MRI Highly Suggestive of MS

[MsOreb]

Hi everyone,

I went to my PCP with left sided weakness, facial numbness and pins and needles in my arm and leg. (I thought I was having a heart attack or a stoke, I was not)
I had an MRI and the report states lesions consistent with a demyleating disease, my spinal cord was normal. I have a lumbar puncture on Monday and then following up with a neurologist.
So is this for sure MS, could it be something else?

[MsOreb]

Oops I forgot to mention dizziness in my initial post. The kind of dizziness that feels like I am floating. PCP said I had vertigo at first.

[Marco]

Unfortunately, you've only started a process.

The neurologist will most likely perform additional tests to rule out other diseases and then compare you against the McDonald Criteria for diagnosing MS. At that time, you may or may not meet all the requirements for a MS diagnosis. Many times there will not be enough information and the neurologist will put you into a "wait & see" category essentially waiting for the other shoe to drop. During that time you will be in "limbo" and may or may not be offered medications based on your neurologist's experience and preferences.

I am glad you found MSWorld and hope you will ask additional questions as the need arises. At this time, my advice would be to not overwhelm yourself with information or "what ifs." If you are eventually diagnosed with MS there will be new questions and information to digest. Try to distract yourself as much as possible until you know what you are dealing with.

Hang in there and please keep us informed.

[JerryD]

There are a lot of things that can mimic MS. MS is diagnosed through excluding all possible mimics. I hope you get a complete blood work lab test including vitamin D and B-12 levels. Good luck

[Lia]

diagnosis is sometimes difficult...

Although in March 2010 my MRI showed lesions and was opined progressive white matter disease suggestive of demylenation, my neurologist at that time could not definitely diagnose me with MS because he concluded not enough symptoms and tests were inconclusive. At the time, I only had left face numbness which went away quickly. So after monitoring me for 1 year he sent me on my way without a diagnosis.

It was almost 4 years later with new symptoms and a repeat MRI (which showed no new lesions but 4 of my 6 lesions got larger) that I was diagnosed with MS. Sometimes I wonder had the neurologist diagnosed be back in 2010, started medication which would have slowed the disease progression…who knows for certain???

What I've learned is that MS is a very difficult disease to diagnosis because no 2 people have similar experiences. It is very much an individual disease, thus making diagnosis difficult.

My advice is maybe get a second or third opinion. By the time I was diagnosed last December I had visited with 3 other neurologists: the first concluded maybe, the second concluded I had MS and had it for years, and the third concluded I did not have MS at all. It was the fourth neurologist who finally diagnosed me with MS. Suffice to say, this whole process was dragged out and frustrating. Don't stop until you find out what is really happening with you.

Good luck...

[MsOreb]

Thank you all for your replies and support. My pcp did run a panel of blood work including b12, which was normal.
Sounds like a long road ahead for me.
Thanks again.

[SNOOPY]

Hello jbero,

I had an MRI and the report states lesions consistent with a demyleating disease

A demyelinating disease is simply a category which consists of many possibilities, one being MS.

This link explains some different demyelinating diseases:
http://spinwarp.ucsd.edu/neuroweb/Text/br-840.htm

It will be up to your Neurologist to determine, through other testing, what may be causing your symptoms and abnormal MRI. For some this can be a lengthy process, for others it's much quicker.

Best wishes in your diagnostic journey.