GBS vs. MS

    • Anonymous
      October 24, 2006 at 10:59 am

      I just saw another neurologist who for the first time is wondering if my diagnosis of GBS was wrong over 7 long years ago!!

      I am getting another MRI and EEG done at this new doctor’s request.

      Has anyone else encountered this misdiagnosis possibility?

      I am grateful that a specialist – other than my great family doctor – doesn’t make me feel like I am crazy when I try to explain that I have had daily pain for what seems like forever.

      Thank you all for ‘always’ being here!
      Karen

    • Anonymous
      October 24, 2006 at 11:00 am

      I think because of the re-registering that I had to do recently here, I just wanted to clarify that I use to be logged in as Kylesmom and I joined here way back in 1999!

    • Anonymous
      October 24, 2006 at 6:40 pm

      Hi ya Kylesmom!

      I suspect that I am in a different ball game (if not the ball park).

      I used to get some weird feelings in my head and I didn’t mention it here for ages lest people think I was nutty. Mind you, when I did mention it, everyone went rather quiet! But, in recent times, I have seen something similar mentioned.

      I take (and have done for a long whle) an SSRI anti-depressant and I realised after I started them that the only time I got the odd feelings again was when I came off them.

      I met radial palsy a couple of years ago (duff arm basically) and I was sent to the hospital (I think it was when it happened the second time) and I heard my GP talking about possible lesions. To me, that meant check for MS. No checks were done and radial palsy was the verdict. I have now had it a few times, though to a lesser extent, and I am told that I do present the same as MS (and I thank God for that). I was told that because I drink I probably slept heavily on my arm. Just last week the doc agreed that it probably wasn’t that (it’s tricky to sleep on both arms at the same time!) and I know that I don’t do that anyway. They are now checking for a heridetary problem.

      I think it is definitely worth checking out the possibility of MS.

      To find a doctor who doesn’t label you as crazy is to find a jewel.

      I am sorry to hear of you experiencing pain and I also hope that yhou have not got MS.

      God bless
      Teresa

    • Anonymous
      October 24, 2006 at 10:04 pm

      Karen, I was orginally dx as GBS, then my doc took over and thought I was misdx,and said it was most likely MS, after many tests, now the docs think it is GBS,,,but 3 neuro’s later who knows, certainly not me ,,,,,so confused,,,,,:confused: I think at this point I could write a book! I should add I have been 10 yrs at this now, dealing with it on my own for the most part now. Really tired of tests and doc’s with no answers. Been 4 yrs since my last major attack, unless things get worse, I plan to continue dealing with the pain and struggles on my own, I feel like i am on my own anyway.

    • Anonymous
      October 26, 2006 at 5:41 am

      This was taken from [url]www.neurologychannel.com[/url]

      Overview

      Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, progressive, degenerative disorder that affects nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. A fatty substance (called myelin) surrounds and insulates nerve fibers and facilitates the conduction of nerve impulse transmissions.

      MS is characterized by intermittent damage to myelin (called demyelination) caused by the destruction of specialized cells (oligodendrocytes) that form the substance. Demyelination causes scarring and hardening (sclerosis) of nerve fibers usually in the spinal cord, brain stem, and optic nerves, which slows nerve impulses and results in weakness, numbness, pain, and vision loss.

      Because different nerves are affected at different times, MS symptoms often worsen (exacerbate), improve, and develop in different areas of the body. Early symptoms of the disorder may include vision changes (e.g., blurred vision, blind spots) and muscle weakness.

      MS can progress steadily or cause acute attacks (exacerbations) followed by partial or complete reduction in symptoms (remission). Most patients with the disease have a normal lifespan.

      Types
      Multiple sclerosis is classified according to frequency and severity of neurological symptoms, the ability of the CNS to recover, and the accumulation of damage.

      Primary progressive MS causes steady progression of symptoms with few periods of remission.

      Relapsing-Remitting MS causes worsening of symptoms (exacerbations) that occur with increasing frequency, along with periods of reduced symptoms (remission).

      Secondary progressive MS is initially similar to relapsing-remitting MS and eventually progresses to MS with no remission.

      Relapsing-Progressive MS causes accumulative damage during exacerbations and remissions.

      Diagnosis

      Diagnosis of MS is based on medical history, physical and neurological examination, blood tests, MRI, spinal tap, and neurological tests.

      Blood tests
      Blood tests may be used to help rule out other conditions that cause similar symptoms.

      Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      MRI scan uses a magnetic field to create detailed images of the brain and spinal cord. This imaging test can be used to detect white matter lesions (sclerosis in the ventricles [cavities that contain cerebrospinal fluid]) in the brain.

      Spinal Tap
      Spinal tap, or lumbar puncture, is performed to detect oligoclonal bands in cerebrospinal fluid. [U]Oligoclonal bands result from elevated levels of the antibody immunoglobulin G (IgG) and myelin basic protein, which is a byproduct of demyelination, and are present in more than 85% of MS cases.[/U] In this procedure, a needle is inserted between two lower spine (lumbar) vertebrae and cerebrospinal fluid is collected and analyzed.

      Evoked Potential Tests
      Evoked potentials are electrical signals generated by the nervous system in response to stimuli. Evoked potential tests (i.e., somatosensory evoked potentials, visual evoked potentials, brainstem auditory evoked potentials) are performed to evaluate sensory, visual, and auditory functions and detect slowed nerve impulse conduction caused by demyelination.

      In these tests, nerves responsible for each type of function are stimulated electronically and responses are recorded using electrodes placed over the CNS (brain and spine) and peripheral nerves (e.g., median nerve in the wrist, peroneal nerve in the knee).

      Differential Diagnosis
      Early signs of MS are often mistaken for other disorders, including the following:

      Cerebrovascular disease (e.g., stroke, transient ischemic attack [TIA])
      Epilepsy
      Degenerative disc disease
      Osteoarthritis
      Tumor
      Vitamin B-12 deficiency
      Weakening of the nerves (neuropathy)
      Conditions that may appear similar to MS on MRI include the following:

      Congenital biochemical disorders (e.g., adrenaleukodystrophy, metachromatic leukodystrophy)
      Inflammation of blood vessels (vasculitis)
      Lyme disease
      Lupus (an autoimmune disorder)
      Progressive multifocal leukencephalopathy (HIV-related disorder)
      Viral infection (may produce a response that causes demyelination)

      Warmest regards.

      Jethro