Diagnosing MS Archives

News, info and tips for living with multiple sclerosis

Can this blood test make diagnosing MS easier?

Posted on March 30, 2026March 29, 2026

They soaked me in a hot tub to help diagnose my multiple sclerosis (MS) back in 1980. The physical exam, a lumbar puncture (LP), and an early version of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test sealed the deal. Things are much better today, but MS is still a tough illness to diagnose. And once treatment has begun, MS progression is difficult to track. All the usual methods have shortcomings. A…Continue Reading

New McDonald Criteria: Will it speed diagnosing MS?

Posted on December 15, 2025December 13, 2025

Display of MRI images, part of the mcdonald criteria

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a tough illness to diagnose. Its symptoms aresimilar to several other illnesses, and the National Multiple SclerosisSociety says MS is incorrectly diagnosed 5% to 18% of the time. It can alsotake a long time to reach a firm MS diagnosis and that can mean months, oreven years, of delay in starting an MS treatment. Tools to assist a neurologist in making an MS diagnosis include magneticresonance…Continue Reading

"People newly diagnosed with MS will truly benefit from this book, while those of us who’ve lived with MS for a while will wish we’d had it ourselves!…Neurologists should consider keeping a copy of this book in their waiting room because their patients are going to need it." - Tamara K. Sellman, reviewing for Multiple Sclerosis.net.

The Multiple Sclerosis Toolbox is designed for MS "newbies" but it's great info for everyone. I combine more than 40 years of living with MS with some easy to understand info about diagnosis, treatments, visiting the neuro, relationships, mobility aids, travel and more…a lot of what you get in this blog. A paperback and an e-book are available on Amazon.