especially because this physician has an MRI that meets current diagnostic criteria IN HIS HANDS! I have decided to wait on my primary physician for follow up. We drew labs yesterday to rule out all of the non MS diseases, and my doc is very suspicious for MS. I never told her about the MRI from 2005. (I have been too sick to think straight).

I know I am a nurse, which can make me very impatient, so I really need some support getting through this phase. I am still rather shocked that this nurse tried to diagnose me over the phone and then still would not allow me to see my doctor as I requested. I am finding this phase very frusting. I am in pain, and I feel terrible, and I feel like I am being restricted from the very doctor who has the answer locked away in my medical file.

In advance, thanks for your support.