I’ve just been reading a post written by a nurse who has had m.s for ten years and how a lesion can dissappear and this can be classed as remission in someone who has m.s I found it interesting as yesterday I attended the stroke clinic after suffering 3 suspected tia,s. I was told the good news that I hadn’t had a tia or stroke, so I said yes that was good but maybe as my friend who has m.s suggested that maybe my symptoms could be m.s. The consultant told me as the mri scan on my brain was normal I couldn’t have m.s but I’m still not convinced and will still wait for my appointment with a neurologist before I give up. Why because many years ago an mri brain scan picked up a lesion but that’s all I was told. Now I’ve been fighting for years to get a diagnosis ever since I was in my 20,s and I’m now 56 and recently being diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Now why should I not be happy with that? Well for years I’ve being doing my research on both diseases and there are no tests for fibromyalgia but a few for m.s and the two diseases have parallel symptoms. Now 1 test I know about is the spinal tap which I’m told can be very uncomfortable so I’m well aware to expect. Oh the other thing I learned is with fibromyalgia you get a set of symptoms and that’s usually it whereas with m.s there can be worsening or more ne ones which is in my case. I’m I right in still pursuing it?
hi moondust
i have no idea what you should do.
my brain is a shadow of its former self.
i just hate seeing a post with no replies.
carole x
Thankyou carole xx
I hate to break it to you but any neurologist will tell you the body will heal most lesions unless you get a black hole. But the cells that grow back are mutated and do not function as original brain cells and unable to transmit neurons. That’s the trouble with MS nurses they are not Dr’s and sometimes over step the mark mine also told me my last MRI showed my lesions healing, when I was excited and told my neurologist he said he would speak to her as this happens to most people regardless of the type of MS or age they have and explained body tries to repair but cells that grow back are a poor copy of original brain cells to do not work in the same way.
If you don’t have an MS diagnosis, there are a few other conditions which can mimic MS on MRI scan. They have lesions such as Neuro-scarcoidosis, Sjögren’s syndrome and ADEM. MS is the more common condition but people do get misdiagnosed with MS.
The following article is about The differential diagnosis of MS.
That is a great article Lenney, I’m saving the link. I suspect a lot of people who are scared that they might have MS and have consulted the great Dr Google should be advised to at least skim through it. There are some very scary diagnoses in the article, but some much less so. Thanks.
Sue
Many years ago, a long time before I was diagnosed with MS I had an mri scan on my brain that came back as normal.
I had this scan because I was constantly having problems with a “gloved sensation” on my hands and was having problems picking things up like loose change in my pockets and also felt a strange altered sensation down my palms, anyway after a while of reporting this to my GP he arranged for me to visit my local neuro department who then arranged the MRI scan, which as I’ve said came back as normal.
The neuro at that time put my symptoms down to carpal tunnel, and were more or less forgotten about as they were not really effecting me.
Now, jump forward 7 years later.
One day out of the blue I started to show other more prominent symptoms such as a weakness in my left leg and certain parts of my skin felt hot when touched with a cold item such as a cold spoon, so again I went to my local GP who initially thought I had a trapped nerve, but over a week or two things got worse, to the point that I could not move my leg at all.
I went back to the GP who said she would arrange an MRI scan, which could though take a while for the appointment to come through, however during this visit with the GP I just happened to mention that my sister had MS, these few words changed my life for ever !!
My GP instantly rang my local neuro dept, explained my symptoms, mentioned about my sister and also mentioned the MRI scan that I had done on my brain many years ago that came back normal.
The neuro that took her call that day immediatly decided to look at the old MRI scan and confirmed indeed that the brain was normal, however he could see further down the images in the spine area a very small dot that he thought could be a lesion, the first neuro all them years ago totally missed this when he checked the same MRI scan.
Within 48 hours I was sitting in front of the new MS neuro who my GP had spoken with and he was explaining all about MS and how he suspected from looking at the old scan and seeing my symptoms that I might have MS.
The same MRI scan being looked at by two different neuro’s, and I’m now being given two totally different outcomes !!
A few tests later spread over a few months, including more MRI scans, blood tests, lumbar punch ect ect and a confirmed diagnosis of MS was given.
My point here is, dont always accept the first diagnosis, you can ask, and are entitled to get second opinions…
I always feel consultants and GPs are comparable to mechanics. There are good ones and not so good ones, and none will agree the other is as good as they are!
Thankyou all it was the stroke consultant who said my mri was normal and when I said could my symptoms relate to m.s as my friend with m.s suggested he said no. He has never seen my previous mri. I’m not frightened of having m.s just waiting for an appointment to see a neurologist. Should I get my g P to chase it up
I had a suspected TIA before onset of ms. Do you have syncopy or presyncopy ever? IE feel like you are going to pass out? I have MS diagnoses and have had fibromiagal pain. I would be careful - good luck.