Diagnosed Monday...confused about spinal tap?

[sweetsilverlining]

Hi, I'm new here! I just got diagnosed a couple days ago. I went into the ER with left leg numbness assuming it was a pinched nerve and instead they performed an MRI on my brain and found brain lesions and swelling. I spoke to a neurologist who gave me a spinal tap, but I'm still pretty confused by the diagnosis. It's not just that it was completely unexpected, but I won't get the spinal tap results until next week so I'm wondering if there's a chance it isn't MS. And if it isn't MS, what else could it be? The neurologist seemed pretty sure that it was MS. My discharge papers classified me as having MS, and I'm seeing the neurologist again in 2 weeks to discuss treatment options, but he also said the spinal tap would be used to rule out any other autoimmune diseases.
I guess I'm just really confused about the spinal tap. If it comes back normal does that mean that I don't have MS, and it's something else? The neurologist explained this to me, but I had a hard time listening because I was still pretty shocked by the diagnosis.

[want2bike]

The neurologist you see is going to recommend a drug for you. It is important you understand drugs are not the only form of treatment. The most effective treatment is nutrition. I give you a study showing the drugs do not work and Dr. Bergman's plan for treating MS. Doesn't matter the name they give your disease his treatment works for all of them. Give his treatment a try for 60 days and if it doesn't work try something else. You will not have a lot of side effects from changing your diet, exercise, proper sleep and prayer and meditation.

[lyndacarol]

Hi, I'm new here! I just got diagnosed a couple days ago. I went into the ER with left leg numbness assuming it was a pinched nerve and instead they performed an MRI on my brain and found brain lesions and swelling. I spoke to a neurologist who gave me a spinal tap, but I'm still pretty confused by the diagnosis. It's not just that it was completely unexpected, but I won't get the spinal tap results until next week so I'm wondering if there's a chance it isn't MS. And if it isn't MS, what else could it be? The neurologist seemed pretty sure that it was MS. My discharge papers classified me as having MS, and I'm seeing the neurologist again in 2 weeks to discuss treatment options, but he also said the spinal tap would be used to rule out any other autoimmune diseases.
I guess I'm just really confused about the spinal tap. If it comes back normal does that mean that I don't have MS, and it's something else? The neurologist explained this to me, but I had a hard time listening because I was still pretty shocked by the diagnosis.

Welcome to ThisIsMS, sweetsilverlining.

I am not surprised that you "spoke to a neurologist who gave a spinal tap." I am convinced that if you see a neuro, he will only see the problem/solution in neurology. I have read: "doctors are experts in, and only test for, those parts of the body in which they specialize."

There is no definitive test to diagnose MS; it is an exclusionary diagnosis, made by ruling out first other conditions that share the same symptoms. There is most definitely "a chance it isn't MS."

Numbness/tingling in the legs, arms, or hands is the textbook definition of "peripheral neuropathy." This is a common symptom in MANY conditions. In investigating the cause of peripheral neuropathy, the University of Chicago suggests the following (Compare this to your experience.):

http://peripheralneuropathycenter.uchic ... #bloodtest

Blood tests

Blood tests are commonly employed to check for vitamin deficiencies, toxic elements and evidence of an abnormal immune response.

Depending on your individual situation, your doctor may request certain laboratory tests to identify potentially treatable causes for neuropathy. These include tests for:
Vitamin B12 and folate levels
Thyroid, liver and kidney functions
Vasculitis evaluation
Oral glucose tolerance test
Antibodies to nerve components (e.g., anti-MAG antibody)
Antibodies related to celiac disease
Lyme disease
HIV/AIDS
Hepatitis C and B

Please note that the first blood test the U of Chicago suggests is for vitamin B12. I definitely think this is the place to start. There have been several malpractice cases won (for several million dollars each) when doctors did not look for vitamin B 12 deficiencies and patients went on to develop irreversible neurologic damage.

You may find information in the following video useful: "Everything You Want Your Doctor to Know about Vitamin B12"



I highly recommend this 50-minute documentary from the filmmaker Elissa Leonard, featuring Sally Pacholok, RN, BSN & her husband Jeffrey Stuart, D.O. (authors of the book, Could It Be B12? An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses); Lawrence Solomon, M.D., hematologist with Yale Medical School; Ralph Green, M.D., hematologist at UC Davis; and Donald Jacobsen, PhD, at the Cleveland Clinic (Homocysteine Research Lab).

@1:23 "The neurological manifestations well precede the hematological manifestations."

@1:46 "In 1948 scientists isolated a red crystalline pigment and named it vitamin B12. It is a primordial molecule responsible for the health of all the DNA in all our cells. The Framingham Offspring Study suggests 40% of Americans have suboptimal B12."

If you are found to have a vitamin B 12 deficiency, it is easily treated with B12 supplementation; when it comes to MS, the cause is unknown and the "experts" have no effective treatment for it.

[sweetsilverlining]

Hi guys, thanks for responding. I'm definitely looking into nutrition as a main method of dealing with symptoms based on what other people I know with MS have told me.
Also, I did get quite a lot of blood tests done on that day as well as the brain MRI and spinal tap so I think most other conditions have been ruled out. I've been reading about the importance of B12 for people with MS though so I'll probably take a supplement.

[jimmylegs]

hi sweet! you may find this interesting reading: www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html

b12 is the tip of an extensive iceberg and we have loads of helpful info here at TiMS