Q: "If it was early MS is it possible to not show up on the LP and not enhance on an MRI? "
A: Yes it's possible to have MS and the MRI not catch the demyelinating lesions under attack and enhancing. There is an estimated time window of approx 30-45 days to the average length of an MS attack, and if the MRI was done outside that window the MRI wouldn't necessarily catch the lesions enhancing.
There is a higher proportion of MSers that have 2+ Obands show up on their LP but there are approx 10-15% who are diagnosed with MS with normal LP results but they still have all the other suggestive/consistent diagnostic evidence eg MRI's, VEP's, abnormal neurological clinical signs etc.
Q: "Since the symptoms have only been for 4 months is it too soon to see on some of these tests?"
A: Theoretically yes but keep in mind that in that same light, it's also possible that what you are experiencing is not being caused by an underlying neurological condition like MS when there isn't the suggestive/consistent test evidence.
You'll probably need a lot more tests to work out what might be going on, MS is only one possibility but there would be a higher chance of you 'not' being diagnosed with MS 'if' all the abnormal test evidence you actually do have, could also account for the symptoms you've experienced and point in a different direction.
"Uveitis can be associated with many diseases including:
AIDS
Ankylosing spondylitis
Behcet’s syndrome
CMV retinitis
Herpes zoster infection
Histoplasmosis
Kawasaki disease
Multiple sclerosis
Psoriasis
Reactive arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Sarcoidosis
Syphilis
Toxoplasmosis
Tuberculosis
Ulcerative colitis
Vogt Koyanagi Harada’s disease"
https://nei.nih.gov/health/uveitis/uveitis
At this stage of testing, try if you can to not get too focused on the possibility that is might be MS, it honestly might not turn out to be MS....breath!
Hope that helps.........JJ
How long has your Neurologist who thinks it is MS been following you? Sometimes it takes two years for a diagnosis. Only a neurologist can diagnose MS. They go by the MC Donald criteria. You might look it up. It is to long to type out.
Alex
Thank you for your response!
Since my initial facial numbness and other symptoms my nuerolgist has thought it was MS but no outside testing (besides the lesions) have shown any concrete evidence. If it was early MS is it possible to not show up on the LP and not enhance on an MRI?
Thank you again!
Hi and welcome,
I'm sorry, i seemed to of missed your post until just now, it's quite late over my side of the world so i need to get to bed, but before logging off for the day I just wanted to pass on some information regarding Uveitis and it;s association with MS....
"Diagnosed in approximately 38,000 Americans a year, uveitis causes swelling and irritation of the middle layer of the eye and can lead to permanent vision loss if left untreated. It is well established in the medical community that uveitis can be a sign of MS and it is estimated that 1 to 10 percent of MS patients have uveitis. The disease affects approximately 2.3 million people worldwide, causes irreversible nerve deterioration and is notoriously difficult to diagnose."
http://www.aao.org/newsroom/news-releases/detail/research-reveals-likelihood-onset-of-multiple-scle
and let you know that I will respond with more information for you over the weekend.
Hope that helps.......JJ