Can stroke lesions be confused with MS on brain MRI?

[Na C.]

I am a 47 year old female. One year ago I felt a pop in my head and got extremely dizzy and everything was jumping for about 6 seconds. The same evening I had 2 severe pains on the right side of my head above the temple.
MRI showed a lesion on the right side of my brain.  One year later new MRI shows 3 new lesions on left side of brain.  I did have two to three instances where I had severe pain on the left side of my head for a few seconds and then gone.  I mentioned this to my doctor before the second MRI.  I believe that I can feel the lesions as they occur.  I was diagnosed with MS two weeks ago and put in the hospital for 3 days of 500mg IV prednisone twice a day.  I was given insulin every 4 hours because my sugar went high from the prednisone.  I am not a diabetic, but I did have gestational diabetes when I was pregnant.  I went Monday for a 2 week follow up and the doctor told me that he was reversing his diagnoses because my spinal tap came back normal with no proteins that he said
would be present had I had MS.  Also, the eeg etc was normal. My Dr stated that he can not explain the changes in my head and I should come back in three months.  I asked if the lesions could be strokes and he said no. I do have a family history of strokes.  Could stroke lesions be confused with MS lesions on an MRI?

  Other then the 4 lesions on my brain and a couple of head pains and popping mentioned earlier I am pretty much symptom free.

[elena44]

Please help. I have been having left arm and left leg pain on and off for 2  years, went to a neurologist ordered an MRI, came back with 1 lession on my left side..Dr. said that might be why I have the pain on left side, I had a spinal tap test 4 days ago, waiting for the resluts...very scared!! dr. said it might be mild MS, without even knowing the tap results...someone with same symptoms??? Elena

[terrics]

Yes, white matter brain lesions CAN look like microvascular ischemia and also white matter demyelination(MS)  Find a different neurologist.  I have white matter lesions which were interepreted both ways by different radiologists.  I think I have a very good neurologist.  My dx is ministrokes cause by microvascular ischemia.  My neurologist ordered every  test imaginable on me although her first thought was stroke.  I had a negative LP.  By the way you can have MS without a positive LP although it is not common.  I do not have any stroke risk factors but I do have factor 5 leiden.

Good luck.
terrics

[sue_in_oz]

Hi

Just a reminder - this is a stroke board, not an MS one :)

[gold34]

Read this with interest.
Question from me:  Could a lt. sided eye/forehead area centered "shingles" event in Oct. 2008,  followed by Dec. and Feb (2009) sudden onset rt. ear only partial auditory hearing losses and resolution within 7-10 days, then sudden onset diplopia March 23, 2008--stroke, tumor, etc ruled out but MRI showed "lesions suspicious for MS"--Sought another opinion by specialist in MS in another city and he agreed with MS. I am 59 y.o. female -any thoughts?

[aidle]

MRI scan is an advance/precision high resolutions scanner which
give a clear image of mostly any medical issue.

If you want information about:
MS lesions - http://experts.about.com/q/1003/1379396.htm
Stroke - http://www.stroke.org.uk

The best thing is to talk to your doctor about it.

Don't feel down if doctors can't find anything wrong with you.
It maybe a symptoms that may change your life for a better one.

The only thing you can do is to:

1. Think positively
2. Eat a healthy diet food
3. Enough exercise
4. Enough sleep

Warmest regards aidle
aidlenet.info