Neurology…….

Yesterday I had my first ever face-to-face neurology appointment since moving down here. When we moved down to Hayling Island back in December 2020 the neurologist from Buckinghamshire wrote a letter for me to take to my new GP. The letter contained details of the Trigeminal neuralgia I was suffering, and the suggested method of treatment. It was only a week ago that I had the cross sectional MRI scan, so I was dead excited to have this appointment knowing that the results of the MRI scan might be given to me as well. After waiting just 10 minutes I was called through to see the neurologist, That in itself was a first as anybody who has attended Dr Chamoun’s clinic (the neurologist Buckinghamshire) will know that it’s not unusual to wait for over an hour before getting seen.Dr Isa Izzeldin  greeted hubby and myself with what I imagined to be a warm smile, I have learnt over the last 18 months to read peoples eyes and how that relates to what the mouth is doing under the mask.
  It soon became apparent that the gentleman in front of me was not the doctor I had spoken to over the phone regarding my MRI, he explained to me that unfortunately the results from the MRI scan had not yet been sent through and it was the neurosurgeon that spoke to me. This particular neurologist had a different role and he proceeded to find out about the last 23 years of my life since being diagnosed with MS. Once I had finished telling him I said “ oh you’re like a triage neurologist” at which he replied “my dear I did not get a PhD at Oxford and have a total of 15 letters after my name to be a triage person, I refer to myself as the gateway to neurology as I have a wealth of experience that allows me to make the correct assessment to insure you are directed to the right person”. Me and my big mouth, I’ve done it again, now my head was spinning wondering how I could pull this back but fortunately not only is he a very wise man with plenty of experience but a neurologist who has a sense of humour.

He looked at me with his beady eyes and said don’t worry my dear I was only pulling your leg, but I do have fifteen letters after my name! We talked about my general well-being and he asked me if there was anything he could do for me, at which point I pounced on the idea of finding somebody that was prepared to prescribe me with Sativex spray

(a licensed cannabis based medicine) which would help with my spasms rather than keep popping the various anti-spasm tablets. I was delighted when he told me because I am so limited with my movement I was an ideal candidate and he would make a point of this when referring me to the MS neurologist.

I never miss the opportunity to promote our new Facebook group the Hayling Island MS’ers, I told him all about how I felt I wanted to reach out to the MS community on Hayling Island. He then joked with me and said now who needs to bow down I shall start to call you Queen of the Hayling Island MS’ers. I don’t want that I said, I just want an MS nurse to come to our next meeting. At which point he said I will email Amy Harbour who is the head of the MS nurses in Southampton and Portsmouth hospitals and give her your email address and explain about the group, I thanked him very much and told him that would be great . He checked if there was anything else he could do for me before we said our goodbyes.

What an informative appointment, my confidence in the neurology team down here is really high and I can’t wait to tell the group all about it and hopefully soon I will know when an MS nurse will be attending one of our meetings.