If not in a flare-up, will physical exam show abnormal, etc?

This is the place to ask questions if you have symptoms that suggest MS, but aren't yet diagnosed.
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blondemom
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Joined: Tue Mar 03, 2015 1:43 am

If not in a flare-up, will physical exam show abnormal, etc?

Post by blondemom »

Hi everyone!
I'm new to a possible MS dx, so please forgive me if I don't use the proper terminology.
My question is, if I'm not currently having an MS flare-up, will a physical exam by neuro still display weakness in limbs, uncoordinated movements, an abnormal gait and other common physical symptoms from MS? Including visual problems.
I feel fine when I'm no having a flare-up, but I'm curious as to if those movement abnormalities can be observed in a remission phase.
Thanks in advance,
Blondemom
RuralLaundry
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Joined: Thu Jun 05, 2014 6:20 am

Re: If not in a flare-up, will physical exam show abnormal,

Post by RuralLaundry »

Hi Blondemom,

It all depends on how well your body can heal up from the damage done during a flare up. I had a bout of Optic Neuritis a couple years ago which never went back to 100% in one eye. At this point 2 and 1/2 years later I'm probably around 90%. It took about 6 months to get from the worst damage back to around 70% and has slowly been getting better since. On the other hand I had what I believe to have been a flare up last year in May, I was getting creepy crawlies all over for about a week, it started getting better and by around 3 days after the 1 week I didn't notice anything remaining. I would say from the Optic Neuritis flare up there were lasting issues but the creepy crawly one there were not (at least not noticeable).

The Neuro should be able to tell if there is lasting damage that has not healed through weakness or coordination. I had these tests on my first neuro visit and had no issues but that was the flare up with eye problems.

Also, I'm sure Jimmy will be along with more information he's pretty good at this stuff but I believe a positive MS dx requires damage separated by both time and place. This means one flare up with leg problems then another one with eye problems at different times and generally lesions on an MRI. There are also a ton of similar issues like B12 deficiency that would need to be ruled out. Also a lumber puncture can aid in the dx as well.

I hope that can get you pointed in the right direction where you can start getting some answers.
blondemom
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Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Mar 03, 2015 1:43 am

Re: If not in a flare-up, will physical exam show abnormal,

Post by blondemom »

Thanks RuralLaundry, that was very informative. It's good to hear your optic neuritis is healing (albeit slowly) and you're almost back to normal.

I had a blood test and my B 12 was normal.
When you say a positive dx requires damage to be separated my time and place, does that mean there has to be lasting damage after a flare-up?
I'm getting an MRI done in about an hour. I'll let you know what comes of that. Does an MRI w/o white spots rule out MS?

In MS, do flare-up's come in weekly or monthly clusters? And do theses almost daily flare-up's last about 2 hours (give or take), subsides for a couple of hours, then come back for another 2 hours?
The best way to describe it is the attacks/symptoms come in "waves" during the day instead of solid 24+ hour blocks. Is that a clear explination? My brain isn't working well right now, as I'm in the middle of a "wave".

Thanks again,
Blondemom
RuralLaundry
Getting to Know You...
Posts: 17
Joined: Thu Jun 05, 2014 6:20 am

Re: If not in a flare-up, will physical exam show abnormal,

Post by RuralLaundry »

blondemom wrote:Thanks RuralLaundry, that was very informative. It's good to hear your optic neuritis is healing (albeit slowly) and you're almost back to normal.

I had a blood test and my B 12 was normal.
When you say a positive dx requires damage to be separated my time and place, does that mean there has to be lasting damage after a flare-up?
I'm getting an MRI done in about an hour. I'll let you know what comes of that. Does an MRI w/o white spots rule out MS?

In MS, do flare-up's come in weekly or monthly clusters? And do theses almost daily flare-up's last about 2 hours (give or take), subsides for a couple of hours, then come back for another 2 hours?
The best way to describe it is the attacks/symptoms come in "waves" during the day instead of solid 24+ hour blocks. Is that a clear explination? My brain isn't working well right now, as I'm in the middle of a "wave".

Thanks again,
Blondemom

Hello again!

Having no lesions doesn't rule out MS entirely, but lesions can help rule it "in" as a possible dx. The separation by time and place as I understand it doesn't necessarily mean lasting damage. I believe it to mean one flare being optic neuritis in June, then another flare being loss of sensation in your left foot in November. This would be two separate nerve damage instances in two separate areas of the body. I believe two instances of optic neuritis separated by time could point to MS but is generally less conclusive, if that makes sense.

I'm not sure with regards to the flare ups, I believe everyone has them differently. For me I tend to get exhausted to the point I have a very hard time staying awake driving. My issues tend to persist for a week or two then start to subside. The last one I had I was absolutely exhausted for 2-3 weeks and about 1 week of that I had creepy crawly sensations anytime I was awake. I also have difficulty concentrating and being generally useful.

Also I want to add that I have not been "officially" diagnosed with MS. At my last MRI I had 6 lesions "consistent" with MS and have had 3 flare ups in 2 and 1/2 years that are also consistent with MS. So please take info about my personal experiences with a grain of salt.

Good luck on your MRI, hopefully it will point you in a direction for some answers. If you believe your symptoms are pointing to an MS dx you can start making changes in diet and overall nutrition and see if anything helps. Everyone on this board has an idea on what either the "cure" for MS is or what you need to do to fix it. If you read through some of the different threads some people have great luck with Paleo, others with exercise and supplements, then others with vegetarian. Personally I have found Turmeric, B complex supplement and fish oil seem to make my flare ups less severe but I don't have much to base that on. I have also worked to eat less processed foods.
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