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I was wondering if anyone has been put thru this test? I am scheduled on March 11th. I have been blessed with facial spasms again and my neuro suggested I see a Psychologist and have a neuropsych exam done. I was baffled at first but agreed. My first thought was that he might think I was making all this crap up but when I got home and did some investigating I realized it was yet another test to determine MS. I still don't have a DX but I now believe my neuro is hoping this will give us something so he can start me on meds and see what happens! At least that's what I hope his goal is!:)
Any input would be great!! Thanks

I am scheduled for a neuropsych on March 23. I'm not sure what to expect. Please let me know how yours goes.

As a newbie I am trying to read all the posts a little at a time and saw this thread.

How did your testing go? and what did you get out of it?

I had a test and after 4 hours of looking at pictures, memorizing lists of words, sequencing cards with dots on them, the Neurophysic (SP!) doc (who looks to be 25 yo) said I was normal.

The reason my neuro sent me was because I was complaining about the brain fog, complete loss of concentration, no more multi=tasking for this girl! I pause when I answer the phone, I almost dont remember what to say....or I have a BLOCK that prevents me from spitting out my usual phone greeting.

BTW, my neuro didnt think I had MS at all, that I presented at age 50, and I was just too HEALTHY <g>. Well then what is the scarring on the brain and spinal cord?????

Needless to say this is a bit stressful at my job, as I am in a 2 person office. Just the boss and me.

This NORMAL dx was a real kick in the head.

My first doctor suspected MS 12.11.03 when I had an MRI for a ruptured cervical disk. Spots on the spinal collum. After my disk surgery (went great!!!) I had a brain scan MRI 2.12.04 that showed lesions on the old brain.

My first Neuro visit was 3.24.04, my visit with the neurophysic (SP) was 4.6.04, my LumbarPuncture was 4.22.04 and my dx was 4.27.04

I am told things moved pretty fast for me, but with the stress I was under in Dec 03 with the disk surgery, a bad news mammogram, ultrasounds, etc, I had my first experience with WORD LOSS, BRAIN FOG, and could barely finish a sentence, I could not get out my thoughts, much less make any sense! STRESS really makes a huge difference in our entire system!

I did start having some stumbling, dropping things with my left hand, and deep pain in the lower back area. Cant wear slides or mules this summer, I just cant take the chance I will trip right out of the shoes!!

I am really interested in clearing up the BRAIN FOG problem, and my Neruo just got my insurance to approve PROVIGIL, and I started my AVONEX just yesterday, a 1/4 dose with no side effects. I am hoping that this BRAIN FOG will stay away with the PROVIGIL.

Please post and let me know how it all went for the both of you.

If your post is elsewhere, just let me know.

PEACE

I had all those same symtoms, too. Neuro sent me for the Neuropsych exam to see how the heavy lesion load was affecting me cognitively. Plus I'm filing for SSD.
The psych doctor said I was normal and intelligent but I'm depressed and have anxiety. Well, duh! Who wouldn't? I don't feel that I'm depressed, just frustrated that there aren't better meds.
The Provigil worked great in the morning but it wore off too soon after the second dose at noon. Now I'm taking Ritilin and that seems to get me thru most days. Still can't believe I'm taking such a drug!
Right now I'm on Betesaron since about February. All interFEARons make me lose too much weight. Come to find out they mess with your thyroid.
Huh! Imagine that!
I wish you all the luck in the world. Keep fighting for answers and do what is best for yourself. And don't forget........ research, research, and more research to find what works for you.
I don't think the answers will come from any Dr. or research lab. I think they will come from one or more of us MS'ers. We are the ones with the huge investment with this. Meaning our lives and the quality of it.

lottydotty wrote:Neuro sent me for the Neuropsych exam to see how the heavy lesion load was affecting me cognitively. Plus I'm filing for SSD. The psych doctor said I was normal and intelligent but I'm depressed and have anxiety. Well, duh! Who wouldn't? I don't feel that I'm depressed, just frustrated that there aren't better meds.

Neuropsych testing doesn't deal with someone's emotions like other psych exams. It's sort of like an 8-hour evoked potentials test but without the electric shocks. You do a series of tests involving things like word recognition, pattern recognition, dumb little physical things like putting pegs in a board and so on. It's just amazing what this stuff reveals. Not about your emotions but about your brain's physical limitations.

The Provigil worked great in the morning but it wore off too soon after the second dose at noon. Now I'm taking Ritilin and that seems to get me thru most days. Still can't believe I'm taking such a drug!

