Saturday Special-Diagnosing MS

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Since there is currently no simple test or symptom to give doctors the indicator that someone has Multiple Sclerosis, a multitude of tests and exams are done to come to the MS diagnosis. 

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Tests used to determine if symptoms are MS (source):

  • careful medical history
  • neurology exam
  • Various other tests including:
    • MRI
    • Evoked Potentials (EP)
    • Spinal Fluid Analysis

For a doctor to diagnose it as MS, they need to have the following:

  • Find evidence of damage in 2 or more areas of the central nervous system (CNS). Damage needs to done to separate areas of the brain, spinal cord, and/or optic nerves AND
  • Find evidence that the damage occurred AT LEAST one month apart AND
  • Rule out any other possibilities
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I remember when my Grandfather was first going through diagnosis of his symptoms, he was constantly traveling to the doctors office (I was around 10 or 11 at the time). I can't even begin to imagine how stressful it is to be bouncing from doctors office to tests to more imaging, also how burdensome it is on family/friends to help you get from appointment to appointment. 

This is why I believe further research can help us find a CURE for MS and why I am so passionate about running 173 miles over 6 days to help us END MS. Don't forget to also check back on my post about Giving Tuesday, where you can DOUBLE YOUR DONATION and my MS Run The US page which details my journey and story behind accepting my Segment 7 invitation. 

It is amazing to me there is definitely a link between where you live and the prevalence of MS:

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