Update on my journey

Hello everyone! I finally have one answer out of my rounds on the medical hamster wheel. Sero negative RA. Starting methotrexate in a few days.

Saw a new neurologist today. He doesn’t feel that my neck and lower spine is “that bad”. Sigh. He wanted to explore my daily headaches more. I told him there was nothing to explore. I turn my neck too much I get a sharp headache radiating up the back of my head and around to temples. Lasts 5-15 minutes. If I hold my neck in a “bad” position too long or tense up too much I get a duller headache in same area that lasts an hour to all day. Already explored. Lol.

He said neither the neck or back results are the cause of me now leaking urine and having the urge to go frequently. I thought that was weird since the more my back hurts/burns the more frequent urges I have and the more I leak.

I get a neuropsychologist evaluation for the cognitive issues and he wants a better look at my brain than the original MRI. So I get a new MRI with and without contrast.

So changing doctors got me a mostly positive result! Yay! Better than being dismissed.

Sarah

Hi looking4acure and welcome! I honestly have no idea what triggered my RA. I have other issues that they kept blaming the joint pain on. I had to go to a different city and set of specialists to get anywhere.

As for the back pain and urinary issues, I have severe degeneration in a few vertebrae in my lumbar and cervical spine, bulging discs, stenosis, bone spurs, and a couple discs have tears in them. I’m positive that the leakage issue comes from nerve damage in there somewhere.

But you only need one thing irritating the nerves that in turn irritate the bladder. I would get into your doc and make 100% sure it is not an infection in your urinary tract, then ask for an MRI of your lower spine.

Hope this helps a bit.
Sarah

Straydog, I have an orthopedist now. Guess calling him is next step for me. I think if my brainMRI’s come out okay, I am done with neurologists. I will just learn better coping skills to deal with the cognitive issues and call it done.
Sarah