Presenting Symptoms

[summerbcook]

I am a 34 year old female nurse. I've been worked up for many symptoms. I have fatigue and constant muscle twitching and muscle spasms. My muscles sometimes seem stiff. My left eye turns in when I try to focus on things and I have double vision. The muscles in my face tremble after smiling alot. I have muscle weakness in my arms and legs and tremors in my hands. Sometimes I get tingling in my hands and feet. I have had MRIs that were negative. I had a muscle biopsy that was negative. My neurologist originally thought that I had myasthenia gravis but the tensilon test was negative. I had a spinal tap that was negative. I have been told that the spinal tap and MRI could be negative now and show something different later. Is that true for anyone? Also, I have been told that MS is not hereditary but I had an aunt with MS. Has anyone else had someone else in their family with MS? My neurologist is planning on referring me to a university hospital to see a specialist. Just wondering what everyone's presenting symptoms were? Thanks for allowing me to join. And, thanks for any help.

[kwarendorf]

The most important reason to see an MS specialist, when trying to rule MS in or out, is that it is first and foremost a clinical diagnosis. Blood tests, spinal taps and MRI's are supposed to be used to support clinical findings. A general neurologist may not see enough MS to properly interpret clinical findings.

Folks have been diagnosed with negative LP's and MRI's. Blood tests are used to rule out MS mimics like Lyme disease. People have also bee diagnosed with symptoms that present bilaterally. (raises hand)

As Sarah said, if you put 100 people with MS together, you'll hear 100 different stories :-) It's the nature of our beast. Because diagnosing MS is tricky business, you need a specialist to sort through our 100 stories and come up with #101.

Kyle

[SarahL2491]

you speak of your problems as bilateral, which is not normal (possible but not normal) for MS.  MS can be hereditary but for example, from parent to child is around 1% last I heard.

There are other diseases that mimic MS, many of which can be ruled out by blood tests and you did not mention any blood test results.

MS for each of us is different.  If you put 100 MS patients in a room, you would have 100 different symptoms and problems.  There are similarities but we each have many different problems.  Dx sometimes takes many years and many doctors.  I personally went 30 yrs an 4 neurologists before getting a Dx.  You would also need 2 MRI with lesions with time and space between them.

Keep at it, something is causing your problems, but I don't think it is MS.

Sarah