how many years for diagnosing MS

[tarter]

I have all the classic symtoms balance a stutter in speech blurred vision weakness in hands and leg parts of body are numb like being at the dentist. Possitive Robergs, ENG showed temp patchy, MRI show 3 white spots so not conclusive. My doctor and eye specialist think I have MS I lke to think not. Have raynauds, sjogrens, bladder problems some times, constipation, degestion and FATIGUE>

[ozjohn]

Thank you

much appreciated

[Lulu54]

Hi John, and welcome to our corner of the world.  I hope you will take the time to copy what you wrote here and post it in a new thread so everyone is sure to see it.

There's a lot of information here on our health pages - in particular one titiled Lesions Come, Lesions Go, that may be of help to you.

Anyway, welcome again and I'll watch for you around.

be well,
Lulu

[ozjohn]

Hi
have just joined the forum, mainly to satify myself that all that could be done, has been done but I doubt it
I have had all the classic symptoms for almost 15 years but  no neurologist has actually said I have M.S., my early MRI scans showed lesions on my cerebellum but my last 2 scans in the past 8 months showed that these lesions have resolved themselves. Meanwhile my symptoms continue to slowly worsen
In all that time I have not been on any **************, I am still working but only just
Sorry to bore you all,but it is nice to talk to people with an understanding of this

Fondest regards to you all
John

[tj3762]

Hi,

I myself still have no diagnosis after 6 years but in the past on many forums have been told it can take years sometimes.  On this forum, I saw a post that it took 20 years.  I have heard 13 years and many, many more.

tj

[rendean]

Hi and welcome. My symptom base is closer to yours than some of the others who posted before me. I was THOUGHT to have Sjogren's which was ultimately ruled out after blaming all my symptoms on it for 3+ years. I have Raynaud's. Had inconclusive brain MRI's, slurred speech , blurred vision and bladder issues.

After going to a MS neuro (#4) at an academic hospital, all mimics were ruled out ,including Sjogren's, and I had my diagnosis 4 months after I began with the academic MS neuro. That time frame included numerous tests as well.

Wishing you luck in your diagnostic travels and a quick one at that!

Ren

[Lulu54]

Hi Tarter and welcome to the MS forum here - we have quite a few Brits among our community members and its always nice to see another one show up.

Your comment *I like to think not* made me smile.  It tells me you have a sense of humor, which you sometimes need with this disease.

As for the time to dx, I had  a firm diagnosis in less than two months from my first appt with the neurologist.  It only took two weeks for my PCP to refer me to him after getting an EMG and an MRI done.  It took A couple weeks to get my records to him and an appt. scheduled.  Then a few more weeks to run the necessary blood tests and lp to eliminate the other possibilities.  

I got my dx very fast but we have some people here who got it even faster.


I would venture a guess that your dx process will be a little slower because you have longer waiting tiimes to get tests performed and scheduling appts. with the appropriate consultants in the NHS.

Good luck and please stay in touch.
my best,
Lulu

[HVAC]

I hope it will not take you long with all those symptoms. Mine was two years with all positive tests, but milder symptoms.

Alex

[LATW]

It can depend on your symptoms and the doctor you see.  Not all Neurologists are made the same.  

I had Optic Neuritis and it took about 10 months for me to get my dx. But I went through two neurologists who said they were MS docs.  

They told me it was stress and my kids.   I knew that was crazy but waited for a while because I didn't want to chase my tail.

I had another episode of ON and my PCP sent me to an MS clinic.  I was dx'd then that very day and sent home with instructions to start DMD's.

I have a friend who had Optic Neuritis and she was dx'd within 4 weeks.  
It just depends on many different factors.  

LA

[Bob368]

If you do have MS, it's a long process to actually get a solid diagnosis of MS. From the time my symptoms started to the time i was diagnosis was about 3 years. You could say that I'm one of the lucky ones. Some people go on for years and years, and still have not been diagnosis.

Bob :)