I was just wondering, in the pre-diagnosis stage of potential MS if you have an examination by a Neuro when you aren’t currently having any symptoms, would all your tests come back as normal? I mean like tests they do on your reflexes, coordination etc.
I was just wondering as I am not having any symptoms at the moment after a few months of having symptoms and am worried that if these tests the Neuro does Are normal that I will be sent away without any further investigation into MS or something else.
Sorry I don’t know the answer but I was wondering the same. I sometimes don’t have symptoms and wondered if they would still show up on an MRI scan too.
My understanding is that where an MRI is concerned, this test can show evidence of previous attacks on the CNS which leaves behind lesions in the brain and spine. Indeed this is one the ‘tests’ you have to meet to be eventually diagnosed with MS. The few times I had been seen by neurologists in the 20 years leading up to the diagnosis I was told they could not see anything wrong and it wasn’t until the MRI results came back that it was confirmed.
This is my opinion. In no way grounded in fact, just my thoughts on the subject.
I reckon that a neurologist can detect changes in reflexes etc even when a person with relapsing remitting MS is between relapses and asymptomatic.
Things like the Babinski sign (when the sole of your foot is scraped, it depends on what your toes do as to whether it’s positive or negative), or reflexes, movement of the eyes, balance, all the other tests a neurologist does. I strongly suspect that many of these tests would demonstrate neurological disorders even when no inflammation is present.
Equally, nerve conduction tests, evoked potentials tests, and certainly the lumbar puncture, would show signs even when there are no overt symptoms. Just as the MRI shows scars (lesions), as does the optic nerve if you’ve had optic neuritis in the past.
A few people on here would say that you could pay to see the neurologist quicker or that you can phone up the secretary and ask if you could be on the cancellation list, the other thing you can do is ask your GP to see if they can hurry it up a bit.
I know waiting the worsed as you can’t seem to forget what you may have or haven’t everything seems a lot worse until you get to see your consultant and even then if it is a first visit they will ask you to have lots of tests waiting for the results which in my case was three months after the lumber puncture and blood test. My poor thumb I tend to bite it when I am stressed which makes it sore.
Yes I am tempted to pay privately or ask to go on a cancellation list,
I’m holding off at the moment as I need an operation (completely unrelated to this) and don’t want to get an earlier appointment after going on at them for it to end up on the same date. I should find out the date of my op on the 13th June so will then look at trying to change my Neuro appointment
November:( I am hoping to get an appointment for an mri before the actual consultant appointment, as when i booked it said any investigations would be done before the appointment? Yes 18 weeks is a load of rubbish isn’t it