is ms the only thing that causes lessions on MRI

[cd000]

can you have nine spots on your mri and  Not Have MS.??    I searching for answers.  
    I have had the zoster virus 3 times.  Once in my right ear, could the virus cross the blood brain barrier and made these
    lessions??  I lost my hearing in that ear, before i was put on steroids and antiviral meds.
    My ear doctor said it was sudden hearing loss due to the virus.
    My nero says it was MS.     No other test, But a MRI.

[Quixotic1]

There are many diseases that cause multiple lesions on the MRI.  that is why a thorough workup must be done to rule out other diseases.  A small list of the other possibilities are:

Lyme Disease
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome+/- Fibromyalgia
Lupus
Sjogren's Syndrome
NeuroSarcoidosis
Migraines
Wilsons Disease
AIDS
Syphillis
Celiac Disease
Many other autoimmune diseases and infections.
High blood pressure
Smoking to a minor extent
Clotting abnormalities

Many of these cause lesions in areas that are distinct from the typical pattern of MS lesions.  Few of them cause lesions in the spinal cord.

Also remember that MS does not always cause lesions in the "typical areas" nor in the "typical" numbers.

The importance of the number 9 is overblown to mythological proportions.  See my new thread on the Lies Our Neurologist Told Me.

Quix

[PlateletGal]

I don't know what your symptoms are, but some fibromyalgia patients have been reported to have frequent cases of shingles.

As far as diagnosing some of these illnesses, it is complicated and getting even more complicated. I can tell you that lyme disease is a must to be ruled out. Because if you have lyme disease, you can be treated with antibiotic therapy. There are many MS patients and even ALS patients who have found out later that they were misdiagnosed and actually had lyme disease instead. Also... brain lesions are also found in many lyme patients.

To get out of limboland, I highly recommend what Dr. Oz suggests. You have to find an advocate (friend or relative) or be your own advocate... like you are doing. I applaud you for trying to find answers.

I know the National Multiple Sclerosis Society says on their website that there are approximately 400,000 people in the U.S. who have MS. There is an estimated 1-4 million people who have been diagnosed with CFS / M.E. and another 8 million who have fibromyalgia. Of course we have to take into consideration that many of these people could have been misdiagnosed. That is why these health boards are so important and sharing information with others is vital !

Another thing is the Whittemore Peterson Institute (in the news recently for their discovery of the xenotropic murine leukemia virus that was found in CFS patients is a great resource. This institute is now researching what they call "atypical MS" and according to their website, not only did CFS patients have this virus, but so did these "atypical MS" patients. For more information, feel free to visit:

http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Fibromyalgia/Diagnostic--Blood-Tests-to-Help-Diagnose-CFS/show/376?cid=39

The Whittemore Peterson Institute:

http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/40120?personal_page_id=1064

[sllowe]

Hi Cd000 and a belated welcome.

Sorry to hear you are battling this disease and for your confusion.  Heather and Lu mention some key points. Not all lesions are caused by MS, and as mentioned it takes quite a lot of investigation on part of the Dr. and you are feeling confused because you didn't have a lot of tests run but so many other people have.

I hope the above links posted don't confuse you further, they are related to testimony on chronic fatigue syndrom and not MS and the source links/info are over 10 yrs old.

CD - It wouldn't be disrespectful to ask the Dr. what criteria you met for the dx of MS and what mimics were ruled out.  His response might give you some piece of mind. Maybe you were classic. Test results support an MS dx, which in the end is clinical.  Glad to hear too that the Dr. felt the tap was invasive and when not needed it shouldn't be performed.

Thanks for joining us, I hope we can help and be here for you as you move forward. I hope you can get some reassurance from us, and your neuro.

See you around!

