Re: recovery
David C. Jones (jones(AT)tdl.com)
Wed, 11 Dec 1996 12:20:30 -0800
Pershing J. Hill wrote:
>
> Renee's note regarding her stepdaughter's recovery prompted me to
> write. Trying to get information about recovery is why I am in this group.
> It has been 8 years since I came down with severe tm sypmtoms. Although I
> am not at the same athletic level I was at before oct. 88, I consider myself
> lucky to be able to do most of the things I did before. I don't know how a
> doctor could say there is 85% chance of recovery. I've read all the medical
> literature I know of and there has yet to be a study with a big enough
> sample size of patients that any statements about recovery rates or
> reoccurance could be made. My biggest surprize in finding this group is the
> variety of recovery and how the length of time for recovery has varied.
> Doctors told me that after two years I shouldn't expect much more recovery
> but my recovery has been in spurts for eight years. I have had one
> reoccurance for a four month period during the last eight years.
> Anyway, back to how different our stories are -- I've often wondered if
> there is a group of people who have had more complete recovery from tm and
> because they have more fully recovered they have not attempted to get more
> information, or contact others. In other words they are not a part of this
> group.
>
> The only literature source I have for pediatrics is: Transverse myelitis
> following mumps in children. Act Paediatr. 81:182-184, 1992 by
> Nussinovitch, M., Brand, N., Frydman,M. and Varsan,I.
> "Although acute transversy myelitis is a rare complication of mumps, it is
> relatively well documented. We describe a child who developed mumps
> associated acute tansverse myelitis and who subsequently recovered
> completely. To our knowledge, only 13 cases have been reported in children.
> This case is compared with 13 previously reported patients."
>
> This was written in 1992. I hope Renee, your stepdaughter is in the full
> recovery group and maybe the diagnosis is better for children.
>
> The most informational article for me was: Transversy myelitis.
> Retrospective anlysis of 33 cases, with differentiation of cases associated
> with multiple sclerosis and parainfectious events. in Archives of
> Neurology. 50(5):532-5 May 1993
>
> Some more recent articles -- Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery &
> Psychiatry. 60(3):336-8 March 1996
> BMJ.311(7002):P422, Aug 1995
> Journal of Neurology. 242(5):326-31 May 1995
>
> For the record, my MRI never showed lesions. My diagnosis was made on the
> basis of presentation of symptoms. Diagnosis was damage at C6 because my
> hands showed the most damage and I was paralysed from the chest down.
>
> To Terry and Kay Cole in New Zealand. I lived in Wellington on sabbatical
> in 1983. My son was born there. I have very fond memories of our stay
> there and high regard for the medical system. However, I think you may have
> the same problem I run into as an Alaskan. There is such a small population
> that very few of the doctors I worked with were knowledgable or had much
> experience with tm. I was flown to Stanford Medical Center in California
> before a diagnosis was made. I hope this forum can help you find answers.
> I never had a lot of pain but a lot of uncomfortable tingling and buzzing.
> It eventually worked away, though my feet "buzzed" for years and
> occasionally still do.
>
> Thank you to everyone in this group who has shared so much.
>
> Mimi Hogan
> pjhillpp(AT)corecom.net
Dear Mimi Hogan- I've a degraded copy of a patient study writen in 78.
Titled [The Prognosis of Acute and Subacute Transverse Myelopathy Based
on Early Signs and Symptoms] by Allan H. Ropper, MD,and David C.
Poskanzer, MD. Although it is limited in the number of patients included
on the study. It is from a data base covering some 20 years at the
Massachusetts General Hospital, with exclusion of questionable true
cases of TM. This may shed some light as to how the Docs could give a
85% chance of recovery for Renee's little girl. It would be best, "if
you have a sourse" to get a copy at your end. But I could make this
available to you if you cannot find it in your Med library. Sincerely
DCJones