Hello, I’m wondering if anyone could help me understand how MS is diagnosed. Everything has happened relatively quickly for me after my excellent GP referred me to neurologist and for an MRI approx 1 month ago. I had the MRI just over a week ago and then received a letter asking me to go for a lumber puncture. Until this point I did not think it was MS and I had been waiting for the MRI results to be explained to me at neuro appointment in a couple of weeks time. However, earlier this week I went to GP feeling very shaky and unstable. She told me the scans showed lesions in my spine and brain and that it could be MS. I asked if it could be anything else and she says not really, it was very consistent with MS but that they couldn’t be sure until after the LP and that in any case the neuro should really be the one to explain this to me. So I saw my neurologist yesterday (the day after seeing the GP who managed to get me seen at short notice). She showed me the scan images and explained that there are older and active lesions and that it looks like MS. She also said that the LP is really irrelevant in the diagnosis but that it may give some insight into how it may progress. She also wouldn’t say that it is definitely MS and I again asked her if it could be anything else. She said it could be but they had really excluded other options through the blood tests I have had. She said the only way they could be absolutely sure would be through a biopsy which isn’t necessary. I have been referred to MS specialist at Birmingham hospital (I’m in Herefordshire) and have been prescribed a three day course of IV steroids which I start Monday. The LP is on Thursday next week too. So after all that, my question is: is there such a thing as a definite diagnosis of MS? Is this it? Apparently the MS nurse will be contacting me and I know I’ll be able to ask her all this but I’m very impatient and don’t know when that will be 
so it’s been just over four weeks from when I first went to my GP with numbness and I don’t quite know how to react. If I understood things a bit more I think I might be able to process what’s happening. So I would be very grateful if anyone could share their knowledge on this. Thank you.
Hi I had mri’s of head & spine showing lesions old and some new active ones, Have had LP which did show positive for ms, then had ct scan & evok potential test and endless blood tests to rule out things. After 10 months neuro gave me a definate DX of ms and put it in writing to GP . Gray
Thanks for your reply Gray. Maybe I just need to wait and see then.
Sorry to say, it does seem a long process to get confirmed DX , but as my neuro says "I want to be sure ". But your ms nurse will help you when she gets in touch and hopefully get treatment started. Gray x
Is no news good news? I had my MRI in January.
I had an appointment in March with another specialist to check out whether it might be something to do with my sinuses, but I had to reschedule as my Dad died. Now it’s going to be in June.
Should I just wait?