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Start treatment before getting a 2nd opinion?

Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 12:46 pm
by ovifan08
Hello, I am a 30 year old Male and was just diagnosed with MS this morning. I am a little confused at the diagnosis however. Here is my story. On July first, i had some numbness around my tailbone and groin area. The next day I was having tingling in both of my feet. I went to the ER and had MRI's of my spine done, lumbar and thorax(i think). It showed a little inflammation around a central nerve root. I was sent home and was told to see a Neurologist. I still had full movement and motor skills, it was just sensory. I could still feel if something was touching me, it just didn't feel normal. The Neurologist went through testing in his office, reviewed the MRI's again and put me on 18 days of Prednisone steroids after telling me the body numbness was just anxiety. Over the next few days i started getting tingling in the last 3 fingers on both hands. The tingling in my feet and numbness throughout my body went away towards the end of those 18 days, but the finger tingling was still there. I then got MRI's done of the cervical spine (neck) and the brain. There was 1 lesion that showed up in the spinal cord on my cervical spine scan, and 1 lesion showed up on the left side of my brain. The Neurologist immediately jumped to MS, even though i haven't had my Lumbar puncture yet. That concerned me a little. I have been doing a lot of research about Lyme and different things, but when i asked questions i was immediately shot down and was told, "no, its MS". Fast forward to today (8/7), the tingling in my fingers is 99% gone, and i visited the neuro again to get my Lumbar puncture results. He said the tests from the lumbar puncture show normal and no issues, but he is still comfortable in making the MS diagnosis. He said i most likely have RRMS, even though this was my first episode. I am concerned because it seems as if MS was the first place he went, and didn't change his mind even though the lumbar puncture came back fine. He gave me information on the injections and told me to come back in 2 weeks after i decide which one i want to start. I scheduled a 2nd opinion with a Dr that serves on MS boards and has done extensive studies, but i am unable to see him until 2 months from today (10/8). My question is should i start the MS injections before I get my 2nd opinion? Right now, i have no numbness and tingling over my body, but do get a weird sensation when looking down sometimes.....almost a vibration feeling in my legs and feet. I am guessing this is due to the lesion in the spinal cord. If it is MS, and there is only 1 lesion on the brain, i'm hoping that means i caught it early. Any input is helpful. Thanks i advance!

Re: Start treatment before getting a 2nd opinion?

Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 1:09 pm
by jimmylegs
i have to fly but the weird sensation when you look down is from the active c-spine lesion. it's called lhermitte's sign.

a quick dx is a blessing and a curse at the same time. traumatic, but some people can't get an answer one way or the other for ages, so a month is pretty quick.

good lp results means you are not dealing with chronic inflammation YET. another indication that you're early in whatever the process, ms or otherwise.

i'm very biased towards natural approach so of course i would say hold off on decisions re meds until you've done some reading AND had a chance for a second opinion.

when i was first dxd i was all over the idea of treatment using conventional meds. but, i have a history of bucking the system when it comes to pharma, and i read enough and heard enough to decide against dmds before long. i got the info kit initially, but then cancelled my appt with the nurse who was going to teach me how it was all done.

i couldn't get my docs to listen to my differential dx back then, and i still have this ms rubber stamp on my from my doc's point of view, (even though i've shown her some good evidence to the contrary in my file on her own computer), so yeah go for second opinions but make sure you go to different kinds of health care practitioners so you don't get just the info from one silo.

my 2 c.

welcome to the forum!