undiagnosed by neurologist, diagnosed by gp

[kass70]

Hi,
I have been having what looks like relapsing/remitting symptons that look like MS since 2002, My neurologist at the time did not do a spine MRI though I had MRI on my brain, this showed 2 areas of heightened activity!  I am unsure what that means. My GP always treated me as if I had MS and had written several times to the Neurologist saying that they need to diagnose me. I have never been diagnosed despite having positive tests on my neurological examinations such as positive Rombergs, upgoing planters and a very ataxic gait. I have since moved to a different area and had quite a bad relapse of my undiagnosed condition and referred to a neurologist. my question is that after almost a month of being unable to walk, urine retention and other symptoms I am starting to feel better, will the neurologist see any evidence of lesions if I am better when I get the appointment through.

Thank you kindly for your help.

[aspen2]

I did forget to mention ... A gp cannot diagnose ms.  There are a ton of mimics, and gps aren't familiar with them.

In my experience no neurologist is going to take seriously a gp telling them to dx a patient either.

The process is slow, and I hope your next appointment moves things forward.

And for the record, my March relapse was a duplicate of yours by the sounds of it, and I can hazard a guess at the
other symptoms :).

[kass70]

Thank you everyone for your answers and support. Im waiting for a hot clinic apt which is apparently anot emergency referral, though I still dont have this through. I have not had an mri with dye. I;m hoping the neurologist here is more competent. Thank you.

[immisceo]

If you have had MS based since 2002, an new MRI should be able to show evidence of this fact. Over 14 years, there will have been characteristic changes.

A competent neurologist should be able to discern a fair amount from a simple clinical exam even if your observed symptoms have improved. These exams look for objective signs.

[doublevision1]

They may or not not see neurological signs. How soon is your appointment? Do you have a MRI with contrast scheduled?

[aspen2]

One of the best thing to do in limbo is to take video -- video of gait, plus be seen by (for example) a urologist for the urinary issues and make sure the neurologist is sent the report.  I had a neurogenic bladder diagnosis 18 months prior to the ms diagnosis.  I was also told me to make sure I saw a doctor to be documented when there was a relapse.  If you saw your gp during this time, he would have likely mentioned this on the referral request to the neurologist.

In theory there should be evidence of lesions, however some seem to be quick to have them settle down.  Active lesions light up for only a short time; so there may be no enhancing lesions found.

Some neurologists are loathe to compare mris done on other machines and will want to basically start at the beginning using the same software/MRI machine.  Others will look for differences between your previous mris and a current one.

Please bring a chronological timeline with you ... across the years showing any relapses you've had and what they involved.

Best of luck and I hope your new neuro is a good one who is committed to helping you figure out what is going on!