6 old age spots or MS Plaque

[eciuros]

I am 61, I have been having numbness in my calves or in my feet.  I have calf muscles that will contract and lock, hurts so bad I can't walk till it lets go. I have had muscles contract and lock for as long as 1 year.
I am clumsy, I will stumble over my own feet. I am dizzy 24/7 for 3 mos. now. It stays from a 1-10 at a 3,  but will spike to a 10 and throw me from a chair to the floor. I am missing words really bad.I have fallen 16 times in 15 mos. pain and numbness.  Can't decide if the 6 spots on my MRI-Brain  is MS or old age.  Does the old age doctors talk about have Ms symptoms?  Everything I have read about MS, I would say it' MS.  Somebody tell me.  I won't do a Spinal Tap, every time my spinal fluid gets messed with, I am the one in the bed for 2 days, because of the headache, must crawl, can''t stand, so what is left?

[kwarendorf]

"Anyway, yes, MS can be diagnosed relatively late in life. Mine was."

Me too :-) I was 51.

Kyle

[essdipity]

Kyle is right. Many, maybe most people, accumulate brain lesions with age. This generally happens after 50, but that isn't some hard and fast rule.

The big difference, though, is that if it's just a matter of age, there are no symptoms. Usually these are just 'incidental findings' when an MRI is done for some other reason. And who knows how many people have brain lesions but never have MRIs because they don't need any.

However, when someone has serious symptoms of some disease and a doctor orders a brain MRI and finds lesions, for some crazy reason these are so often written off if the person is fairly old (sometimes not even old at all).

I imagine your doctor is not taking you seriously because the MRI results do not perfectly match his or her perfect idea of MS. That is simply pathetic. Either that or he or she couldn't read an MRI if it glued itself to his eyeballs, and is only relying on what the radiology report has said. I presume your doctor has seen your 'locked up' calf muscles. If not, have you taken a photo?

Either way, I'd waste no further time on this loser doctor, but find someone competent. If there's a MS center in your vicinity, try there. Lots of neurologists claim they specialize in MS, but if you look closely they also 'specialize' in a large group of other neuro diseases. One or two, maybe, but more than that and the word 'specialize' is a sham. Just not possible.

Anyway, yes, MS can be diagnosed relatively late in life. Mine was. Most older people newly diagnosed have had symptoms of some sort for quite a few years, but not all.

Bottom line: Find a better doctor.

ess

[kwarendorf]

Welcome to our little group. Sorry you had to come looking for us :-)

Much of what you describe could be caused by MS. Bu, like most MS symptoms, could be caused by many other things. How long ago did you have the MRI done? Was it just of your brain or was you c & t-spine included as well?

MS can be, and often is, diagnosed without an LP. The LP is just a single piece of confirming evidence. Have you had all of the blood work to rule out MS mimics like Lyme disease?

In my opinion, neurologists that blame lesions on old age, unless your 90, should be avoided. It indicates a lack of interest.

Kyle