Does anyone know anything about false positives for strokes?

[LostOne4Ever]

I hope this is the correct forum.

I was wondering if anyone knows anything about false positives for strokes? In particular, I was wondering if a series of seizures/migraines/Neurological disease like MS/infections like Pancretitis could give false positives on a scan.

Trying to keep the personal details to a minimum, but lets say my family has had to deal with a false stroke diagnosis (hypoglycemia in that case) a little over a decade ago and I have some reasons to be hopeful that a stroke diagnosis we got yesterday might also be a false positive.

I know the odds are slim, but I want to look into any hope I can find at the moment.

[Downwinder]

1. My MS was first diagnosed as "MS or small stroke."

[LostOne4Ever]

2. Thank you!!!!

This is the kind of hope I am looking for!!!

My family member has had MS for over 20 years now. End stage Chronic Progressive. Not something to be happy about normally, but one of my hopes is that they are mistaking that for the strokes she supposedly had.

Thank you for your post!

[Downwinder]

3. Is she on a disease modification medication?

Have they done an MRI?

[LostOne4Ever]

4. Shes on Avonex

And I believe they have done a CT scan and a MRI.

But they cut out all her meds because of the acute pancreatitis she got a couple of days ago.

This includes her kepra she takes for seizures, and thus she began having seizures. They then moved her to a bigger city hospital. Im not there because I am watching the kids but have been told she has had two strokes most likely affecting her vision.

Though her infection caused it to go high, she has always had normally low (90/60) to dangerously low (60/40) blood pressure and a few years ago they checked her arteries and said she had less than 30% blockage and that they don't even worry about blockage till 50-60%.

Though I know its still possible for her to have a stroke, I'm holding out hope that the diagonisis is a false positive like it was a long while back for another family member (though that was a case of a hypoglycemic coma). She has both migraines and neurological problems from the MS and I am hoping this all could possibly cause a false positive.

She has so many problems, I just want to find hope that she doesn't have to deal with this too.

[Warpy]

5. Hemorrhagic stroke is easy to diagnose

on a CT or MRI scan. Embolic stroke is a little tougher, especially when there is a small clot. That is usually diagnosed by a repeat scan that shows less density of tissue in the affected part of the brain. She'd already have this due to her MS.

When you start accumulating problems, differential diagnoses become a lot tougher and affect insurance company rules more than they do the actual patient. Don't get too hung up on whether it was a small stroke or more complications from MS at this point. Just concentrate on supporting her through this crisis so she can get back on her medications and you can see what you've got to work with.