Diagnosis demisting
Hi everyone,
Well - I wasn’t expecting to be finding myself here, but here I am.
I received a diagnosis last week a few days before my 40th birthday, by post after having MRIs and a lumbar puncture.
The letter specified that the lumbar puncture results support a diagnosis of inflammatory demyelination and a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
Does anyone know if these are interrelated or does this sound like 2 different diagnosis?
I had spinal lesions on my MRI and then no oligoclonal bands found in the serum from my lumbar puncture.
I will try and call the MS team after the long weekend, but Tues feels like a long time away right now.
Thanks anyone for any input
Hi - inflammatory demyelination and multiple sclerosis are the same thing, so you "just" probably have a diagnosis of MS. I say probably - because with no oligoclonal bands in your LP, you'll need to meet other criteria for the diagnosis (the McDonald Criteria - https://www.mssociety.org.uk/about-ms/diagnosis/tests-ms/mcdonald-criteria). I'm sorry about your (probable) diagnosis. I'm sure your head is spinning at the moment and its difficult over the weekend when the MS team are uncontactable. But it will be all right. The treatments these days are worlds away in efficacy from what was available ten or fifteen years ago. Take care, and I hope you get the answers you need soon.
@mellowmedusa thanks for replying. I thinks it’s a firm diagnosis as there is also a letter to the local MS team saying that I qualify for DMT treatment and lists the options. Good to know the two things mentioned probably come as a package. Thanks again