Quite so --as I mentionned in another "blabbering" I mentionned that I
was told that I had a HYPER immune response to "the virus" and the extra
immune complexes were depositied in the spine (in my case --also X-ray
evidence of "minor abnormality --not requiring surgery --AND I had two
previous spinal anesthetics --more questions)
> My theory is that a virus takes hold in the area of the spinal cord where
there is a
> structural problem (slipped disc maybe or something like that). The
immune system
> responds and damages the myelin.
No question that the demyelination accounts for the decrease nerual
transmission.
> The trauma question which was previously making the
> rounds supports my own situation. During the diagnosis process in the
hospital, I was
> informed that there was a slight bulge in the disc at T5 (possibly
requiring surgery).
> This is also the area of the suspected demyelination. Two days after I
was admitted to
> this hospital, another man was admitted. He also was diagnosed with TM,
had a
> structural problem at T8 or T9 (also possibly requiring surgery). We
were both
> transferred to another hospital for second opinions concerning the
surgery, and for
> subsequent treatment and further diagnoses if surgery was not warranted
(the hospital
> specialized in spinal cord problems).
>
> Besides the other man who was admitted during the same period, I
personally know of one
> other man who was diagnosed with TM during 1994. I think the rate of 1
per 1.3 million
> is low - this would lead to less than 200 per year in the US, and I
really do not
> personally know too many people. The other man admitted to the hospital
lives three
> miles from me, in a rural county in NJ (there is such a place in this
densely populated
> state).
BUT considering the amount of literature in the "journals" and the
absolute paucity of infor in a book (for example) called "Current diagnosis
and Treatment" --just hit the shelves THIS week --there is NO mention of
transverse myelitis --except that HIV causes myelitis!! Now we know we do
not all have HIV --what we seem to be sharing is that we don't know a lot
-- makes me think of the old story about "fever" --that used to be a
medical diagnosis --clearly today there are almost thousands of causes of
fever.
more food for thought?
Bryan