Weird Symptoms - Negative Brain MRI

[Taders1]

I'm a 28 yr old female with weird symptoms and several pending appointments to neurologist. On and off for about as long as I can remember, I have had numbness in my legs on and off. It started when I was in my late teens with just my left but in last two years it has gone from being just my left and every now and then to being more days with problems then there are days without them. In last two years the mysterious numbness gone from just left leg to right (which right is now far worst then left). The numbness is now accompanied by a feeling of walking in cement whenever it is acting up. I don't know when my legs are just numb because they litterally have no feeling. I broke my foot when I was 13 (the first episode I can remember of numbness) because I went to stand and my foot curled under causing me to fall. I broke my foot completely across but never felt it due to it being numb. The drs thought nothing of it and figured it was just because I was sitting funny. I also have dizziness, blurred vision, and fatigue. In June after finally going to my first drs appointment for this issue, I ended up the next day in the ER for foot drop on my right side. The ER immediately did an MRI of my brain to check for MS and said my brain was clear, ruling out MS and referred me to a Neurologist. I have had follow ups with my general physician every couple of weeks while waiting for my neurology appointment. Last month when doing the follow the finger with just eyes test I felt dizzy when the dr got to the center in front of my fast. Did reflexes and all were normal as with all the other appointments I've had with him. A few days ago at yet another follow up he had no response during the reflex test on my left arm, but was able to get a small response from it after repeated tries. He told me the response was asymmetrical to the response with my right arm. He blew this off as "possibly normal".  In May prior to this all of these dr appointments for the numbness I had a routine eye exam showing that my vision had suddenly changed in my left eye and was now worse. My eye dr found that odd since my perscription hadn't changed since I had gotten glasses when I was a kid. Today I went back because he was concerned and he found my vision in my left eye has deteriorated even more since May of this year. Thats a huge change in just 3 months. He now wants me to see a neurology optomologist as well as my regular neurologist that I have an appointment with next week for a consult and emg test. My eye dr saw no problems in the nerves in my eye but is concerned that my symptoms may still indicate MS. He insist that just because the brain was clear doesn't rule it out. Is he right to believe MS is still a possibility?  Thanks for any imput you can give.

[Taders1]

Thanks for responding. Unfortunately the numbness comes and goes and doesn't happen when just sitting. It seems to like to happen randomly especially when walking for long periods of time. it started with just my left left having numb spots especially in my foot, but now is my right foot.

I've tried to explain to my Dr that the numbness is just that. i can't feel anything at all when my foot is numb.

The foot drop problem happened after getting ready to walk up stairs. i felt the heaviness in my foot, made it to the top of the stairs, took a few steps and i started tripping over my right foot every step i took. I waited several hours before going to the er, where I got the Mri that was negative .

Last few months there has been a specific spot on the top of my right foot that has been bothering me as well as that heaviness in my right leg. I've also felt a numbness in my upper right arm which had the Dr perplexed.

Im eager to find an answer especially since my vision has been getting worse in my left eye. Im more terrified of having no answers, having to live like this, or worse being seen as crazy.

Sorry about the long block. hope this was better.

[jenphilly]

JJ gave you direction to lots of great reading...  

On a personal note, my primary doctor thought in June that my symptoms were MS related...  had a brain MRI and found couple minor spots but more indicative of migraine or a knock to the head (like car accident where you crack your head on the side door or such).  So, the first neuro ruled out MS based on the brain MRI.  Sent me bouncing around to not sure how many doctors over the next several months.  Finally someone had the smarts to order a cervical and thoracic spine MRI in late October and that happens to be where my MS has setup house...  But the neuro still doubted MS, swore it was CNS lyme, it was not until a spinal tap was done that things were cleared up.

MS can be a long road to diagnosis...  so often its more a chore of elimination...  which is a good thing in the long run, you want to be treated for the right condition!  

Keep positive thinking and make all your appointments.  If you're not happy with the way any doctor is handling your case or is just not open / listening to you, find another doctor.  You are your biggest advocate to keep pushing things along and make sure you are treated properly!!!

Good luck and keep posting...

Hugs,

jen  

[supermum_ms]

Hi and welcome to our little MS community, if you look to the right of your screen you will find our health pages, you might find some of interest to you.

I have to ask, (sorry its a me thing, born with a trillion questions lol) when you say when you broke you foot it was from standing on a numb foor (or leg) it was determined to be from sitting funny, strange but true it actually can cause falls, sprains, breaks etc. But are you still saying that these periods of numbness, are happening when you've been sitting down or maybe even when you've had your legs crossed etc and does the feeling return after walking or standing for a time?

If you are, then that could actually be from cutting off the circulation and or trapping the nerves, so if it is from sitting or leg position, then thats more often than not, a normal circulatary response. The numbness found in MS doesn't have any 'cause and effect' apart from the lesions that is, strange but it doesn't necessarily cause full body parts to go numb, it can be just a spot or part of a limb or happen anywhere on the body.

I think your optometrist is considering the possibility, that the left vision change could be from Optic Nuritis (ON), even though he hasnt been able to detect anything. A neuro-opthalmologist would be the best dr's to determin if your vision is from this or something else, or even if its within normal expectations for your prior sight condition.

And he is right, a normal MRI doesn't exactly rule out MS, see our health page "How can a person with MS have a negative MRI" and it will explain how that can happen and why etc.

Cheers.......JJ

PS Oh and just so you are aware for your next post, people with MS commonly have visual and or comprehension issues when reading large blocks of text. Often its just too difficult to read, so can you please break up your post as i've done above, and you'll get more responses. :[)