Ask your doctor about Concerta. It's a time-release form of Ritalin. It's what I take for fatigue, and between it, a cigar or two per day (for the nicotine) and some coffee, I can get through a simple day.

Right now I'm on Betesaron since about February. All interFEARons make me lose too much weight. Come to find out they mess with your thyroid.
Huh! Imagine that!

Never heard of such a thing. I take Avonex, which is an interferon, and am about to start the Atkins Diet because I could really use to get rid of about 20 lbs.

I don't think the answers will come from any Dr. or research lab. I think they will come from one or more of us MS'ers. We are the ones with the huge investment with this.

I respectfully disagree. You don't have to have a disease to treat it or cure it. Did Salk have polio? Did whoever invented penicillin have a staph infection at the time? Did the people who came up with heart transplants and bypasses have artheriosclerosis?

I respect your interpretation. I don't care who finds the cure as long as it is found. At least by the next generation of people suffering from this disease. It's been around long enough to at least find a cause one would think.
Possibly answers would come from some of these numerous clinical trials continually going on. Therefore the answer would come from us, as we are the ones being guinea pigs to help find something that works better.
As far as all the money that is collected from organizations, it really does help but do you know what percentage from each organization goes directly to research? Anywhere from 5% - 100%. From the 5% organization where do you suppose that goes? Some goes directly to people suffering thru grants and scholarships and the rest to administration? Ckeck on that. It's very interesting how they work with the billions of dollars a year.
Some organizations are great and some not so great.
As far as the neuropsych exam, at the end of mine with the memory etc. ( no peg test but I have done that before ) I was given a packet of the same questions asked over and over again but in a different way. This is how they diagnose you emotionally.
Every psychologist does it differently as far as what testing they choose to do.
In regards to the loss of weight with interFEARons, it is a listed side effect.
Check your medication guide that comes with your RX. Or better yet if you have access to the PDR you will find out all kinds of side effects that are not listed. Just make sure it's a current edition because the FDA adds new things all the time.

Willy and Lotty,

Thanks for your imput.

Lotty what dose of Provigil do you take? 2x a day?

I am almost ready to try 100 mg...but I am afraid of being too "awake" at bedtime.

I perked up at the weight loss side effect with the AVONEX, and Willy shot that down. Every one is different.

I hope you can do the Atkins WOL Willy, it is a commitment! My only downfall with Atkins was the yummy zero carb candy that I would reward myself after dinner. BIG MISTAKE.

After 12 pounds I quit loosing for MONTHS. I was faithful and gave up the candy (NO I DID NOT PIG OUT!) and still did not loose. I do walk on my treadmill faithfully also. Watch out for that SPLENDA sweetener! I certainly reacted to it.

After going on some Augmenten for another sinus infection I GAINED 8 pounds. I decided to go off the ATKINS for the weekend, and low and behold I started loosing again. I did not carb load, but I did have hash browns and such, and the weight started coming off again.

I lost the extra 8 and 5 more. So I am off the DIET RITE and no more Russell Stover Pecan Clusters!

PEACE

lottydotty wrote:As far as all the money that is collected from organizations, it really does help but do you know what percentage from each organization goes directly to research? Anywhere from 5% - 100%. From the 5% organization where do you suppose that goes? Some goes directly to people suffering thru grants and scholarships and the rest to administration? Ckeck on that. It's very interesting how they work with the billions of dollars a year.

The MS Society raised $185 million last year and spent $180 million. These numbers can be seen differently depending on how one chooses to interpret various accounting classifications. Here is a link to the NMSS financial statements.

Every psychologist does it differently as far as what testing they choose to do.

The list of neuropsych tests is fairly standard. An 8-hour battery from one neuropsych is going to be pretty much the same as an 8-hour battery from another neuropsych. Too many people get wrapped around a tree by the "psych" part of neuropsych. The testing isn't part of a psychotherapy regimen. There is a whole branch of psychology dealing with the biochemistry of the brain apart from emotional conflicts, and that's what neuropsych testing is all about.

Hi to Willysnout......!
There can be only one!
It is Steve by the way, aka 'Manfromthe UK' the guy you helped when was first diagnosed. Iam sure we keep bumping in to each other!

What a great site ThisisMS is.......I really like it and Iam just finding my way round it! Excellent just what the MS community needs....

Steve

Hey Steve, nice to hear from you again! Check your private message folder on this site. I sent you my e-mail address. Hope to hear from you soon.