I have been writing in this health board for over a year now. I have had mysterious symptoms with no diagnosis. My legs went completely numb over a year ago (Nov 03) and have healed within 3 months time (Feb 04). Had a emg, mri of brain, lumbar, throax, spinal tap and numerous blood tests at that time my legs went numb. All the results were normal. I have been experience severe, shocking, aching pain in my t-spine. Also have been having a hell of a time with my digestive system. I have diarreaha 4 or 5 times a week and sometimes I have trouble starting urination in the morning. I went to see an orthopedic doctor. I have not suffered any trama of any kind and all of a sudden I have this severe pain in my spine. He wanted to get a mri of my neck since that hasn't been done. I got my results last Friday and he told me they found (and even showed me) a lesion in t-2, in the spinal cord, about 8-10 mm long. He refered me back to my neurologist I saw last year whom ran all the tests. I am terrified. What does a lesion mean? Do I have MS? I had another mri of my brain this morning w/ and w/out contrast. And in a couple weeks evoked potentials testing. My neuro said the spinal tap should have picked up on MS, but I keep reading that it is not alway foolproof. Is that true or false? Does a spinal tap confirm it? Or is a mri the best way to determine diagnosis?
As far as I've ever been told, the spinal tap is not definitive. Mine was normal and I have MS that was diagnosed from brain lesions that showed on the MRI.
I have been writing in this health board for over a year now. I have had mysterious symptoms with no diagnosis. My legs went completely numb over a year ago (Nov 03) and have healed within 3 months time (Feb 04). Had a emg, mri of brain, lumbar, throax, spinal tap and numerous blood tests at that time my legs went numb. All the results were normal. I have been experience severe, shocking, aching pain in my t-spine. Also have been having a hell of a time with my digestive system. I have diarreaha 4 or 5 times a week and sometimes I have trouble starting urination in the morning. I went to see an orthopedic doctor. I have not suffered any trama of any kind and all of a sudden I have this severe pain in my spine. He wanted to get a mri of my neck since that hasn't been done. I got my results last Friday and he told me they found (and even showed me) a lesion in t-2, in the spinal cord, about 8-10 mm long. He refered me back to my neurologist I saw last year whom ran all the tests. I am terrified. What does a lesion mean? Do I have MS? I had another mri of my brain this morning w/ and w/out contrast. And in a couple weeks evoked potentials testing. My neuro said the spinal tap should have picked up on MS, but I keep reading that it is not alway foolproof. Is that true or false? Does a spinal tap confirm it? Or is a mri the best way to determine diagnosis?
Sounds like ms symptoms. My spinal wasn't definite on my diagnosis. But combining the mri and spinal together my doctor guessed correctly. Lesions are the scar tissue left by an ms attack. Once damage has been done the symptoms caused by that attack will be around. There are many good medications now to help with future exacerbations. You might need to make lifestyle changes. Stress will make everything worse. I have found accupuncture really helps me. I go every two weeks. It is a good way to relax and I have used it to deal with reaccuring symptoms. Try to find a neuro who specializes in MS. They will be up on the newest treatments. I'm on my third. First one missed the diagnosis and didn't do all the neccessary tests. The second left for a job with the drug co's. The third is great specializes in ms and autism. Good luck
Got my MRI of my brain back today and it was normal. We did VER test and it was normal. The BSER test was not done because the machine was broke. In my neuro's opinion we didn't need to do BSER because the VER was substantial enough. I am going to see him in March, when we may do another MRI of my brain and take a look at the lesion in my spinal cord again. In the meantime, should I get a second opinion? He keeps saying 50/50 on MS and more definate on the post infectious parasthesia, which was my diagnosis a year ago.
I guess it is a viral infection. I don't know exactly, but my symptoms were parasthesia (my legs were numb.) So my neuro blamed it on being sick. But I wasn't sick.
