Could I possibly have MS?

[Gigi4647]

I have been diagnosed with Atypical migraine. Several doctors I have seen have asked the question, "Have you been diagnosed with MS?"

What are the Similiarities and Differences between Atypical migraines and MS?
Are there any tests that determine one vs. the other?

The Neurologist I see told me based on my symptoms he diagnosed me with Atypical migraines because it is a catch all that covers a wide range of symptoms. I have had a bunch of tests: blood work, MRI, Neurological testing. I have not gotton a definitive answer as yet.

Has anyone else had any experience with this type of situation? I have posted questions before and I truely appreciate the answers I have received. This is just one more group of questions I have and was wondering if anyone else has experienced this type of situation.

[bettytrendset]

I read your ans to gigi and find it helpful.Im not feeling well now but would like to add 2 my watch list. to read later.

[Corvin]

Hi Gigi,

I have experienced this exact situation before, I was diagnosed with everything from chronic tension headache, then classic migraine without aura, then chronic migraine with aura, then transformed migraines.

I mainly had were my right lower leg/foot and both arms/hands would "fall asleep" constantly all day for 5 months and kind of a zappy electrical shocks in calves and forearms, and I would get long periods of muscle pain/weakness in my legs(must of being one hell of a headache). I would have this whether I had a bad headache or not it was 24/7.

I also thought this was not normal for headaches and started thinking also that I might have Multiple Sclerosis, I had an MRI which was negative, I had a spinal tap(which I had to ask for myself)that was showed an elevated opening pressure, but was fine otherwise. So then it mostly remitted and I just figured whatever and went another year and then this year I started getting the same old problems but a bunch of other systemic symptoms also, finally they figured out that I have Sarcoidosis, which when it's in your CNS can sort of mimic MS. I'm still in the process of finding exactly where and how it's creating inflammation in my CNS, seems like a never ending process.

So anyway the moral of the story is a lot different things can create inflammation in the nervous system, and if to you the neurological symptoms your having don't seem to fit with having just headaches then you should keep pushing for more answers.

Personally my uneducated theory behind migraines and neurological symptoms/damage is this: People that have true definitive damage/neurological symptoms from migraine actually have suffered from a "mini-stroke(s)" and the reason they did isn't because of migraines alone but because comorbidly they also have a clotting disorder from a blood disease, severe infection, surgery, immobility, cancer, whatever ever the cause but it makes them develop Thrombosis in their blood vessels. And migraine constricts cerebral blood vessels making it that much more easier for the Thrombi to stop blood supply to an area of the brain or even the spinal cord. Not to say that migraine doesn't cause temporary neurological deficits before and even during the pain part of the headache, but long lasting deficits that last longer than the headache either the person suffered a stroke or they have some other neurological disease.

Finally the only real difference is MS lesions are usually periventricular, meaning they like to develop deep in the white matter of the brain just around the first ventricle. The first ventricle is a space in the center of the brain that is butterfly shaped(at least on images)where your CSF is produced and enters this cavity. Lesions from Migraines on the other hand(actually cerebral accidents see above)tend to form more in the frontal lobes of the brain. Another distinction is CSF analysis, in MS they can find elevated proteins mostly Immunoglobulin (Ig) and Myelin Protein(because MS is a demyelinating disease) and when they study the Ig proteins under microscope they can show a abnormality called oligoclonal banding. These findings aren't definitively specific to MS either but their not present at all in primary migraine disorder.