Frustrated and waiting!

[Carebear79]

Hi, I am a 37 year old female who is under observation for MS. I have all of the classic symptoms : extreme fatigue,bladder problems, numbness on right side, legs and face, tingling and pickling sensations to fingers,arms, face, feet, electric shocks to fingers that radiate up to my neck, burning and itching feeling in arms, heavy painful legs, weakness, episodes of not being able to move, eye pain, lost vision in one eye for short time, memory and thinking problems, brain fog, bowel problems, etc..... had an abnormal brain Mri with lesions found but had a negative lumbar puncture. I am currently under care of a neurologist who is now sending me to our local MS clinic. My questions are does this sound like MS? Can you still be diagnosed with a negative lumbar puncture? I feel so frustrated and alone. Please help. Need advise. Thanks!

[NHE]

My questions are does this sound like MS? Can you still be diagnosed with a negative lumbar puncture?

Welcome to ThisIsMS Carebear. It could be MS. However, there are quite a few other conditions which can cause symptoms which can mimic MS. MS is a diagnosis of exclusion. These other conditions need to be tested for so they can be excluded as a possibility. For example, one of these other conditions is a vitamin B12 deficiency. It can cause a variety of neurological symptoms such as the ones you have listed as well as lesions in the brain and spinal cord seen via MRI. Have you been tested for vitamin B12 deficiency? If so, do you know your results?

By the way, the LP test just provides results that are consistent with MS and not definitive to MS. A positive test would indicate inflammation in the CNS, but it doesn't define the source of that inflammation. Can one be diagnosed with MS with a negative LP? I suppose it's possible. Hopefully, others will share their diagnosis experience.

[Snoopy]

Hello Carebear,

Part of your testing should also include a MRI of the spine. IF you have MS some of your symptoms could be caused by spinal cord involvement. Have you been to an Ophthalmologist about your eye pain and temporary vision loss?

[lyndacarol]

Hi, I am a 37 year old female who is under observation for MS. I have all of the classic symptoms : extreme fatigue,bladder problems, numbness on right side, legs and face, tingling and pickling sensations to fingers,arms, face, feet, electric shocks to fingers that radiate up to my neck, burning and itching feeling in arms, heavy painful legs, weakness, episodes of not being able to move, eye pain, lost vision in one eye for short time, memory and thinking problems, brain fog, bowel problems, etc..... had an abnormal brain Mri with lesions found but had a negative lumbar puncture. I am currently under care of a neurologist who is now sending me to our local MS clinic. My questions are does this sound like MS? Can you still be diagnosed with a negative lumbar puncture? I feel so frustrated and alone. Please help. Need advise. Thanks!

Welcome to ThisIsMS, Carebear79.

In addition to the testing recommended by NHE and Snoopy, I suggest that you request a vitamin D blood test (the "25-hydroxy D") from the next doctor you see. Vitamin D deficiency can result in symptoms such as yours.

Every cell and every organ in your body requires vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency is very common; it is estimated that over 1/2 of the American population is deficient.