Please help!!! Symptoms

[beaston79]

Ok we will start with I am a 36 year old white male. I have had several tests done in the last month and a half and here is where I am at. I have been tested for diabetes and it came back negative. I have had 5 mri one of the brain which came back clear one of the cervical spine which came back with issues but none that require surgery. I have had a lumbar mri which came back clear. A thoracic mri with contrast and without contrast which showed spinal inflammation or as the neurosurgeon said a white spot but just the one. they said it was called demyelination of the spinal cord. Now the symptoms. Started with several er visits they found that my bladder is retaining urine but I initially went in for lower extremity numbness. My legs from the waist below went numb mostly my feet and both of them followed by extreme balance issues and extreme gait. This has all been going on for 1 month and a half and now seems to be easing up except the feet numbness. My question is my doctor has now referred me to a neurologist but my doctor said it couldn't be ms because my brain scan came back with nothing to show. I done some reading and seen if its spinal ms sometimes it doesn't present with brain lesions. And also since it is only one white spot could it be the initial attack and could it be ms?

[NHE]

Welcome to ThisIsMS. Your symptoms are compatible with several conditions. MS is a diagnosis of exclusion in that the other conditions that can produce MS-like symptoms need to be ruled out first. One of these conditions is a vitamin B12 deficiency which is well known to cause demyelination of the spinal cord. Did you receive a panel of tests for vitamin B12 deficiency? These usually include serum B12, serum or red blood cell (RBC) folate, homocysteine and methylmalonic acid (MMA). If you did get some of these tests done, then it would great if you could post your results. For example, the standard laboratory range for B12 in the US is much too broad with the lower end of the scale being around 200 pg/mL. It's really best to be around 500-1000 pg/mL.

You may wish to take a look at the following discussion thread for references.
http://www.thisisms.com/forum/natural-a ... 24857.html

[Panther123]

There are definitely many possible causes to check out before an MS diagnosis can be made. I am going through that right now and have been tested for lots of stuff. Dr. even thought about testing for syphilis but decided not to.

In any event, I have decided not to "trust" my general practitioner DR when he talks about specific conditions. He also told me I couldn't have MS because I do not have balance issues. There are many people with MS that do not have balance issues.

Just like 5% of people with MS do not have any lesions at all. The disease is so varied in its presentation I believe the best way to get clarity is to find a neurologist that specializes in MS. NOT a general neurologist, but one that specializes in MS and sees only MS patients (or at least mostly). They will rule out all kinds of neurological things that can mimic MS and also be most able to make an MS diagnosis should it be appropriate.

Good luck and be happy. Even if you do have MS life can still be wonderful and fun. There are lots of good people in the world who will be supportive and share fun experiences with you.