Is this NMO or MS?

[MandyLynn003]

Thank You

Thank You MSer102,
I posted on a few forums and you are the only one with a clear response.

I'm not sure why the first neurologist diagnosed me with MS, but I had doubts and it wasn't because of denial like he said.
I never felt like I fit the criteria of MS, Also I was never told I could have NMO I just did research on eye inflammation and blurry vision that go away after Solumedrol treatment.

I go for treatment and another MRI this week and I will see my New Neurologist in a few weeks. If my MRI is still clear he said that we can rule out MS. and I will still see an ophthalmologist and go from there, Thank You again

[MSer102]

but my spinal fluid showed a low red blood cell count.

That's confusing because there aren't supposed to even be any red blood cells in spinal fluid. They're in blood not spinal fluid! That's why they're called blood cells.

My MRI was clear, no brain lesions, but my spinal fluid showed a low red blood cell count.

My neurologist made the MS diagnostic by these results and started me on Copaxone for the MS

The diagnostic criteria for MS require that there are lesions seen on an MRI so I don't understand how your neuro could have diagnosed you by a result that doesn't point to MS. And like I said the red blood cells that aren't even supposed to be in spinal fluid don't have anything to do with MS so I don't understand how your neuro could have diagnosed you you with MS by something that isn't even involved with MS.

So thank goodness you have a new neuro who sounds like he knows a lot more about MS and who does and doesn't fit the criteria. But like I said before you should really see an ophthalmologist because what's wrong with your eye might not evenhave anything to do with a neurological condition and you could be wasting time about getting diagnosed with something else that you could have.

[MSer102]

From what you told us there isn't any reason why you should possibly be thinking you have NMO! NMO is a scary disease and from what I know about it it isn't subtle. And it doesn't sound like there's any reason why you should have been diagnosed with MS either. That's a huge stretch to diagnose a whole-body disease from one eye problem. MS has diagnostic criteria and it doesn't sound like you meet them from only one eye problem.

If your having trouble with your eye or your vision the person you should be seeing is an ophthalmologist. Your neurologist doesn't know very much about eyes or vision and can't possibly tell you what's going on with your eye!

I think the smartest thing you can do is to see an ophthalmologist pretty soon and let the eye doctor figure out if there's anything going on to link it to MS. My own ophthalmologist told me that there are many different inflammations of the eye that don't have anything to do with MS and so you have to see an eye doctor to find them - definitely not your neuro!

[MandyLynn003]

Hello Everyone,
I was diagnosed with MS when I was 19 about four years ago.

It started with blurry peripheral vision in my left eye that cleared up after steroid treatment of solumedrol for five days. My MRI was clear, no brain lesions, but my spinal fluid showed a low red blood cell count.

My neurologist made the MS diagnostic by these results and started me on Copaxone for the MS, then few months later the same flare up occurred in my left peripheral vision.
again steroid treatment and I was fine again.
I haven’t had a flare up in over two years until now and it’s my left eye again.

My neurologist had retiried, so I’m seeing a new one. He seems to think it’s not MS nor NMO due to the fact it's recurring in the same place in the same eye.

I have no other symptoms, no tingling, numbness, and I have plenty of energy.
Is this NMO, MS, or maybe something else?