Possible New diagnosis

[jshereetaylor]

Hello All!
I am new here. I have been doing a little research and stumbled across this page. I will be going to a neurologist on 9/23. This came on accidentally. I am 35 years old. I only went to a doctor for the first time in 5 years because I had begun having headaches. The first headache was about 20 months ago and didn't start out as a headache. It started out as complete loss of vision in one of my eyes. I called my husband because I was afraid I was having a stroke or that I had a retinal detachment. I wound up going to an Urgent Care, but by the time I went my vision was restored and I just had a horrible headache.
I was told that it was "probably sinusitis".
Since that date I began having headaches, at first monthly, and it has progressed to 3-4 times weekly. When I realized I was taking a whole bottle of Tylenol weekly, I figured I would at least go an have some lab work done. Of course, the doctor said I needed an MRI.
I had an MRI, which showed a possible aneurysm and some white matter lesions.
I have since had an MRA which ruled out the aneurysm, thank goodness. But the earliest any of the neurologists could get me in (with an abnormal MRI) was 9/23. Other wise it would have been November.
Never once, did the thought of MS even cross my mind. But, now I look back and believe I may have some other symptoms and have for a while. I suffer from fatigue very bad. I also occasionally have a burning in my L leg/foot. I have always had some bladder problems (which I attribute to having 3 children in 4 years) but it does seem to be getting worse (which I thought was due to aging). Occasionally I can tell my L eye is blurry or fuzzy, but my vision is still great as long as I use both eyes.
I have an appointment with an opthamologist on Friday.
Just curious, if anyone else has had any of the same symptoms. At first, I was very reluctant to do any research, because nothing is bothering me that bad. I still pray that I do not get a diagnosis of MS and that the opthamologist does not see optic neuritis.
Anyway, just wanted to say hello :)
~Sheree~

[agate]

Hello All!

I am new here. I have been doing a little research and stumbled across this page. I will be going to a neurologist on 9/23. This came on accidentally. I am 35 years old. I only went to a doctor for the first time in 5 years because I had begun having headaches. The first headache was about 20 months ago and didn't start out as a headache. It started out as complete loss of vision in one of my eyes. I called my husband because I was afraid I was having a stroke or that I had a retinal detachment. I wound up going to an Urgent Care, but by the time I went my vision was restored and I just had a horrible headache.
I was told that it was "probably sinusitis".

Since that date I began having headaches, at first monthly, and it has progressed to 3-4 times weekly. When I realized I was taking a whole bottle of Tylenol weekly, I figured I would at least go an have some lab work done. Of course, the doctor said I needed an MRI.

I had an MRI, which showed a possible aneurysm and some white matter lesions.

I have since had an MRA which ruled out the aneurysm, thank goodness. But the earliest any of the neurologists could get me in (with an abnormal MRI) was 9/23. Other wise it would have been November.

Never once, did the thought of MS even cross my mind. But, now I look back and believe I may have some other symptoms and have for a while. I suffer from fatigue very bad. I also occasionally have a burning in my L leg/foot. I have always had some bladder problems (which I attribute to having 3 children in 4 years) but it does seem to be getting worse (which I thought was due to aging). Occasionally I can tell my L eye is blurry or fuzzy, but my vision is still great as long as I use both eyes.

I have an appointment with an opthamologist on Friday.

Just curious, if anyone else has had any of the same symptoms. At first, I was very reluctant to do any research, because nothing is bothering me that bad. I still pray that I do not get a diagnosis of MS and that the opthamologist does not see optic neuritis.

Anyway, just wanted to say hello :)
~Sheree~

Hi Sheree, and WELCOME!

I've quoted your post but have taken the liberty of breaking it up with space between paragraphs. Everyone around here has MS and some of us find that our eyes work better when we're not looking at dense lines of text.