[PlateletGal]

Abnormal MRI findings in CFS / M.E. patients:


MRI scan --- "Half have abnormal MRI scans" --- Dr. Paul Cheney

source: http://www.ncf-net.org/conference/CheneyTestimony.htm



"Cranial MRI will show small T2 weighted high intensity lesions in 80% of cases" ---- Dr. Charles Lapp

source: http://www.cfstreatment.info/for_your_doctor.htm

[cd000]

My report is on like a DVD Disc. (Still Looking) if i have to i will get another copy from the hospital.
But I had no symptoms of anything untill i lost my hearing in my right ear.  Then of course i had vertigo, dizziness and off balance all that ear related stuff and a constant BUZZ in that ear.   I know these are some MS symtoms but they only started after the ear and have been constant.
The other problem was a life time problem with depression. (WHICH RUNS WITH MORE THAN HALF OF MY FAMILY TREE)  so you know all the symtoms that come with real depression.  (Tired, sleep all the time,sad,not want to do anything)
But i guess i really don't know of relapses ofther than my depression would be better and worse at times thruout my life.  but keep in mind just about everybody in my family has it.
     The first MRI was done normal to see if i had a tumor around the ear and the radiologist read it as normal,  the Neuro saw it and said the radiologist reading was incorrect he must have been looking at the ear area only and he made the hospital due another with and without the contrast dye and some other thing for FREE.  Because he said they read it wrong and they did it for free.    I don't think they did the whole spine, just brain & stem.  

[Heather3418]

Hope you don't mind me asking, but are you having other symptoms?  Periods of attacks and relapses?  This would give us an idea why your doctor says that he is positive based on your lesions, that you have MS.

Unless all other testing for MS mimics have been ruled out, there is no way that a doctor can look at an MRI and just say, "Yep, it's MS."

That's why I wanted to know what other neurological problems you are having and for how long?  Did the doctor do an MRI of your whole spine as well?

Sorry for the questions, but it might be a way for us to help you with our best guess.  We are just patients with MS or patients with problems that are looking for a diagnosis of something.  We call that LimboLand around here.

I have been diagnosed with MS for over a decade and my diagnosis was based on lesions in the brain, one in the spine, relapses and remission and evidence of abnormailities on my neurological exam.  Just so you know to keep in the back of your mind, a person can have only ONE lesion in a particularly sensitive area of the brain and be bombarded with lots of symptoms or maybe even cannot walk without assistance.  A person can also have dozens of lesions in the brain and cause very little problems or moderate problems.  It some cases, it only takes that one lesion to cause total havoc in a person's body.  In some people that one lesion in a different area of the brain may cause no problems at all.

Anxious to hear about your MRI report if you find it.  I was also wondering if it was done using "MS Protocol," where the MRI is done with and without contrast dye and unlike "regular MRI's," an MS Protocol study takes definitive slices and different angles of pictures of the brain, that they don't look for in a patient that is not suspected of having MS.

All the Best.  Hang in there with us.  We will really try our best to help.  We are not doctor's, just people living with the symptoms of MS with a definitive diagnosis, or symptoms without a diagnosis.

Heather
One of the Old Timer's of the MS Forum

[cd000]

He put me on Avonex (interferon)  1 shot per week.     After about 6 months it seems i was
feeling worse than before i started.  ( just felt like death every day.)  no energy, don't want
to go or do anying.
so he has taken me off Avonex for now, wants me to try copaxone,? but i do not qualify for
there assistance program and my insurance wont pay for about 8 more months.
Now i don't what he is going to try next.

[Lulu54]

So your neuro has dx'd you with MS?  What treatment plan are you on then?  Let me know if I'm interpreting this wrong.

If he is sure it is MS, I would agree with not doing the spinal tap (LP) - it doesn't prove anything and is only used as circumstantial evidence if needed.

Lu

[cd000]

Thank you so much for your reply.   Just a reply means alot to me.  I'll look for my report from
the MRI and would be happy to share the details.  
I wanted my neuro to do a spinal tap but he said the MRI findings were so clear to him that he
would not even do a spinal tap or any blood work.  They were unnessecery and dangerous to
do a spinal tap when he is positive.
    
                                           Again thanks and i will get to looking for the actual MRI report.

[Lulu54]

Yes, it is possible to have brain lesions and they are not caused by MS.  There are many different disease processes that can cause lesions.  Each has a different pattern, which can be a marker for which disease the radiologist is looking at.

Do you have a copy of the radiology report from your MRI?  If you could share the details here, we might be able to help a bit more.

My very uneducated guess if that the zoster virus (shingles, chickenpox) does not cross the BB barrier, but that is just my guess.  I'll go take a look and see if I can determine if I'm right or wrong.

What did your neuro suggest doing for the treatment of your MS?

Welcome here and I hope we will see you around,

my best,
Lulu

[jules2212]

i would like to see if anyone can give an answer to this question so im bumping it up.
Kind Regards Julie