Same here Beary-ON with NO previous symptoms.

I did have a facial injury in a pool accident that caused temporary nerve damage similar to Bell's Palsy, and the neuro took that as the first incident as disseminated by time and area of disability. It made me very angry because it had NOTHING to do with MS, and I felt he was just looking for anything he could write down to back up his diagnosis. Even my LP wasn't enough to back up diagnosis. I made him write in my records that I disagreed with his interpretation of the facial injury and had my GP write a letter backing that up.

It made him wait for the second relapse...which came in three months...and sealed the deal, but it got me past my start date of my disability insurance policy!!

Me too, RW. I walked away with "You've probably had MS for a very long time." Okay, maybe -- but maybe not.

After dx I would tell people that the shortest route to an MS dx is ON if there is evidence on the MRI to support it. I still feel that way for the most part and have even helped one person finally get a dx because of that BUT I have since seen many cases similar to mine where the doctors have not been willing to render a dx, I think possibly because of the absence of relapses.

An LP was never even mentioned...not that I'm complaining!

3 years diagnosed and no changes in my brain MRI for the past 2 years. I do have spinal lesions (t-spine) but my neuro doesn't generally do follow ups on spinal lesions simply because they are harder to identify. Heck, there is a lot of stuff compacted in that small space.

I agree with those who said that here is little or no correlation between lesion load and disability.

I have never known how many lesions I've had, but I do know that I am SPMS, and have had no exacerbations since my last MRI, in 2000/2001?

I may have one or two or a million lesions added, in the last 6 yrs, on LDN, but I have had almost nil progression of MS disability.....unless you count the disability of aging..

I have said and I still say, that, if you have been DXed with MS and you don't suspect anything else, or are in a Trial, an MRI is redundant, useless, unnecessary and expensive..

Not sure how I feel about this. I can see myself not going every year but I don't know that I'd feel good about never getting a brain MRI again, even if the reason is just because I'm curious! But I do see your point! Especially since I'm not on drugs.

Though, when it comes to the orbits, I don't agree. My first follow-up MRI post ON showed tangible improvement and was helpful to my neuro-ophthalmologist. My next one will be in a week or two and I know there are certain things they hope to see. Don't ask me exactly what they are though -- I forgot! Must be that brain lesion.