My journey began in August 2018 when I finally went to my PCP for a chief complaint of insomnia, extreme fatigue and leg spasms. He diagnosed me with RLS and prescribed Mirapex, which helped a little. I’ll give him credit for allowing extra time for my appointment and listening to all of my additional symptoms and ordering blood work. However, the additional symptoms (pins and needles over entire body, overactive bladder, extreme fatigue) were basically ignored, even though my lab results showed high eosinophils at 10.6% (actual number was .74 K/uL). Electrolytes and B12 were in the high normal range. Lyme disease test was negative. He seemed unwilling to order additional testing, so I sat on my hands for a while.
Fortunately, I have a family friend who specializes in internal medicine. I finally broke down and asked her if she would review my symptoms. She listened patiently and ordered a brain and neck MRI (on the first visit). The MRI looked normal with the exception of an area of gliosis in my left parietal lobe. She is certain I have MS and referred me to a neurologist who specializes in that area.
All that said, for the past four months I’ve been in pain, having insomnia with leg and back spasms, and difficult to function most days, and I feel that I’ve communicated these issues to my doctor without specifically asking for pain meds. Subsequently, pain meds have not been offered to me (seems logical).
My question is this...while conceivably waiting for another month or two for an official diagnosis, is there any reason a doctor would not prescribe a pain reliever? Would temporary pain relief interfere with tests conducted by the neurologist?
Having the appearance of a junkie is one of my fears...I’m scared to directly ask for the pain relief as I don’t want to ruin our family relationship.
Thanks for taking the time to read.
