Anyway, this is not a criticism of discussions of whether various
diseases, viruses, vacinations, etc are linked to TM. Since there are
so few of us, this may be the only info that we get. But we also need
to remember that a certain percent of us, along with the general
population, will experience each of the other diseases.....Ann
> ----------
> From: Kathleen Simon[SMTP:gatewayprinting(AT)email.msn.com]
> Sent: Thursday, June 04, 1998 9:11 AM
> To: Nora Blalock; tmic-list(AT)eskimo.com
> Subject: Re: "tmx" virus found ?
>
> HELLO EVERYONE, I HAVE A QUESTION TO ASK. MY MOTHER AFTER HAVING TM
> NOW FOR
> JUST OVER A YEAR, YESTERDAY CAME DOWN WITH SHINGLES FOR THE VERY FIRST
> TIME
> IN HER LIFE. HAS THIS HAPPENED TO ANY ONE ELSE. THANKS KATHLEEN
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Nora Blalock <NBlalock(AT)ELPC.org>
> To: tmic-list(AT)eskimo.com <tmic-list(AT)eskimo.com>
> Date: Thursday, June 04, 1998 7:44 PM
> Subject: RE: "tmx" virus found ?
>
>
> >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?
> >>
> >
> >
>
>
>