MS without brain lesions?
 

hi,
I am 18 years old and female. I am a runner (6X per week 3 miles each time) and last fall I the initial symptom of flashes in my vision after runs. Then i noticed in winter i was tripping and on small imperfections in sidewalks or nothing at all. I would also skid on flat surfaces. Then is spring i would have tingling like water dripping/pricking going up my legs (usually when it was warm out). I also occasionally have sensitivity to touch of my clothing and dizziness upon standing. I have been to a neurologist and his first diagnosis was peripheral neuropathy (which my grandmother has - idiopathic). I had an MRI which showed a hyperintense spot on my brain but the neuro said the location ruled out MS. Blood work which ruled out vitamin deficiencies. Most recently i had an EMG which came back normal. Could this still be MS? i feel like my symptoms most closely match MS (our air conditioning broke and now with the heat i am having a lot of tingles and sensations in my legs). or is there something like MS which could be causing this?

thanks so much!

Hi there, someone will likely be along with more specific knowledge than I have, but it seems to me that there are a LOT of things "like MS". If you just google "multiple sclerosis imitators" or "mimics MS" or something similar, you might be surprised at the list of possibilities. MS is such a slippery diagnosis!

Sheesh, miss Boiler, I sure hope not, but there are worse things. It sure sounds like every symptom of MS, i've had, but yes, there are mimic diseases.

Having or not having lesions on your brain, do not rule out MS. You may have them on your spine. An MRI is just a DX tool and there is much more testing to be done to rule MS in or out.

Take a deep breath and come along with us in your DX process. We care.:grouphug:

I did have an MRI of the brain stem/upper spine and it came back clean too. I have a VEP a week from tomorrow and may have an MRI of lower spine and an LP (i hate all of these tests!). Any idea of diseases which mimic MS? thanks for your help i really appreciate it!

Hello! and welcome! :hug:

It sounds so scary, and walking or running a mile in those shoes feels horrible some days. First, let me say BREATHE! take in some oxygen and breathe. You passed the MRI and that shows that you dont have some raging infection/brain tumor/bleed...so, the rest of the answer come slowly. sorry to say.

There are more than 100 diseases that can "mimic" MS symptoms including brain lesions. Lyme, Lupus, Sjoghrens, B12 def, and so on. the list is impressive. The MDs generally do this as a "rule out" style medicine. They look at those things that CAN be proven. Vit def is one. Simple blood tests will reveal such things. Lyme should be sent to a special lab, and even if ruled out there are many false positives. If all else fails, they may retest you. Sjoghrens is a lip biopsy. The list goes on. Once they reach thru those 90 or so diseases, they are left with a handful that CANT be proven thru blood, MRI...MS is a disease that we get tagged with generally when they cant prove you have any of the other diseases. Some of us have very typical patterns in the brain of lesions that blink and light up to the neuro who says WHOA! yep! thats MS. While others have NO lesions, clean spinal taps, and mild symptoms.

If you have an MD who you feel is listening to you. Is continuing to look for an answer and isnt just dismissing you as "over stressed" or "overly sensitive" then hang in there while he digs thru the pile.

Its always a GREAT idea to go to an MS center. Even if you have to travel to get to it. Many folks travel, and go just once for a diagnosis or rule out and use a local neuro for their care. They are expert at taking those little nuances and saying yes, or no its an MS thing. They rule these things in and out all day everyday, and its the happening place to be if you think you have it.

hang in there, let us know how you are getting on. :hug:

can the lesions not show up on brain/cervical spine but on lower spine? my doc is very understanding and is not judging me so i will stick it out (it just takes soo long!) thanks!

Hang in there kiddo, a dx of MS can take a long time. Like Dejibo said, there's lots of other diseases that mimic MS and have to be ruled out. MRI's, CT's, pokes here, pokes there, you'll say to yourself, "did they leave me enough blood to live?!?!" I know I did. I saw over 10 neuro's before I finally went to a MS specialist. Every regular neuro will interpret things differently. Someone who truely specializes in MS, will not waver. One neuro said I had it, then the next said no, it was just a flaw in the film, the next said yes, next said I was only suffering from depression and migraines... :thud: You are your best advocate. Dont give up and dont accept things like "its all in your head"! I was dx at 22, and had sx in high school as far as maybe 16 or alittle earlier. Stick with this crowd, they're a great bunch of eggs :hug:

To answer your question, Lime Disease, Lupis, B12 Deficiency and a possible Tumor can mimic MS. Usually, if your Neuro is worth his salt, during your DX process, these illnesses are ruled out by testing.

http://library.med.utah.edu/kw/ms/dd.html

http://www.neurologia.org.mx/portalw...rticulos/6.pdf

http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/differ...diagnosis.html

I had to diagnose myself and have my findings confirmed by a MS specialist because the regular doctors and neurologists I saw seemed incapable of anything except assigning random labels to the real cause of my illness.

1.) Don`t panic!

2.) Be objective in your research.

3.) Get your suspicions confirmed by an expert.

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.