How often, if you have met the McDonald Criteria (2010) for ms

[aspen2]

do you end up NOT having ms?  Diagnosed today with migraines today at a stroke clinic.  Apparently all my physical issues are "auras".  I don't actually have headaches, let alone migraines.

Please, someone convince me that my trigeminal neuralgia, hemiparesis, bladder issues, muscle cramping, and drop foot can be caused by migraines.  It certainly would be an easier to manage problem :-).

[aspen2]

Anyone else?  I'm very curious if there are other folks who have met McDonald Criteria and NOT had ms.

[aspen2]

I know -- frustrating.  His comment on the MRIs were that the lesions were tiny and inconsequential.  (Never mind that the report says I have a juxta cortical lesion, which according to a teaching website I found is only rarely found outside of an ms diagnosis).

I'm on the wait list at three clinics -- but the wait is loooonnnggg ...

[aspen2]

Thank you for your response.  Well, this was a stroke clinic, and I didn't get diagnosed with a stroke, so that is a step up, I suppose.

I still get random pain in the trigeminal area -- he was very excited about the eye pain portion (which I rarely get any more) and pain in general.  The only pain I get at this point is muscle cramping pain, which he said wouldn't be caused by migraine, but would be caused by hyperthyroidism.  I reminded him that I've had thyroid testing done and it was fine.  Didn't even mention the bladder stuff because at that point I'm pretty sure he would have suggested I had a UTI :-P.

I have a new thing happening this week too, with my left eye-- told him about it and it's a very rare symptom with migraine, although I suspect not so rare with ms.

Thanks, Poppy!

[Poppy7402]

I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I'd say very rarely would you meet McDonald criteria AND have the symptoms you have.  

It seems to be that if you visit a migraine neurologist, you get diagnosed with migraine, a stroke neuro, a stroke and so on.  The conclusion thus being, you need a new neurologist.

I've got a lot of the same symptoms as you, and have an MS diagnosis.

Best wishes


Poppy