I'm Having "Fun" symptoms...Could this be MS?

Here is My Question:
I am a male age 39, and I'm having a variety of fun symptoms (as my doctor calls them), and I'm now awaiting an EMG exam.

I've had a MRI without contrast fluid on brain, upper spine and lower spine without any findings. Was unusally fine for my age group.

I've had sensory changes, an odd feeling on half my tongue, and unilateral facial pain/numbness. l've also had a headache with ear pain and pain above my eye socket. Usually it is located on the right, but can suddenly change to the left with no warning, but with an identical pattern. But always one sided.

No weakness but left and right side of my body feels different. I also experience muscle twitching with no pattern, for example left bicep twitches for 3-4 seconds, then on my right calf, then on my left little finger.

I also experience slight sensation reduction around the body, and no vibration sensation in my right leg (but can sense tapping, rolling, position changes, and touching just not vibrations.

What are the chances this could be MS? I'm starting to get real anxious of a potential MS diagnosis. No MS in my family but migraines and idiopathic peripheral neuropathy on my mother's side and diabetes on my father's side..

If this ends up with a MS diagnosis, how is the prognosis for people diagnosed nowadays?

Answer:
Sorry to hear of the variety of "fun" symptoms.

If it is correct that your MRI of the brain and spinal cord is normal, then it is highly unlikely that you have MS.

From what you shared, it does make sense to study your peripheral nervous system (that is the EMG/nerve conduction study) since your symptoms could arise from this rather than the central nervous system (which was imaged on the MRI).

Although I doubt you have MS based on the information provided, to answer your last question, the treatment of MS has come a long way over the past 2 decades that I've been following MS patients in the clinic.  While therapeutics haven't reached the "cure" level yet, we do have highly effective therapies now that in some patients can achieve a state called "no evidence of disease activity" which essentially means a permanent remission status.

A. Scott Nielsen MD MMSc
Neurologist and MS Specialist at Kaiser Permanente