RE: "tmx" virus found ?

Nora Blalock (NBlalock(AT)ELPC.org)
Thu, 4 Jun 1998 10:42:24 -0500

FYI - I don't want to alarm anyone but I think there is some merit to this
herpes virus connection. I have the herpes zoster (shingles) virus in my
spine and that is one possible cause for my TM. I had continuous shingle
outbreaks prior to my attack of TM on 1/31/97. Doctors immediately gave me
intravenous acyclovir (my shingles were active when I went into the hospital
for TM) and then 800 mg of zovirax 4 x daily. I have to take zovirax for
life, but it was decreased to 3x a day. I've been walking pretty well and
even started walking without my cane. However, last Wednesday I worked some
long, stressful hours and my legs started to tighten, cramp, and I had
difficulty standing. Walking became difficult. My legs started getting
"spastic" again. (What I call spastic is when they kick out like the toy
tin soldiers walk.) My body seemed to be getting "hard" from the waist
down. This week I did more overtime - more stress - very much aggravation -
and my legs were worse. Tuesday night when I went home, I found the first
eruption of the shingles sore. I increased the dose of zovirax and that
seems to be holding it at bay. My point is -- I've had stress on this job
before that did not alter my walking or cause any of the above symptoms. My
stress level this time was so bad it let the virus loose (that's how it
works in my body) and I believe the presence of that virus in its active
state has interferred with my walking and feelings. All I can do now is sit
and wait and hope that this little eruption did not travel up my spine and
mess with the myelin again. I'm going to see my doctor tomorrow and discuss
the issue. I think I made one mistake -- I did not have eruptions for over a
year so started taking my pills 2x a day - morning and evening. I think
that if I had continued with them 3x a day, this outbreak would not have
occurred. This is very scarry and if anyone has any shingles, I would
advise taking the medicine to suppress the virus. The upside is - if I do
get paralyzed again, I still have my sleek, battery operated wheelchair!!!
:) At least I will be able to get a seat again on the bus!
Nora in Chicago

> -----Original Message-----
> From: RCookHook(AT)aol.com [SMTP:RCookHook(AT)aol.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, June 03, 1998 8:52 AM
> To: tmic-list(AT)eskimo.com
> Subject: "tmx" virus found ?
>
> Phil:
>
> Is this your infamous TMX virus that has now been found and exposed?
>
> Bob from Houston
>
> Virus linked to multiple sclerosis
>
> Common herpes virus may hasten disease's course
>
> By Charlene Laino
> MSNBC
>
> A new study adds to mounting evidence that viruses can trigger the chronic
> muscle weakness and neurologic impairment of multiple sclerosis. The
> study,
> which appears in the December issue of the journal Nature Medicine, found
> that
> a strain of the common herpes virus may be associated with the unforgiving
> disorder in which the body attacks its own tissues.
>
>
> 'We've suspected a possible role for a virus in MS for quite some time,
> and
> these results certainly point to this particular virus.'
> - STEVEN JACOBSON
> National Institute
> of Neurological Disorders
> and Stroke THE STUDY, the first to suggest a link between herpes
> and
> MS, points to the potential role of anti-herpes drugs in treating the
> often
> untreatable disorder, experts said.
> "We expect that currently available anti-viral treatments - for
> example, acyclovir - might one day be applied successfully to MS," said
> Steven
> Jacobson, chief of viral immunology at the scientists at the National
> Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda, Md., and the
> study's principal investigator. "We've suspected a possible role for a
> virus
> in MS for quite some time, and these results certainly point to this
> particular virus."
> In the study, more than one-third of MS patients had detectable
> levels
> of active human herpes virus-6 (HHV-6) in their blood, Jacobson reported.
> As many as 350,000 Americans are affected by MS, which most often
> strikes between the ages of 20 and 40 and is characterized by muscle
> weakness,
> visual disturbances and, eventually, disability and paralysis.
> MS is characterized by the inflammation and eventual destruction of
> myelin tissue, the protective covering of the nerve cells in the brain and
> spinal cord. HHV-6 appears to speed up the breakdown of the protective
> myelin
> covering, Jacobson said, causing symptoms to worsen.
> The next step, he said, is to figure out why infection with such a
> common virus causes disease in so few people.
> A different strain of the virus that causes genital herpes, HHV-6
> causes the common childhood illness roseola. It is not sexually
> transmitted.
> HHV-6 is present in 90 percent of the adult American population as
> a
> result of infection during the first few years of life, Jacobson noted. In
> MS,
> the virus, which has been dormant for years, is somehow reactivated, he
> said.
> In the new study, the investigators detected HHV-6 DNA - a marker
> of
> active virus infection - in the blood of 15 of 50 MS patients. All 47
> healthy
> volunteers MS tested negative for the presence of active HHV-6 viral
> infection.
> Additional testing for the presence of HHV-6 virus in larger
> numbers of
> MS patients as well as those with other autoimmune disorders is under way
> DOES THIS MEAN US TM'ERS?
>