Mrs Bones

[jamilea]

In another thread, you said,

"It was a very long time before I got a diagnosis. I was tested for and a few times, misdiagnosed with a lot different things that mimic MS before they actually thought that they should try and rule out MS."

Can you explain that to me? I'm not comprehending it, and maybe there's no message in it, but you did wink at the end. How do they rule out MS, and how does trying to rule it out get the actual diagnosis?

[MrsBones]

I'll be happy to explain.

My first relapse was at the age of 13. At the time, it was considered virtually impossible that I had MS. People younger than 20 simply did not get it. So I was tested for a million other things over a period of years before I developed ON. At that point, they took at look at my medical records and decided that since it could be MS, viral infection or STDs, they decided to rule out all of those things. Until that point, no one even contemplated MS, but they still looked at viral infections or STDs because they ,statisticly, were still more likely than MS.

When the ON came along, MS was one of the underlying causes that they had to rule out. I say rule out, because there is no test to exclusively prove or disprove MS, it is always a series of tests ruling out stuff and seeing if what's left fits the McDonald Criteria.

Examples: Lesions on an MRI can be caused by many things, but with a certain location,appearance, size, etc, it leans towards MS. A positive LP can be caused by diseases other than MS, but in combination with other tests can point to MS. Conditions other than MS can show on an evoked potential, a slow response would not mean you have MS.

It was all the tests they did in attempts to show I had a brain tumor, stroke, diabetes, STD, heart disease, AVM, hormonal deficiency, Lymes, Lupus , Cat Scratch, atypical migraines, carpal tunnel syndrome, anxiety and stuff I know I forgot, that ultimately helped diagnose me with MS.

My , or maybe it was a was a remark on the arrogance of drs I had at the time not bothering to run tests that would better help dx MS for the sole reason that they knew it was impossible for me to have MS just because of my age.

[rubberlegs]

Hi J & Bones,
My Dx was simular, the Dr told me, that a lot of disorders and diseases, have the same symtomes, and that it would be a process of elimination.
It was straight forward, down the list; by the book.
It took about three months, I had about six appointments.
The finial, was an MRI to determine; Tumor or MS.
I like that approach & attuide from my Dr. Maybe since I use process of elimanition with my thoughts all the time, it made a lot sence to me.

[Leola Stotts]

SAME THING WITH ME. LOTS OF TESTS TO RULE OUT OTHER DISEASES. NOT WANTING TO PUT A LABEL OF MS ON ME IS WHAT THE DOCTORS TOLD ME UNTIL THEY WERE CERTAIN. ONE YEAR OF DOCTOR VISITS, TEST, MRI'S. LP'S ON AND ON . FINALLY HAD A DOCTOR THAT GAVE ME THE DIAGNOSIS. THEY SAID IT IS NOT A YOUNG PERSONS DISEASE ANYMORE, HAD JUST DIAGNOSED A MAN IN HIS 70'S SO WHEN I WAS 56 I WAS DIAGNOSED. HAD TO SEE DOCTORS IN GEORGIA AND IN NEVADA AND CALIFORNIA BEFORE THE MS BECAME MY "LABEL". IN THE PROCESS OTHER DISEASES WERE IDENTIFIED, LUPUS AND SCLERODERMA BY LAB TESTS BUT NOT BY PHYSICAL CONDITION OR EVIDENCE. HOPE THIS ALL HELPS YOUR CONFUSION.