Mystery Diagnosis?? Is it MS

Ive been having all sorts of symptoms form numbness, tingling, achy, memory loss, headaches, utis, dizziness, loss of balance, depression, vaginal secretions are gone, stiffness, mood swings, muscle spasms, vision problems, tired all the time no matter how much sleep I get, tearing feeling in my calves ( those make me scream)!! Ive had cat scans, MRI of my brain and brain stem, blood tests, and going for a sleep study tomorrow. Im having all the symptoms my Aunt had before she got diagnose with MS. They tested her in our county and they said her MRI came back fine. She went to another Dr in Tennesse and he found liasons on her brain. She got diagnosed with MS then. So far no Dr has been able to help me. Does anyone out there have any ideas?? There are 2 other people in my family thats having the same symptoms and no one has been able to diagnose them either.

[jensequitur]

What strength was your MRI done on?  MS is difficult to diagnose, as there are so many other neurological diseases that resemble MS.

[Red_Star]

"It pays to know what the vitamin b12 deficiency symptoms are, because otherwise you might be in for an unpleasant surprise, health-wise.

It’s fascinating that a B12 deficiency can mimic so many incurable diseases, some of which include:

Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Alzheimer’s
Parkinson’s Disease
Guillian-Barre Syndrome
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) (“Lou Gehrig’s disease”)

Now that isn’t to say that everyone who has one of these diseases is also B12 deficient; only that because B12 is critical for neural functions that its lack can make it look like one of these.

And since a B12 deficiency is curable and the above aren’t…wouldn’t you say that getting a test to screen for the deficiency is in order?

Other Signs and Symptoms

A lot of what B12 does in the body involves the nervous system, so be on the lookout for the following:

Forgetfulness and foggy thinking, confusion
Dementia, psychosis, depression, paranoia
Lack of coordination and balance; clumsiness
Tremors
Tingling in the extremities
Muscle weakness and/or pain
Chronic fatigue
Incontinence
Heart palpitations
Loss of vision
Loss of appetite
Gastrointestinal problems

Here’s the thing; if you have one or more of these symptoms, don’t just start downing B12 supplements. Go to your health-care provider and ask to have a urinary MMA test, which is highly specific for a B12 deficiency.

If your doctor says a serum B12 test is all you need — find another doctor (at least when it comes to vitamins). Serum B12 tests have been known to give false negatives and false positives, depending on what other medications you might be taking. And either way, a false result can mean the difference between health and possibly an early death."

[Duckettqueen79]

Im really not sure what type it was. Ill aske them tomorrow. My Aunt said its diffult to diagnose.

[Duckettqueen79]

As for the B12 diff. Ive had that test done too. Im fine there. Still no answers. Im hoping maybe tomorrow I will have some answers. This waiting is so nerve racking!

[jensequitur]

It is difficult to diagnose, and not everybody presents in the usual way.  Most MS testing these days starts with an MRI.  If the MRI shows anything suspicious, sometimes they do a spinal tap to test for oligoclonal banding.  (Sometimes not!)  The kind of lesions and their placement in the brain is also important.  

MRI strength can make a difference when it comes to diagnosis.  A open MRI is next to useless.  A 1.5T MRI is most common, and it can be used on the brain, although it misses the finer detail.  A 3T MRI is best, and since you've got neurological symptoms, if your original MRI was lower than a 3T then the next step would be to see what a 3T will find.

[Duckettqueen79]

Had all my tests done. MRI, sleep study, xrays, blood tests, acupunture and a nerve test and now recently a spinal. They recommended it in case the MRI didnt catch something. So far they have been able to rule everything out except MS. I have came to terms that if this is what it is Ill be okay. They told me it would be 48 hours to 2 1/2 weeks to see what it shows.

[Duckettqueen79]

Had my Spinal. They said it was tough to get. Was back there for an hour. So now Im patiently waiting on my results. Went to see a new Dr. He is a neuropsychologist. He is awesome. I think I will get somewhere with him. With at least 5 of us on my fathers side are all having very similiar symptoms def thinks it inheritated. So now we will see.

[jensequitur]

Maybe he'll give you a neuro-psych exam - very useful to pinpoint cognitive issues.

[Duckettqueen79]

Yes Maam! He is on the 30 of this month. He said it will take about 3 hours. Im ready!!

[Duckettqueen79]

Got my spinal results..it said I def had a vitamin D deficiency. Not showing MS though. But we will see waht else lies ahead. I know there is something wrong I just wish they can find it!!! Ill keep updating on my journey!!