OK LETS GET SERIOUS

[hapbear]

ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE MS FOR SURE TELL ME WHAT SYMPTONS DID YOU HAVE AT THE TIME YOU WERE DXD??? Other than the lesions and how many lesions? Because I have ZERO symptons!! So how the hell can the Dr say I have MS!!!!!?????????????????

[Guitar_grrrl]

I had sensory symptoms whenever I had a virus, some 20+ years before my diagnosis.  I'd get these burning patches on my arms and legs with colds/flu.  I blew these off. About 6 years ago I had a  3 week bout with Trigeminal Neuralgia.  My PCP said "let's watch that".  It wasn't until 3 years ago I was having a lot of problems with spasticity and spasms in my legs.  I had a normal lower extremity EMG, but when the neurologist who performed the EMG gave me a brief neuro exam, he suggested I get an MRI.  He suspected lesions in my spine, but didn't find any.  My brain, however has lots of lesions.  I was diagnosed on my history, neuro exam, and MRI.

I've progressed, some in the last 3 years, but I still ride my bike a little, do my Yoga daily, and lift some light weights.

Be grateful you have no symptoms right now!  Be active, stay strong, and enjoy!  Before I knew I had MS (and after, too), I'd always been fairly athletic, enjoying surfing, road biking, whitewater kayaking and rafting, etc...  I still enjoy being active, I've just had to make a few adjustments here and there.

It's not a death sentence!  Get out there and enjoy life!

Cheers,
Guitar_grrrl

[Ojibajo]

I also wasn't aware that I had symptoms when I was diagnosed. I went in for migraines. I thought she would give me some headache meds and send me on my way, so I was sort of shocked when I got an MS suspicion and the the confirmation.  I did have some other weird things that are probably MS related but nothing alarming that I would have ever been concerned enough to ask a doctor about.

I did have severe fatigue that I NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS would have thought was MS. I always attributed it to other things, Vitamin D, Iron, or maybe my Thyroid, etc.. I also went into a flare-up for a few weeks shortly after my diagnosis was confirmed, I assume due to stress and new meds, but it has passed. Hopefully I will stay symptom-free or mostly symptom-free from now on.

Good luck to you. Hopefully since it sounds like they have caught things early you have a really good chance have continuing to have no symptoms for a very long time.

[COBOB]

I had right eye pain and lost vision in my right eye from Optic Neuritis (Mar '10).  MRI had one lesion.  Abnormal VEP.  Negative LP.   5 months later I developed Trigeminal Neuralgia.  2nd MRI had 5 lesions.  Dx:  RRMS (11/2010)

You can be diagnosed with RIS (Radiological Isolated Syndrome)  from one MRI alone with NO symptoms.  After two MRIs, new lesions could satisfy DIT (Dissemination in Time) and the location of lesions (supratentorial and infratentorial) could satisfy DIS (Dissemination in Space).  So it is possible to diagnose RRMS without symptoms.  The 2010 Revised McDonald Criteria was changed to allow for diagnosis by MRI in the absence of "clinical lesions."  Current thinking is that these cases should be treated with DMDs to limit underlying damage that may be happening.

Bob

[mo0427]

When I was dx my sx were balance issues. My left leg felt weak and I kept swaying to the left.plus my vision in my left eye felt weak

[Lulu54]

I had right leg numbness - right knee to toes felt gloved.  The EMG to find the problem gave mixed results so doctor sent me for MRI.  The MRI showed the  classic lesions, including enhancing lesions. Then went to MS specialist who did LP and other tests, all the while telling me it would be unusual at my age - 54 then - to just be dx'd with MS.

Turns out the EMG that started the ball rolling showed that I have peripheral neuropathy causing most of the numbness and my MS was accidentally found.  Looking back I see lots of little signs that I have had this probably 20 years, but I never stopped to put it all together.

So for some of us the progression is insidious, we don't realize that this MonSter is even lurking in our bodies for some time.  

I'm guessing that your personality and drive to succeed forces you to ignore many little nuisances in your health and just soldier through.  I'm the same way and just pushed on instead of stopping and wondering why these little changes in my health were happening.


I'm so sorry you are tormented by this right now - I hope you will find some diversions to take your mind off of this for a short bit to give yourself a rest from all the thinking.

good luck in letting it go for a while - it's a hard thing to do at first.

best, Lulu

[JemmAus]

Well you could be in remission so showing no symptoms at the moment. LUCKY YOU!

My sx have been:
Migraines
paresthesia
balance problems /vertigo etc


you can see some of my MRI pics on my profile.

I am not on a DMD right now - my choice - becasue frankly I'm not convinved I have MS.