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Posted 11/2/2008 5:30 PM (GMT 0)
I'm 25 yrs old had my 1 st symptoms of ms about 3yrs ago. I had mri of the brain in 05 came out normal. my symptoms started in my legs of numbness and tingles went all the way up my torso in to my left arm this lasted up to 6 mon and went away. I have always had the electric shock that goes to my toes when I bend my head down since 05.  I went back to the doctor in june of 08 w/ a tingle on the top of my left foot and leg.  It progressed into weakness in my whole left side which i am still dealing with. had another mri of the brain in june of 08 which came back abnormal w/ a possible lesion.  Then was referred to a neuro who totally screw up a spinal tap. so i went to a different neuro who ordered a mri of c-spine and found a lesion in my upper c-spine, but said that there was no lesion on the brain after looking @ brain scan of june. I have not yet been diagnosed w/ms. I was told to take prednisone to decrease inflammation. And that i don't have ms because I only have one lesion. I also have blurred vision in my left eye, spasms in my left leg  arm and neck. My right jaw spasms and also have a ring in my left ear. I also have slurred speech and have trouble concerntrating, balance and spelling . I also had one episode of vertigo. Can all of this be caused by one lesion.

thank you

mikaela

Posted 11/2/2008 6:05 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Mikaela,

Welcome to the board.  I would be getting copies of all your MRIs and the reports and going for a second opinion.  What happened to the spinal tap?  Was it not successful at all?  Did you tell the doctor of your L'hermittes? (that is the name for the electric shock when you bend your head down - chin towards chest)  While you certainly might not have MS, in my opinion you have something to be concerned about.  I would aggressively seek answers to your symptoms.  Don't accept "you don't have MS".  If that is what they are saying, then be sure they are giving you some other reasonable diagnosis.  You have a lot going on and you deserve some answers there.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Posted 11/2/2008 6:39 PM (GMT 0)
They say i don't have ms yet, because i only have one lesion as far as they know. I do have all my mri on disc. As for my spinal tap they weren't able to get any fluid. I was laid up on the couch for 1 wk afterwards leaking spinal fluid and had to get a blood patch. When They were doing the spinal tap i got an extreme shock down my legs and caused my lower back to spasm bad which made it hard for me to stand up. During the 1 wk period i was puking could not stand up because of bad headaches and over all weakness.
Also my symptoms get worst w/ heat, stress, and a week before my period. I started pednisone last wed. it's the 6 day plan. spasm in my right jaw went away, but still the weakness in my left leg and arm are still brothering me. I forgot to mention the fatige is absolutely terrible i don't have a life just because of that. I can pretty much fight everything else but that. I think the neuro doc doesn't want to dx me because there are so many wrong dx. So he wants to make sure it not something else, but i had all the blood test and they pretty much ruled everything else out. I just want to know!!
Thanks
Mikaela
Posted 11/2/2008 8:13 PM (GMT 0)

Hey Mikaela,

You might want to question your doctor about CIS (clinically isolated syndrome).  It essentially means single lesion sclerosis.  Some neurologists will agressively treat this in order to hold off MS.  Other neuros take a "wait and watch" approach due to med side effects and the cost of treatments.  I am sorry to hear that you had such a miserable time with that lumbar puncture.  That would have been very helpful towards getting answers.  I think they can do lumbar punctures using real time imaging that allows them to find a space and get that CSF.  I will try and find some info on that.

Posted 11/2/2008 8:22 PM (GMT 0)
Ok I was not too successful with that.  Some doctor use ultra-sound or x-ray in order to find a suitable space for the needle.  I know there are things they can do to make lumbar puncture more successful. 

Posted 11/2/2008 8:55 PM (GMT 0)
Can one lesion cause all of my symptoms?
Posted 11/2/2008 9:00 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Mikaela, and welcome to the board.

I’m so sorry you’ve been really going through it. I wholeheartedly agree with Gretchen about getting a second opinion. If you can see an MS specialist, that might be particularly useful. You can get a list of local MS specialists by contacting the National MS Society.

Over the past few years I have had neuros go back and forth over whether I have CIS or MS, as I too only have one lesion that shows up on MRI, although I have additional issues and abnormal signs that lead them to believe I have other lesions. It is definitely frustrating and scary to be sick and not know for sure what is going on. Keep on searching, and feel free to post any questions you might have. This is a great place to come for information and support.

Here is some info on lumbar puncture with fluoroscopy...is this the one you meant Gretchen?

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/lumbar_puncture_spinal_tap/hic_lumbar_puncture_under_fluoroscopy.aspx  

http://ms.about.com/od/multiplesclerosis101/a/ms_diagnosis_2.htm

Sunny

Posted 11/2/2008 9:09 PM (GMT 0)

Hi again Mikaela,

I didn’t see your last post when I submitted my reply. With MS (and CIS), a lot of it has to do with location, location, location. I don’t know about your particular circumstances, of course, but one person may have many lesions and not have severe symptoms, and another person maybe only have a couple of lesions in critical locations, and be severely disabled.

Sunny

Posted 11/2/2008 9:28 PM (GMT 0)
My lesion is located inbetween c1 and c2 would that cause all my problems?
Posted 11/2/2008 10:10 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Mikaela,

Unfortunately, we just aren’t qualified to diagnose or say what is causing what on here. I’m sorry I don’t really have any concrete information to give you; I am just another patient myself. Also, this whole diagnostic journey is far from a black and white exact science in many circumstances, even for the neuros and radiologist who are experts in these things. As you stated in your original post, you have already had two differing opinions on your brain MRI, and that was from the experts. I do seem to recall that spinal lesions can cause L'hermittes and also probs with legs such as weakness and tingling, but I just don’t know. The fact that you have a possible lesion on your brain MRI could also be complicating matters further. I really hope you’ll be able to get that second opinion, so you can get some of this cleared up. Hang in there, okay?

Sunny

Posted 11/2/2008 10:16 PM (GMT 0)
Obviously we can't say if your one lesion is causing all your problems.  That would be a question for your neurologist.  I do know that one lesion can cause tremendous problems and symptoms.  Sunny is proof of that.  She has not told you all the is going on with her but I will elaborate some.  She has balance and vertigo problems, gait and spasticity issues, and fatigue.  She could tell you more specifically. 

Posted 11/3/2008 3:53 PM (GMT 0)
Hi there and good morning.... interesting post. I have learned by reading studies coming out of the university of Calgary (alberta Canada) that the symptoms and damage caused by MS begin before lesions are detectedon the spine or the back of the brain). That explains why most if not all of us had MRIs that were clear, and were having MS symptoms.  And in my case I had three of them, and it was not until the last one that lesions were noted.

The best thing here to to persue this to the maximum, so that in the event that it is determined to be MS, you can get right on top of it and start treatments as soon as possible.

Gary

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