To answer your question YES! you can have lesions only in your spine. Lesions only in your head. Altho if you have both together, its a lock on the MS diagnosis. Did they use Dye when they did your MRI? it wont ruin the results if they didnt, but dye causes active lesions to "light up" on the film. If you have no lesions show up on film, then they wouldnt light up anyway.

Also be mindful that some MRIs are more powerful than others. Open MRIs tend to be about 1 Telsa strength or less. Regular closed MRIs tend to be 1.5 and you can find some 2.0s. We have moved into some 3 Telsa machines, and most hospitals use them side by side with thier old 1.5 machines and its a gamble which machine you get. the higher the # the more sensitive the machine. When I was first tested they used an open MRI that showed nothing. the 1.5 showed 10 plus lesions.

How can you be diagnosed without lesions. its tricky but it can happen. They base it on symptoms (sx) after ruling out all the other junk. You must have 2 clearly marked attacks at least 6 months apart. Optic neuritis is a hallmark sign that MS is on the table. PLEASE seek an eye md if you have blind periods.

Many folks stay on limbo island for years and sometimes decades till the MD proves or disproves MS. Some are now being given treatment as "pre MS" or "silent MS" and the MD is simply waiting for the disease to unfold.

word of caution. PLEASE know that the second someone puts MS or suspected MS down on a medical piece of paper...you will not qualify for life insurance, health insurance, and several other things. PLEASE take this quiet time to apply for and be accepted to as many things as you can. Long term disability insurance is great if you can get it while you are healthy. After MS they will simply say..um...NO! go away. Even tho you are feeling sick, and confused take this time to get your paperwork in order. once you receive those words stamped on your file...its almost impossible to find someone to insure you. even if they remove the words later.

Dejibo - they did not use constrast and the MRI was done in a closed (tube looking) scanner (i think this is the 1.5 one). Also i have never had a blind period i just have flashes in my vision and something that the eye doctor labeled as floaters (black dots in my vision - i think these are unrelated to other symptoms).

The Sleeper - thank you for the links i will be sure to look at them

Also i dont know if it is MS you guys talk about "attacks" and i am not sure what these might consist of....i told u that in the spring i would have tingles up my legs on an almost daily basis but that stopped when i came home for the summer (from college).

Can heat and/or stress bring on symptoms?

Also i feel like my symptoms arent as severe as what is seen in MS. Since i have been home i will have slight tingles, i tend to trip (maybe from weakness and not neuropathy like the neuro thought?), and i have the flashes and some dizziness. But really none of it is painful (it was in the spring with the tingles in my legs). I dont really know what to think i just really need to make some progress because i go back to school in august and then testing becomes almost impossible.

thanks everyone for being so helpful i really do appreciate it!

The MRI I had was a 1.5T without contrast, I am going to have a 1.5 with constrast of the rest of my spine this coming week (is it possible that there would be lesions on the lower spine?)

you sound like you are describing "visual migraines" and I have them. Actually my neuro has them and he doesnt have MS. My mother has them. its like a brain storm and no one knows why or what happens when they come on. They should last less than 20 mins. Some folks get nausea with them, some get dizzy or cant see thru the muck. Within an hour it should go away. Sometimes they can be followed by a real migraine which is painful, and awful, but most times once it subsides it doesnt lead anywhere.

I have them several times a day now. My neuro said he doesnt know if its an MS thing, a brain storm thing or what but we will keep an eye on it. (no pun intended)

I hope you are feeling better.