cervical lesion and MS

[maggiesue65]

I am waiting to see what shows up on my spinal tap. I had to have cervical neck surgery before the spinal tap. Is it normal to have cervical neck problems with MS ? Can a doctor tell anything about MS lesions while he is doing the cervical neck surgery? thanks, maggiesue65

[maggiesue65]

I said two notes up that I was making this up, I promise I am not making any of this up. What I meant is, I have so many symptoms, I am afraid that people will think I am making this up.maggiesue

[maggiesue65]

I just found out what vertigo means. I have had the best full heart w/stress test w/iv pictures, very good heart. I have been cleared for not having diabetes .I have had all the test you can have or need to, to start on THIS journey. I think this is  benign positional vertigo. It is when I am sitting or standing and move my head to the right or left. Then I realized it happens when I just move my eyes. Once about 5 minutes ago, I felt nausea but did not vomit. It happens when I am typing this right now. I only use the two pointer fingers to type but I am fast and it makes me dizzy.if I sit still it goes away.What a bunch of poo-poo all of this is.I spend a lot of time on here reading sence I've found you. I am married but I have a husband that wants nothing to do with any of this (and think's I am ok) and he is tired of this and me.maggiesue

[maggiesue65]

My spinal tap did not show anything.From Sat. through Tuesday my legs gave me problems.They would become heavy(mostly right leg) and felt very uncompterable. Once Sunday night while this was happening, I walked from kitchen to livingroom, on the way my right foot became so heavy that I had to drag my foot a couple of steps, it just didn't work, then it let me pick it up and walk but the top of ankle hurt when I took a step and bent the foot. Does that make sence? My doctor ask me every time if I have a problem with cognitive problems, I say no but I read on this site that it can include like when my brain tells me I have to go to the bathroom and I start with dribbles right then, is that a yes answer? I don't empty the bladder but I do a good dribble.Should I tell the doctor this ? I sometimes think I make up all these symtoms, I can't have that much and doctor will think I am making it up.Is it odd that most of my problems are on right side?maggiesue

[maggiesue65]

are you there? I've lost you,lol..........................maggiesue

[maggiesue65]

I should add other things about myself. I meet the criteria of the Barkhof test. I have several lesions on the brain MRI. I have had the "Evoked" tests, seem to be a little slow on the right side. The first day, I couldn't come close to walking heel to toe. I have never heard of these things before.My legs some times feel like I have plugged them in, they twitch so much.Leg cramps alot.Here is something I would like comments on, from 1973 to somewhere around 1978, I had double vision. It would come and go all through the day. It would last only a minute or two. No one else in the family could see my eyes "cross". I felt like that must be what was happening but it could not be seen by anyone. I went to several eye specialist, we lived in Denver, Co. at the time.They said nothing was wrong with my eyes and it must be nerves. In 1984, I had hyperthyroidism found a book about hyperthyroidism and it said that with Graves disease, you can have double vision years before. I asked my doctor if I had Graves disease and he said no. He became head of his field at Vanderbuilt Hospital so he was really good and knew what he was talking about. I told everyone I had Graves disease because of the double vision. I now wonder if it could be part of MS.Any comments please.The double vision came and went all day at will.Maggiesue

[maggiesue65]

It takes a lot for me to understand this. I had my neck surgery the 10th of April, last month. I had my spinal tap last week. It sounds like it will be too soon and the bands will not show up? Also, I was given a shot of that stuff that starts with an "L" to deaden my spot for the spinal. I have had these shots before and they hurt sooooooooo bad.Well, it didn't deaden the spot and I felt a pain shoot all the way down to my toes. The needle was tried again and this pain was BAD. So I was given a second shot of this stuff that hurts so bad to deaden me and it worked the second time. I am saying all of this to make a point of this:I didn't even flinch the first or second time that "L" stuff was put in. Even the nurse commented on that. I didn't realize when either pain shot was given. I let my little finger be stitched once with out that "L" stuff because it hurts so bad. I don't have any back pain where this was given.Thanks for listening to me.Thanks to you too, Ray. Maggiesue

[Quixotic1]

I think I have to answer your question a little differently.

When you speak of cervical neck problems, you mean the "bony spine," the vetebrae and the discs and them being unstable or having arthritis.  It is a structural problem that can press on the spinal "cord" (the spinal cord is the bundle of nerves leaving the brain) from the outside or press on nerves that are leaving the cord to go to the body.  THAT kind of problem is not associated particularly with MS.

Although, back and neck problems are common in the general population, they are also similarly common in the MS population.

Cervical neck problems from the bony spine are a great mimic of MS.  And severe problems of disc bulging and pressure on the "spinal cord" (called Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy) can cause actual  "lesions" inside the spinal cord that can be mistaken for MS lesions.  This really muddies the diagnosis if all the symptoms are limited to nerves that pass through the cervical cord.  It doesn't explain cognitive problems, visual or balance problems, brain lesions, abnormal spinal fluid.

BUT, if the spinal surgery was fairly recent, the spinal fluid could show the effects of surgery if the sac surrounding was irritated.  It may show old blood or lingering inflammation (elevated protein or a few cells).  It will not show changes in the IgG Index or O-banding.

In pure MS, as RAY was saying, there is frequently back or neck pain and pain from lesions in the cervical spinal cord.

I hope this is clearer.

Quix

[RAY911]

Hi Maggiesue and welcome,

To my knowledge yes it is normal to have cervical neck problems and MS, I am no diagnosed yet,  But have read that cervical pain etc can be a sign.  I hope others here will help you understand things a bit better, otherwise there are places here that you can read that have helped me.  I just wanted to welcome you and let you know there are people who care

Ray