> -----Original Message-----
> From: Alvin P Shipley [SMTP:allori(AT)juno.com]
> Sent: Monday, February 01, 1999 7:26 PM
> To: tmic-list(AT)eskimo.com
> Subject: It's been awhile but I need some info...
>
> Hi everyone, this is Lori in Florida - I have been gone (from the board)
> for about 7 months now - ever since I went back to work full-time. I've
> missed you all but quite frankly there are just not enough hours in the
> day now and getting on the computer only happens about once every 2 weeks
> or so. About all I do is get on Juno and download my messages (mostly
> all of them are the tmic postings) but I haven't read any of them. I
> keep thinking that one day I'll sit down and do it and that day never
> comes. Well, it has taken another medical situation to get me back on
> here and if anyone has any info, I would love to hear it, ASAP.
>
> To quickly bring you up to speed, and to refresh your memory, I was
> diagnosed with TM at T-7 in Dec. 1997. I have had a fairly remarkable
> recovery. I am able to work but must drive with hand controls due to
> loss of "light touch sensation" in my feet. I have had tingling in my
> feet and legs the whole time but no pain (thank goodness). Well, I was
> just celebrating my one year anniversary in December and now here it is
> January and I'm in trouble again. Last Tuesday I noticed that I had
> large areas of numbness that went over my waistline (at T-7 everything
> was from the waist down). I got scared and bullied my way into a new
> neuro's office (new insurance) and he did some background and testing in
> his office. He did the pin prick test on my back and I didn't feel the
> sharp point until he was almost to my shoulder (he dictated that it was
> at the T-3 level). My arms and hands are tingling and my face feels
> strange and even my scalp has started tingling. None of this is to the
> extent that my legs were involved (total numbness and loss of temperature
> sensation, etc.) My doc suggested I get MRI's done again and some blood
> work. We decided to wait on IV steroids until we see what the MRI's
> show. Sunday morning I had the MRI's done (brain, c-spine, and t-spine
> all w/and w/o contrast). The good news is that the brain MRI came back
> normal (perhaps I'll escape the MS thing). The maybe not so good news is
> that they are having a neurologic radiologist looking at the films and my
> doctor mentioned (in a message on my answering machine) that we may be
> looking at "the AVM thing we discussed briefly". Well, I guess it was
> very briefly because I don't remember discussing it or remember what it
> was. I called my sister-in-law who is a nurse and she told me that it
> stood for Arteriole Venous Malformation. I got on the internet tonight
> and from what I'm reading it isn't exactly the best news - surgery almost
> a certainty. My question is, has anyone else with TM ever been told they
> have this condition? If so, what did you do about it? My husband says
> well, at least it can be treated. However, I'm not too crazy about
> having surgery on my spine - I am, however, even less excited at the
> prospect of it starting to bleed at some point and causing me to have a
> stroke (Only if in the brain? Literature didn't specify but I was
> looking in an article dealing with brain/spine AVMs), and probably dying.
> So, any insight or info would be most appreciated. I will hopefully be
> talking to the doc in the morning but I'm still interested in any info
> you may have out there. The good news about my new doc is that he has
> many TM patients so at least he knows something about where I'm coming
> from.
>
> Hope all of you are doing well. Doc are you still out there? What about
> you Gunny?
>
> My best to you all.
>
> Lori in Florida
>
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