White matter lesions have lots of causes. There's no need to worry much yet about possibly having MS. And the wait for the appointment may not be such a bad idea because often a disorder like MS has to be observed over time. You just have to wait to see what might happen next while going about your daily activities.

Headache is an unusual symptom in MS but it's not unheard of.

The vision problems, bladder problems, fatigue, and the burning could all be symptoms of MS but then they could all be symptoms of other disorders too. The burning in the left leg could be the beginning of sciatic pain that many people have in connection with disk problems that set in as we get older, for instance.

But the neurologist will probably want to do a thorough workup since your MRI showed white matter lesions. You might find it useful to get the MRI report and see if it says anything about MS or a demyelinating disease.

I'm glad you didn't have an aneurysm--and hope that the appointment with the neurologist will help you to find some answers. You could try asking the doctor's office to be put on a list of people to be notified if there's an opening available before September 23. Sometimes there are cancellations, and you could be given one of those time slots.

[stillstANNding]

Welcome Sheree!

I am sorry you have dealt with these headaches and uncertainty for so long and I agree w Agate's post.

While I haven't had headaches associated w MS, I have read other's accounts of "knife like" headaches. The fatigue, burning and visual problems are common in MS. As is optic neuritis. I've had them all.

There are MS minics. One is B12 deficiency. Be sure to have that checked.

Best to you,
ANN

[Howie]

You've already been given all the relevant information, I just wanted to say

[Sunshine]

Hello there. Yes, your presentation is consistent with MS. But it could be other things too. Let's see what type of testing your doc recommends. As stated above, be sure to rule out pernicious anemia, which is a common and treatable cause of B12 deficiency.

[Cat Dancer]

I'm sorry you're here...but welcome to our little family...

[Jeanie Z]

:) Welcome Sheree. This is a great group. Glad you found us. Jeanie :)

[jendie]

Welcome to the group Sheree, it's a great group. Even if it turns out to be a MS mimic we won't kick you out but if it is MS, this is a great place to talk about stuff. I've only been a member since 1998, when I was first diagnosed. I was a single mom of 2 sons and had 6th cranial nerve palsy, resulting in double vision and no insurance.

[Parsi]

Sheree

I had a period of what I call ice-pick headaches. The pain was pointed and sharp, radiating outward, then repeated. I finally found a neuro (happened to by mother-in-law's !) who prescribed something that dulled it. It was two or three months before they disappeared entirely.

[jshereetaylor]

Thanks so much for the warm welcome everyone. I guess I should have elaborated a little more. All labs were normal. MRI report says patients with vasculitis, small vessel disease or demyelating disorders present with lesions if this sort.

[agate]

Thanks for the details. The part about "demyelinating disorders" is why MS is being considered.

I hope you won't turn out to have MS. Unfortunately some people wait years before a firm diagnosis. It's a tough disorder to figure out, maybe because it can pop up in so many different ways.

You could have sinusitis and something else going on. The sinusitis tends to show up in an MRI report, or at least mine does. And sinus headaches can be pretty bad.

I hope you'll find a way of getting rid of the headaches.

[Virginia]

Welcome Sheree,

I think that you have already gotten most of the information that the majority of us could give at this point. Sometime MS is very hard to diagnose, especially in a patient who has no noticeable signs on neurological workup by a good neurologist.

I hope that it is proven that you do not have MS, but if by chance you do, then by all means as others have said come join our family. You will get much support and information as a newly diagnosed person.

When I was diagnosed, in addition to many other test, I was also given a lumbar puncture. Some people can not stand the thought of having that done, but should your Neurologist ask for one I would not hesitate. I had no problem at all, and it was the final thing that got me a diagnosis. I had other signs and my MRIs indicated that I had it, but my Doctor was thorough and I appreciated that.

Good luck to you

[SalpalSally]

Welcome home sheree!

[Frog42]

Welcome Sheree! There are people who hang out here that started off on other areas of Brain Talk because we're friendly.

No matter what your diagnosis ends up being, stick around anyway!