MS

[Linda1954]

I have all the symptoms of MS, except 1 - I do not have lesions in my brain or on my spinal cord.  While in the ER with other things, I've seen one doctor on 2 different occasions.  He swears I have MS and he has told me this twice.  He argued with my neurologist and said that you don't have to have lesions to have MS.  Is this true?  I have a nerve sheath tumor on my spine and I suffer from severe neuropathy in my feet and legs, and now it seems to be in my left arm as I have a lot of numb feeling, but not the burning pain like in my legs and feet.  I am on a lot of medicines for the severe pain and I could go on and on about this, but would really appreciate an answer.  I'd like to see if I could possibly have MS and maybe take some different meds that work instead of covering up symptoms. I have recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and they said I've been a diabetic since at least 2005, thus the reason for neuropathy in feet and legs.   Do you have any tests that maybe I could suggest to my doctors to confirm MS?  Thank you

[Linda1954]

Oh, sorry I forgot to add this.....about a year ago I got vertigo really bad.  That was when I saw the ER doctor for the second time.  He happened to be on duty that night.  Prior to that time, a year had passed since I saw him but he remembered me and asked me if my primary care doc had sent me to the neurologist so they could confirm the diagnosis.  Like I said, a year had passed between the 1st and 2nd visit with this doc and when I told him I'd had the spinal tap and MRI, that's when he insisted it didn't matter whether I had lesions or not and I am sure he left a note for my neurologist but to date, nothing has been confirmed.  This ER doctor said that vertigo was a big symptom for MS.  I am sure there were some other things but I can't remember them as I have a hard time with memory (both short and long term).  Again, I'll me grateful if you can help answer some of my questions.  Thanks.

[Linda1954]

Thanks for your answers.  I've had the same answers as you, but I have not been diagnosed with MS, other than the ER doctor I saw.  My next question is, are you taking a specific medicine for your MS?  I was hoping that if I do have MS, that maybe there was a medicine other than pain pills.  I got re-interested in MS because Paula Abdul talked about taking Enbrel (is that the right spelling) and hasn't had to take any pain meds since she takes that by injection, which she gives herself.  Here's another thing, I've been taking pain meds and anti-depressants for my neuropathy for over 3 years.  I know I'm dependent upon those meds, but I am not an addict.  I don't take any more or any less per day than what I'm prescribed to do.  I am mortified to change the medicine on my own as I've tried to live on less than what I'm prescribed and this pain is horrible.  I am in a tremendous amount of pain 24/7.  Even with all these meds for pain control, the pain still is so bad some days, I just lay around in bed.  Once when we went out to dinner, I forgot to take my pain medicines with me and I was 2 hours late getting it.  I thought I was going to die and I don't have any meds for break through pain.  I really don't like having to take break through pain meds cause they make me sick on my stomach, but there are times that it's really bad.  Would you mind telling me how you feel?  I've read about the symptoms of MS and I do have every one of them, but these symptoms are similar to Lupus, fibromyalgia and Lyme's disease.  How do they treat them?  How do they really tell them apart?  I have had MRI's and a spinal tap.  They came back fine. I do have osteoarthritis up and down my spine and I just do not understand how someone like me, who hurts so bad they could literally scream and cry all day and night and still a doctor cannot find the problem.  Have you had this experience?  Just so you will know I'm not crazy...I'm a female Viet Nam Era Veteran and my husband and I both have to use the VA as we have no insurance and I feel like I've been the VA's guinea pig for years.  If you could please answer these questions, I'd appreaciate it so much.  Thanks.

[iz26]

Hi Linda

The tests are usually an MRI and a lumbar puncture, but they also say they put this together with the patients symptoms to build a picture and make the diagnosis of ms.

That's what my neurologist told me when they diagnosed me with ms.  I apparently had a few lesions (but not in spinal cord) but he also said that it doesn't really matter how many lesions I have as he said in his experience he has had people in his office with lots of lesions and they walk in his office feeling fine and not having any symptoms, then there are others who don't have many lesions and are not good at all, so it seems the whole thing about lesions is a bit undecided.

I hope this helps.  
Take care