Cost of MRI

I've seen many G.Ps unfortunately. I've moved around a lot the past 2 years so none of them have really gotten to know me. I'm settled now so you never know. If its that price Up go for it. Just havnt a clue how haha.

You can Google it I did that's how I know from contacting an MRI provider that you cannot just go. If you've another eye appointment can you urge them to refer you? Where are you? If you have serious symptoms go to your accident and emergency. Your Dr will act if you put it in writing.

Ah ok thanks for that. I'm in Exeter area in Devon. If I don't get the same eye doctor as last yes possibly. She was so rude and reffered referred me to a glucoma specialist. So I had months of a very scarey wait. To be told by the specialist I had absolutely no symptoms of glucoma and should be seen by the neurologist. He told me his name that he knew him personally and really thought that's what I needed and he would hurry it through.. to then get an appointment with the eye doctor again? Can't even see my G.P until the 2pth to ask what's going on.

Send a letter to your GP saying you feel dismissed and you're in distress. Send another to the nice eye Dr asking/begging for referral. I do understand I went through years of it and it's still happening now, my daughter was rushed into accident and emergency in Yeovil and they were referring her, that's a year ago and still no sign. She won't push it. My mum got her diagnosis after I pushed for her. Good luck

Thank you. I will give it a go. My current G.P is a nice woman who definitely sympathises with me but I get the feeling she isn't able to or similar refer me. She has a letter from a phyciatrist telling her to refer me . Her response was "we'll try this med then if not this med first" but In will write to them. Thank you.

Hi Dee, if you're worried about your symptoms being an indicator of MS, I heard a few people found that going to A&E might result in various tests, like, maybe an MRI, or two...

I can't help but wonder if your GP isn't trying to resist sending you for tests, to keep their practises costs down, perhaps??

You must be so frustrated, at this point. When I went to my Dr's, after I suddenly developed optic neuritis, my GP sent me directly to my neurologists, this was years after I was diagnosed with MS. When I was going through diagnosis, I was told that paying for a single MRI, would cost upwards of £800, so this would have been in 2003. I never checked out the prices, myself though.

I'm in the north east.

Keeping a journal, symptoms, worries and questions can be very useful for medical appointments, it can help to work through any frustration, too.

Thanks Wendy and yes that is exactly the feeling I get.. Shes not doing so we'll save some money on her. That was the case with the medication. I asked for Pregalin and was told I d have to try an antidepressant first.. then another then amatriptaline then gabapentin (because of cost) and now finally I'm trying Pregalin.

I thought fibromyalgia was a diagnosis after everything else was ruled out. I've had symptoms of Optic neuritis for 6 or more months.

The diary of symptoms I thought was a good idea too. I wrote on from Dec to my last appointment around May. Made sure it was easy to read and she skipped through maybe 2 pages.. noted my head aches, neck pain, right leg pain and numb hands. All of that's already in my records. I was so upset I threw the diary in the bin in reception.

As I say she is a lovely woman and definitely believes me (I've had worse gps) but I suppose it's just the nhs now. If that's the cost I'll save then enquire a bit more. I just don't believe this can be fibromyalgia.. only effecting one side of my body and so badly.

It may be cost to surgery but you need to push for it. My Dr appears 'nice' but does nothing. My friends Dr I went to however immediately referred me to a consultant and I was since in just over week for a cancer scare. They just want you in and out in 10 minutes. Drop a letter in today see what happens

Hi again, she doesn't seem like a lovely woman. The first thing trainee Dr's are told, from the hipocratic oath is: "First, do not harm..."

Putting the practice money ahead of treating her suffering patient, is terrible, and definitely isn't right, on any level. I was put on various meds, I found gabapentin useless, so my neurologist changed me to pregabalin, it was the only thing that's helped to control my neuro pain.

I've never come across anyone with fibromyalgia affecting one half of their body, before. However, lots of people, myself included, develop MS in such a way, that one side of the body is affected far more, earlier on.

If you get any new, very noticeable, symptoms, maybe try A&E, then?!

Thanks yeah it's worth a shot. Although Il have to be desperate the A&E busy with a usual 4 hr wait (found this out at the wkend with my daughter twisting her ankle) I'm originally from North East too where people complain after a half hr wait haha.

Thank you for your advise.

Yes yes, fibromyalgia has x amount of points and is usually diagnosed by a specialist, rheumatologist or arthritis. I've been on gabapentin as was my mum. It's an anti epilepsy drug like tegretol both given to me patients. Ask for a telephone appt NOW or write that letter, you've nothing to lose

Yeah, pregabalin and gabapentin are related, both originally developed to treat epilepsy. It was just discovered along the way, that they caneed, also treat neuro pain. It's like the way that they've found that thalidomide can help control and limit outbreaks of leprosy... and, of course, there's viagra, which definitely wasn't developed for its most used purpose.

Letter written and posted. Can I ask how long before you noticed the benefits of Gabapentin? That's a month I've been on Pregalin (had a bit of a reaction to gabapentin so come off) and I've noticed no difference as of yet.. the only med that help in the slightest is cocodamol and that's just for mild aches.. my leg has painful muscle spasms pretty much constantly and I'm guessing it's the same in my inner elbow to my shoulder as it's the same pain I just don't see the spasms.

Hi I can't help you with the question in gabapentin as I was in tegretol and tramadol and amytriptiline too but still in pain, however I can tell you what helps with spasms and that's hypnotherapy as it helps relaxation I expect relaxation techniques would too.

I'd ask your dr if he/she might try you with baclofen, it's the commonest muscle relaxant that's used by people with MS, I believe.

What's helped me, particularly to begin with, where muscle spasm pain is concerned, was to develop a set of GENTLE stretches. I found them particularly helpful when done immediately before sleeping. They meant that I could sleep for longer, before muscle spasms woke me up.

Re: pain relief, if prescribed meds don't do enough/anything, go back to your Dr. Generally, it's just a matter of keeping on trying different combinations, until the one that works for you, is found.

When I was finally put on pregabalin, it helped immediately, which has given me back a lot of control over my life.