Please help (Diagnosis questions)
I'm sorry this is so hard
I am 48 years old. When I was 39, I started having severe spasms (I don't know what you call them but My outer upper thigh hardens and it is constant and does not unlock, even until today).
At that time, age 39 I had a T and C spine and brain MRI. Brain ok. T spine showed a lesion and C spine showed a lesions. They immediatly ordered another MRI with contrast. Turned out T spine lesion was "arctifact" (I still don't know what is this) but C spine lesions were real . I had the most severe panic attack in that Machine that triggered chronic panic attacks until today. So, they went on to a Lumber puncture, which age 39 showed nothing but fine. So I felt in the clear of MS.
Fast forward till now. I'm 48, my outer thigh still has the hardening that caused falls, Now my upper arms have hardening too (The outer part of my arm tricepts) my shoulders. I spend every night when a massager on my legs and arms for hours to unharden these areas, then a hot bath. I use a walker because my balance is off.
I did a nerve conduction study last week. He oddly did not test my feet. Only my calves and lower back. It showed a pinched nerve possible at S1.
Now they really, really want new MRIs. I cannot, will not , can not fathom going in that machine. Absolutely not. There are no open MRIs where I am and they won't put me under anestisia. I also cannot endure another lumber as I needed a blood patch and it was traumatic, I still have back pain until today from 2013.
So, can a MS dr diagnos MS without new MRIs or lumber punctures? My doctor already gives me baclofen and gabapentin so its like I am already being treated. But, they really want me to go to the MS dr.
Does anyone think this could be MS? My lumber was fine in 2013.
Thank you!!!! I'm in Hawaii btw
Hi
. Your fear of the closed MRI is understandable. I am not sure I could handle it either. We are not medical experts, so we can't even guess whether you have MS, but I do know that many members here had clear lumbar punctures initially and then tested positive for the cells found in the spinal fluids of people with MS years later. It is wonderful that your doctor is treating your spasms and nerve pain, but people with MS can also benefit greatly from medication that slows the progression of the disease. Your doctor can't prescribe those medications without an MS diagnosis.
It is possible to be diagnosed without another lumbar puncture or MRI, but the risk of a misdiagnosis would be fairly high and your neurologist might be reluctant to do it. There are so many other health conditions that could be causing your symptoms, that it would be wise to rule them all out first. Here is a list: https://multiplesclerosis.net/diagnosis/ruling-out-other-health-conditions. It might be worthwhile to review these with your doctor and be certain that all the bases have been covered before focusing so intently on MS.
If you are willing and able to travel a bit, there are a few open MRI facilities in Hawaii. It would, hopefully, be a one-time trip. So it might be worth the effort, time and money. Here are the results of a Google search for open MRI facilities in Hawaii: https://www.google.com/search?q=open+mri+hawaii&rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS894US894&oq=open+MRI+haw&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0i512j0i22i30l4j0i390i650l4.10041j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8. The new MRI results might provide your neurologist with enough clues to make an MS diagnosis without another lumbar puncture.
I hope this helps and that you get answers you can be confident in. Please keep us posted if you don't mind sharing. Thinking of you and wishing you the very best. - Lori (Team Member)
