Hi everyone, I am not diagnosed but want some thoughts and opinions. Been having symptoms since feb this year and they gradually built up, lighthead, balance problem, tingling and vertigo and tinnitus. Leg weakness and burning thighs/legs.
I had MRI brain/C Spine in May and thoracic/lumbar spine and all came back normal. I also had nerve conduction on legs and arms recently and came back normal, neuro exam has came back normal.
My questions are, could I still have MS?
does MRI and nerve conduction pretty much rule it out?
Does nerve conduction test even matter?
Does normal neuro test mean anything?
Thanks in advance.
Hi Paul7890
MS can take a long time to diagnose as anyone here can confirm - it took 9 years from “Hello GP, my left hand feels weird and what are these pins & needles, sunburn sensations about?” to “You definitely have MS”.
My nerve conduction tests came back normal.
My lumbar puncture showed banding in the CSF - not conclusive.
MRI(s) showed 3 small lesions in my brain and nothing on my spine 9 years back. The 3 lesions in my brain have not changed one bit since then, and I now have 4 lesions on my spinal cord.
Micro lesions can be missed by MRIs.
You can have ‘normal’ results and could still possibly have MS. Or, it could be something else causing the symptoms - MS dx can be a process of elimination, you might need to work through and rule out all the possible alternative causes, keeping MS on the back burner, with regular reviews, whilst you do that. I went through, and ruled out, just about every possible cause of my symptoms before the spinal lesions showed up and confirmed my dx.
From what I can recall, you have had a few expert eyes review your scans. It seems to me that you should now ask yourself what would reassure you that you don’t have MS. More doctors saying you probably haven’t got it? More scans saying the same?
You can go down that road. Or you can decide you’ve got as far as you going to get for now. I would suggest the latter course. If something new comes up in terms of symptoms, then you get back to the hunt for answers.