There is a really interesting post on this forum today about breathing and MS-type symtoms - about how overbreathing / hyperventilation can result in tingling to extremities, dizzyness etc. It made me want to ask about something I’ve been thinking about for a while -
What other things do people consider (other than MS) might be the cause of their symptoms?
I’ve had tests to rule out obvious things like diabetes, anaemia etc. But I do often wonder about sciatica and anxiety; if I don’t have MS, I think they are both pretty plausable explanations for my current difficulties.
What do other people think might possible alternative causes of their symptoms (if it transpires to not be MS)?
My neuro told me I was tested for over 100 different things, before they narrowed it down to MS. I probably couldn’t name more than about half-a-dozen of them, but they included things like infectious diseases, vitamin deficiencies, rheumatology spectrum disorders, etc. Although I was diagnosed on BUPA, I think this is pretty standard on the NHS too - you don’t get any extra tests going privately - you just get them a bit more quickly.
So the answer is that there are over 100 other things it could be - far too many to list, even if I knew them all!
have you been tested for lymes disease? B12 deficiency/thyroid? LIke Tina says there are many things that mimic ms. Don’t rule out stress - it can manifest itself in physical symptoms. I think its important to take care of the mental health side of things when going through all of this. Good luck!
have you been tested for lymes disease? B12 deficiency/thyroid? LIke Tina says there are many things that mimic ms. Don’t rule out stress - it can manifest itself in physical symptoms. I think its important to take care of the mental health side of things when going through all of this. Good luck!
Yes, I have had MRI, which showed some lesions ‘suggestive of MS’, but there is not enough evidence for ms diagnosis. My neuro is not convinced that the lesions I have could account for the symptoms I am reporting. the symptoms I experience are suggestive of spinal lesions, but so far, the only lesions that have been found are in my brain, so neuro has ordered more scans. But if no further lesions show, then I will not be diagnosed with MS, and it is possible that my symptoms are not related to MS after all.
So I am considering other possibilities. I have been pretty comprehensively tested for lots of things - vit defficiencies, anaemia, ana panel, rheumatoid arthritis - all clear.
Part of me thinks that because I have some lesions ‘suspicious’ of ms, it is more than likely that my symptoms are ms-related. But other times I wonder if some of my symptoms might be caused by other things, such as anxiety or sciatica. I guess its just the uncertainty of having a funny half-way kind of diagnosis.
Hi anon, Have they offered you a lumbar puncture? If there lesions suggestive of ms, then surely this would aid in confirming this and give you an answer. Lack of any answers can lead to anxiety which could be exacerbating your symptoms, but not necessarily be the cause. J x
Sorry to burst your bubble, but if you have evidence of brain lesions, I would think it’s most unlikely the problem is anxiety or sciatica. Brain lesions are not a “normal” finding, at any age, so I would think the chances are pretty slim of you having neuro symptoms AND brain lesions, but the two being complete coincidence. Especially as it has already been said the lesions are suggestive of MS. Occasionally, lesions are found which are recorded as “non-specific”, which means they’re not a good match for lesions typically found in MS - or any other illnes. But that doesn’t seem to be the case here - they do look like MS lesions.
Anxiety could exacerbate your symptoms, as has already been mentioned, but definitely can’t cause brain lesions.
Having said that, not everyone with brain lesions typical of MS ever goes on to develop MS proper. That’s why they are so hesitant to diagnose. There has to be proof of either multiple attacks, or ongoing disease activity, otherwise it might be a one-off, caused by a virus or something.
I believe spinal cord lesions are much harder to spot on MRI, although, with me, they were the first evidence anything was wrong; the brain lesions were only discovered later.
Hi, chronic hyperventilation was one of my initial diagnosis by the first neuro I was seeing. It is and was the most ridiculous diagnosis ever, my GP and subsequent med people I have seen are completely baffled how he came to that conclusion, I have never exhibited any signs of this. I understand that someone who has this cab exhibit “some” MS symptoms such as tingling, but it simply cannot account for may of the others.
From what I have seen it is (along with stress) just another thing some neuros say because they can’t be bothered or simply don’t know.
Sorry peeps, feeling fed up and not very posistive today,xx