My first episode was 7 years ago and spinal lesions showed up on my MRI.
I started getting symptoms again about 2 months ago.
After covid delays, blood tests and visits with the gp I’ve finally spoken to the neurologist who has booked an mri but I’ve not had the appointment through yet.
In that time my symptoms have started to fade away and will possibly be gone by the time I finally get an mri.
Since this is not the first time and I kinda saw it coming I’m pretty sure that I do in fact have MS and knew this was a tricking clock and going to happen eventually.
If symptoms are fading away for now will anything still show up on my mri? Or will I go back to diagnosis limbo?
sorry i doubt anyone can answer that truthfully. I think its all a waiting game. dont just put MS in the frame it can be other things. no one can second guess results.
not helpful I know but i have had so many tests and eventually when i had given up i got diagnosed lol. x
The answer is no one knows. It’s a case of waiting until the MRI is over and the neurologist pronounces.
But, if it is MS and you have indeed had a relapse, any demyelinating lesions will show up on MRI. They won’t vanish. Lesions of different ages (ie historic evidence and new inflammatory attacks) do not tend to vanish.
This is of course prejudging the results. And that is something you really can’t afford to do. The reason it’s a bad idea to decide it ‘must be’ MS because of your history is that if the neurologist says it’s not, you’ll be flung back into limbo.
While no one (sensible) wants an MS diagnosis, the fact is that if you’ve steeled yourself for that, a negative result can be utterly dispiriting. Living with unexplained symptoms isn’t nice, we all know that. But preparing yourself for a diagnosis that doesn’t come can throw a person into depression.
Try to live your life while your symptoms fade as though there’s nothing wrong. If in the meantime you get any new symptoms that could be neurological, go back to the neurologists secretary and see if you can persuade them to try and hurry the MRI up.
Meanwhile, we’re quite good at being sounding boards for worries and fears. So if you need friendly virtual ears, keep posting on here!
If the symptoms have been caused by new lesions of a type visible on MRI, then even if the symptoms have faded away by the time the new MRI is done, then they are likely to be still visible on an MRI. However should they decide to use contrast which they use to show up active lesions, then it is likely that any new ones will not be still enhancing and not showing as still active - they stop enhancing after about 1 month. They’ll do the standard Flair MRI and other types as a matter of course though so don’t worry if they don’t use contrast. By comparing your old and new MRI they would be able to pick up newer lesions anyway and for this reason they probably won’t use contrast as you have an old MRI scan to compare.
Lesions can disappear over time though. Sometimes that is good news - they have healed. Sometimes it is bad news - they have atrophied. However in 2 months any new ones are unlikely to have atrophied. That takes a long time. Your old lesions may still be visible or they may have disappeared over the 7 years - but again your original MRI is proof they existed.
Thank you. My main symptoms were at the end of April and start of May.
It’s now sporadic and mild. My MRI with contrast is booked for July 23rd.
I just feel like a crazy person with invisible symptoms and no one gets how I feel. Then I’ll go to the mri and they’ll be like - what are you wasting our time?
Of course I want me to be fine. No problems is great but I do want answers.