Undiagnosed- MRI

[canadiangirl10]

Hi all! My name's Michelle and I'm a 22 year old girl from Montreal. Not that it's relevant, but some background is that I'm a type 1 diabetic and have hashimoto's thyroiditis, which are both under control. I've had an undiagnosed illness for almost three years now that began with extreme fatigue. My muscles have now deteriorated (hard to hold my neck up) and I am seeing a geneticist who suspects it may be mitochondrial disease. There are a whole slew of symptoms which I won't get into right now (unless anyone is curious), but a couple of weeks ago my left side went numb and tingly and I ended up in the ER. We've wondered about MS for a while now, but I finally got a CT and an MRI. The tingling and numbness went away (the tingling comes back on and off) and the CT and MRI came back clean. My question is: Would an MRI with contrast have showed more? Is there any possibility of it still being MS, or is it completely ruled out now? Thank you for your wisdom!

[hunterd]

HI MICHELLE AND WELCOME TO MSWORLD! To answer your question, yes an MRI with contrast Would show more detail. And just because everything is clean does not mean that MS can be ruled out. I am also a type I diabetic. I have been diabetic now for 44 years. Autoimmune diseases tend to "run in packs", it is very unfair. I hope it turns out not to be MS.

[jreagan70]

yes an MRI with contrast Would show more detail.

No, that is not true, and it's a misconception that keeps hanging on.

The purpose of contrast is to discern between lesions that are actively inflamed and those that are inactive. The lesions still show up without contrast.

A clean MRI doesn't completely rule out MS because some lesions are just too small to be detected because of how MRI slices work (and would not have shown up even with contrast). But a clean MRI makes MS much less likely and will take longer to diagnose if it decides to make its presence known.

[canadiangirl10]

HI MICHELLE AND WELCOME TO MSWORLD! To answer your question, yes an MRI with contrast Would show more detail. And just because everything is clean does not mean that MS can be ruled out. I am also a type I diabetic. I have been diabetic now for 44 years. Autoimmune diseases tend to "run in packs", it is very unfair. I hope it turns out not to be MS.

Oh yes, boy do they run in packs. I should also mention that when I originally started having the episodes of numbness, I did see a neurologist. He said that he did not suspect MS because normally in MS these episodes would last longer, like a week or a month, not intermittently like mine. I am only wondering because we are at a loss at this point. I've had many, many things ruled out and my condition seems to be very slowly progressing. Luckily within the next 6 months I'll be seeing an amazing neuro muscular specialists so hopefully he'll have some answers for me.

[MSW1963]

If you were evaluated by a MS Specialist, including a minimum 1hr clinical exam, MRI film ordered and read by the MS doc, it's a good indication that MS has been ruled out. Although with your sx and complicated medical history, until a definitive dx is made that rules out MS as a possibility, the possibility of it being MS might be around for a while.

The relapsing and remitting nature of MS can complicate making a definite dx, that's particularly true early in the disease. And it sounds like you are getting very good, specialized care, which bodes well for MS being ruled out reliable.

Hope it's not MS, and special wishes coming your way.

[canadiangirl10]

If you were evaluated by a MS Specialist, including a minimum 1hr clinical exam, MRI film ordered and read by the MS doc, it's a good indication that MS has been ruled out. Although with your sx and complicated medical history, until a definitive dx is made that rules out MS as a possibility, the possibility of it being MS might be around for a while.

The relapsing and remitting nature of MS can complicate making a definite dx, that's particularly true early in the disease. And it sounds like you are getting very good, specialized care, which bodes well for MS being ruled out reliable.

Hope it's not MS, and special wishes coming your way.

Very appreciative of your honest answer! I'm not sure if the neurologist was an MS specialist, but his resident did a 10-15 minute clinical exam.

[MSW1963]

My MS doc did a 1.5hr initial clinical exam, maybe a bit longer including the medical history during my first visit. I don't trust neuros who perform the 5-10-15 minuet variety of clinical exam.

Even after 10yrs, my MS doc meets me in the waiting room, and his observations begin. He is observing my gait, balance, posture, etc., before we get to his office or begin the official clinical exam.

Just an example for you of what to expect during a MS Specialist evaluation.

[pennstater]

Also hope it is not MS. I am glad your doctors are listening and trying to find a cause.

While my neuro was not MS specialist, he was thorough. My first appointment was 1 hour, reviewing medical history and had the normal 15 minute quick exam. Once he suspected MS, MRIs ordered with and without contrast, 2nd appointment scheduled for thorough exam. Like MSW1963, this was 1 hour. My guess though is that if he didn't suspect MS based on history and quick neuro exam, he would not have scheduled the second exam.