MS symptoms, tests negative

  I am 38, and over the last 8 years have had a number of bewildering
  symptoms that have defied diagnosis, but sound a lot like MS to me.
  I've had the evoked potentials test, an EKG and an MRI. The first MRI was
  in 1990 and second was done in 1995. Both showed white spots that my
  neurologist called "unspecified abnormalities." The other tests were negative.
  I've had about 5 episodes over the 8 years, each lasting one to three months,
  in which left side is almost exclusively involved. This ranges from
  constant tingling in my arm, hand, leg and foot (feels like miniature salmon
  are swimming upstream under my skin) to acute pain in my left wrist when
  held at a certain angle to a strange pressure behind my left eye (no vision
  problems). Sometimes it feels as if my nerves are just vibrating. Right now,
  the only involvement on my right side is an incredible tingling under
  my right middle fingernail.
  None of these symptoms has resulted in disability, but since everything feels
  strange, I feel like at any moment I will lose some sort of function.
  Anyhow, my questions are: 1) Is it possible to get more specific about my
  diagnosis? 2) Are there any treatments that would help me? I'm worried that
  the epidsodes are becoming closer together. Second was 5 years after the first,
  then progressively closer together. 3) Would a spinal tap make the diagnosis
  more definite? I am terrified of having one and have refused so far. 4) What
  do the white spots on the MRI signal since they weren't presented to me as
  typical MS lesions?
  Thanks very much for your help. (I grew up in Cleveland, but live outside
  Washington, DC now). I am going to a new neurologist for a second opinion,
  but couldn't get an appointment for several weeks, but all this stuff
  is driving me crazy NOW.
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As you know there is no single MS test. A diagnosis of MS requires neurologic symptoms that vary over time. The spectrum of the disease is variable and patients can range from severe symptoms to very mild symptoms. We often do not have a good explaination for white matter spots that do not look like MS plaques. Could it represent ischemic changes? viral related changes? Have you ever had a cervical spine MRI? Patients can develop a transvere myelitis that afftects the spinal cord. A spinal tap could be helpful if the results are consistent with a demyelinating disease such as MS. It soounds to me like a good ida that you are going to have a second opinion. We have an excellent MS department at CCF and if you wish a referral call 216 444 5559. Good luck
This information is provided for general medical education purposes. Please consult your doctor regarding diagnostic and treatment options.