Welcome Joy!

Some places offer discounts for MRI's. Call around and see which place is the cheapest. Do you have a medical school close by? Sometimes you can get a free MRI, although not often, at some of the schools or if a place is testing their new MRI machine. I did that once when I was first diagnosed. The radiology place had just opened a new clinic and needed test subjects. I didn't have insurance at the time and my neuro's office told me about it.

MRI's are a useful tool for getting a diagnosis but they are only part of the diagnosis. Clinical findings are important as well. Some MSers have had a lumbar puncture as part of their diagnosing process. Unfortunately, with MS there is no set test to diagnose it.

Welcome Joy..

Thank you for the warm welcome.

I did see a neurologist when my symptoms first began but I wasn't happy with her. Mostly because she seemed more interested in pushing meds that I could not tolerate, and was less interested in finding out what was causing my symptoms. That was my only experience with a neurologist. Sad huh? I'm not even sure what her background was, or even how I ended up in her office. I think my husband must have gotten a referral from the ER Dr. At that time I could barely form sentences, and could not walk unassisted. It was a very scary time.

I have been trying to get medical insurance but was denied by private insurance. So I've applied for the "high risk" medical insurance offered through my state. But since I have no actual diagnosis I'm not feeling confident that I'll even be able to obtain a policy through the state either... sigh.

I'm going to look into finding an MS specialist to see if I'm even looking in the right direction. Something is terribly off, I just wish I knew what it was, and how to manage it going forward.

Thanks again for your suggestions... keep 'em coming

I understand your fear and anxiety.

Good wishes and prayers for you Joy.

Please let us know what your new MS wise Neuro has
to say. Good luck in finding health insurance.

hi joy and welcome,
you can call 1-800-FIGHT MS. you'll be able to get the phone number of your
local MS chapter. call them and ask for some referrals for MS specialists in your area.

there is something called the McDonald Criteria in MS. this is information that drs look for in order to give a dx (diagnosis) of MS. i don't know a link but i'm sure you can google it. that might help.

please let us know how you're doing.
oh...keep a simple sx (symptom) journal with dates and the sx's you have.
drs find it helpful when they do a hx (history) and pe (physical exam).

ps...i like abbreviations. can you tell i'm a nurse?