Re: MS pain or disc's?

Posted By CCF Neuro MD MJD on December 17, 1998 at 16:09:50:

In Reply to: MS pain or disc's? posted by MS'er on December 13, 1998 at 01:09:34:






I was diag with MS in 1986 with 14 lesions showing up and double vision.  I recently took disability as my management job in a hospital was very stressful, cognitive, memory problems, etc.  My new Neuro.(due to Ins.) seems to be much more thorough than my previous one and I'm thankful.  I have had years of right side pain for years where my entire right side is affected.  It is muscular and some nights so painful I can't sleep and often find some comfort laying on a rolled up towel or even on my side,  on the floor.  I have always taken this as my Osteoarthritis which an arthritis specialist at McBride clinic diag. me with apprx. 8-10 yrs ago. Itwas not until I had my records from him which I sent to my new PCP Dr. (an Interest), that I knew he had also dictated and diag. FM but I don't have any real tender points?..My Neuro does not agree with the FM and has found two disc's thinned and one sideways and feels the pain is from my disc's.  But he has done two MRI's which do not show any changes in the disc's to back it up and two EMG's that show carpel tunnnel both arm's but nothing about the disc's.  
My Neuro and I are at a stale mate on this.  He said he can't really refer me to a Neuro Surg. as his tests don't validate it (Ins. with a PCP).  He did recently get the Ins. to auth. 9 PT visits and said it would be for my neck, shoulder and arm.          
Do you have any suggestions considering the symptoms vs the tests results,my Dr. and I would appreciate them?  We would really appreciate any input as we are stumped!
If you've had any MS pt.s with these symptoms, it would be good to know this also.  Thank YOU.  Your forum is great and my Dr.s speak very highly of it also.



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A neurologist is perhaps the wrong person to ask about fibromylagia (fibromyalgia) because many feel it is too ill-defined a syndrome with very little hard evidence to support it's existence, so I'm not surprised that your neurologist disagrees with that diagnosis.  Still, this does not even sound like the typical description of Fibromyalgia which is defined by presence of Trigger points and wouldn't just affect half of your body.  Although discs can cause pain that go down your leg or arm, this wouldn't explain pain involving the entire half of the body especially if the face is involved.  Is the face and/or trunk involved - if so, this may be a central problem involving the brain or spinal cord.  Multiple sclerosis patients can have pain syndromes involving half their body.