Hi guy’s, i have been looking on here since the 15th of Dec to see what it’s all about. I had a Stroke at 19 which when i was 21 they at last found out i had Anti-thrombin 3 deficiency. For this i take warfarin which is used to help my blood from clotting. It has twice let me down leading to me having a TIA in 2007 and 2009. After landing in Majorca in August having a peaceful holiday on my own, the left of my face went numb from the top of my ear to the middle of my chin. Half of my tongue included, very weird but assumed it would be down to my blood condition. After landing back in the UK, Doctors appt already booked he refferred me straight to the hospital for another MRI as the last one was 2007. I went to the neuro specialist on the 15th who tested my reflexes, looked in my eyes and sent me for blood tests. I am having a neck MRI and an electrical activity test done later this month as there are a few white spots in my CNS which were not present in 2007. I guess i’m confused as i have always put any symptoms down to my right sided weakness and SAD during the winter months. A Lumbar puncture will be looked into if my results are not conclusive from these other tests but have been told i would have to come off my Warfarin at which point i freaked out as i know all to well the consequences. I guess i’m wondering if anyone on here has been diagnosed without the Lumbar Puncture. Sorry to babble but i feel like my head is in the washing machine at the moment.
Hi , I was dianosed by symptoms and a mri alone as it was very conclusive. Also after looking into my medical history it also seemed i had been having symptoms and had probably had ms for 4 years previous but none of my symptoms had ever been connected up till then. So it is possible to be diagnosed without a LP . Hope you get some answers as to what is going on soon Tracy x
It must be very confusing! Did the neuro not explain why you had to come off the warfarin? (Not that I’d be surprised, explaining things doesn’t tend to be a strength of most consultants!) Maybe your GP can try and make sense of it so you can at least know it’s OK to be off it?
It’s possible to be diagnosed without an LP, but given your history it might be a useful piece of the puzzle. It might make things quicker too.
I hope the washing machine cycle is a quick one whatever you decide!
I to was dx without having to have a LP as I am on warfarin and the neurologist did not want me to take the risk of coming off of it. I was dx by MRI on brain and spine and tests on my eyes plus my medical history… On the rare occasions I have had to come of wafarin I had to have daily injections of Fragmin to compensate.
I can understand your fear of coming off warfarin, so I hope with your medical history and scans they can decide without a LP.
Thanks guy’s for the reply’s, not sure how to reply to separate comment so for Tracy my MRI showed a few white spots and he seemed pretty sure they were MS spots associated with symptoms. Karen i spoke to my GP this morning and he said the Heamotologists would have to seriously consider wether changing me over to Heparin or some other blood thinner would be worth the risk giving my existing problems. Janet i think my Neuro must not have much knowledge of anti-thrombin 3 as he just said i will have to come off warfarin (don’t think so!). Well i’m back to work tomorrow so hopefully won’t have time to dwell too much.