This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

Hello! I'm a 45 year old female.
Back in January I had about 2 weeks of memory loss/feeling like I was trying to "think through mud" that affected my job, severe fatigue that got really bad at about the same time every day, bad headaches, my feet are always numb when I get up in the mornings and feeling unstaedy on my feet. I remember the day I finally felt like myself again, had some energy ect. Then the left side of my face became tingling and numb. Chalked it up to allergies, whatever- no drainage, ect though. Then my the left half of my nose, lips, tongue and entire left side of face was numb. Went to the ER.
CT scan showed possible hydrocephalus
MRI without contrast showed nothing.
Neurologist said it sounded like migraines and gave me some pills. Said no hydro, just how I was born ect.

But my face is still tingly and painful, always the left side. It's worse when I lay down on my right side.

I'm in jeopardy of losing my job because of that "blank time". It's paperwork that I've successfully dealt with for 8 years and all of a sudden, I totally forgot how to do it. There were some other memory things as well, forgetting common codes I use daily, people's names ect...There are emails I don't remember reading ect... I still have a hard time managing the paperwork, job stuff. It doesn't come as easily as it use to, have to really concentrate on it...

So could a CT and MRI miss MS?

Thanks so much...

STL wrote:Hello! I'm a 45 year old female.
Back in January I had about 2 weeks of memory loss/feeling like I was trying to "think through mud" that affected my job, severe fatigue that got really bad at about the same time every day, bad headaches, my feet are always numb when I get up in the mornings and feeling unstaedy on my feet. I remember the day I finally felt like myself again, had some energy ect. Then the left side of my face became tingling and numb. Chalked it up to allergies, whatever- no drainage, ect though. Then my the left half of my nose, lips, tongue and entire left side of face was numb. Went to the ER.
CT scan showed possible hydrocephalus
MRI without contrast showed nothing.
Neurologist said it sounded like migraines and gave me some pills. Said no hydro, just how I was born ect.

But my face is still tingly and painful, always the left side. It's worse when I lay down on my right side.

I'm in jeopardy of losing my job because of that "blank time". It's paperwork that I've successfully dealt with for 8 years and all of a sudden, I totally forgot how to do it. There were some other memory things as well, forgetting common codes I use daily, people's names ect...There are emails I don't remember reading ect... I still have a hard time managing the paperwork, job stuff. It doesn't come as easily as it use to, have to really concentrate on it...

So could a CT and MRI miss MS?

Welcome to ThisIsMS, STL.

Your symptoms are common to many conditions. MS can only be considered after the other more likely causes have been tested and ruled out. There is NO one definitive test for MS.

If your GP or your neurologist has not ordered a vitamin D test (a.k.a. 25-hydroxy D test), I suggest that you start there. It is a relatively inexpensive blood test (about $50-$70 and is covered by most insurance). Do not take vitamin D supplements before testing. (By the way, it's a good idea to request your own copy of any test results – it is important to have the actual number results.) Low vitamin D levels are VERY common (some doctors are even using this test routinely – like blood pressure testing, glucose tests, or cholesterol tests are done); if this is your situation, low vitamin D could be responsible for your symptoms.

If your vitamin D level is good (doctors often recommend the level should be 80-100 ng/mL for people with neurological symptoms, such as yours), there is a long list of possibilities to investigate before a doctor can get to before diagnosing MS.

It's also important to check your vitamin B12 levels. Since you're experiencing neurological symptoms you'll want your vitamin B12 levels to be between 600-1000 pg/mL. Red blood cell (RBC) folate, homocysteine and methylmalonic acid (MMA) should also be measured. Homocysteine and MMA are metabolites which can be elevated in B12 deficiency and indicate how well your body is processing B12. RBC folate is good to measure since a folate deficiency can lead to a B12 deficiency over time as methylfolate is used to recycle spent B12 back to the active form. Please see the following discussion topic for more information. http://www.thisisms.com/forum/natural-a ... 24857.html