"exotic condition"??

Hello All,

A few things:

It's been awhile. I'm going to limit my talk about how CRAPPY I've been for the last three month and just tell you that I am feeling much better now.

First: my first neuro gave me working diagnosis of MS but in light of negative spinal tap sent me to see the MS specialists as UCLA.

second: The head of Neuro-mapping/imaging there says that she thinks that my lesions (at least ten) are not typical of MS and also that she doesn't think that my symptoms and the onset of them are typical MS.

third: She thinks that I am also having "atypical migraines".

Question: Can migraines cause lesions??

fourth: she says that if my evoked potential comes back normal she wants to go down the road of vasculitis or some other "exotic conditions" Does anyone know of what these "exotics" would be? I am negative for lymes, lupus, and pretty much all the ones that "mimic" ms. What's left??

fifth: I have had loss of bladder, numbness, weakness, major vision disturbances - but the most upsetting is cognitive malfunctions. I am 31 and have felt like I've had alzheimers or dementia for the last several month. Calling the television the toaster, getting lost places I've been a million times, having conversatiions and meetings with people and having absolutley no recollection. I feel like I'm going crazy.

Any thought would be appreciated....It's good to be back.

My first MRI showed a lesion on T8-T10. My symptoms were lower body. Then they did an MRI of the brain. The neurologist said had I not been experiencing symptoms in my face and hands he would have written off the lesions in the brain as scars from the migraines I suffered in my 20s and 30s. So, scars or lesions? Depends on your symptoms.

thanks madlou. My symptoms have ranged from numbness, tingling and vertigo to loss of bladder control, total loss of feeling during intercourse and weakness in my right arm that led me to not even be able to hold a cup. The most disturbing sypmtoms have been cognitive disfunction. Memory loss, losing time, personality changes. this last flare lasted almost three months, now I am almost symptom free again. my left leg is still a little "bum" as I call it and my arm as well. Thinking is still a little fuzzy and certain 'problems" are harder to figure out now, but for the most part I am getting back to normal. Three months seems like an awful long migraine. But then again, maybe I'm not understanding what the doc is saying.

Lesions/scarring are all over my brain. none on my cervical spine. Seeing an eye doctor next week about neuritis. Had a visual evoked potential a couple weeks ago and will hear conclusion on 23rd when I go back to ucla.