[TMIC] Is it, or isn't it...and does it really matter..??

Robert and Marabeth (74541.2151(AT)compuserve.com)
Mon, 24 May 1999 14:27:14 -0400

I'm noticing that a few of us seem to obsessed with classifying our
illness(es) as this or that or the other. Like the proper label is
_THAT_ important.....?????

And for what purpose.....??? After some reading, I've come to the
conclusion:
does it really matter...?? Shouldn't we investing our energy in finding
the proper treatment, regardless of what the neuros call our
afflictions...???

Some of y'all are TMrs who seem to be in worse shape than some MSrs I've
read about. Even though many believe that MS is.....well, ugh. The kiss
of death. Hardly.
So which 'illness' is worse....??? And why does the name MS evoke such
fears.....??
Granted, a huge percentage of doctors out there (waaaay too many for my
taste) know next to nothing about CNS diseases.
But spending all this time trying to decide if one has TM or MS or maybe
it's TM>MS, or TM<MS.....??????, why, it's a waste of time, methinks.

How about calling it Multiple Myelitis......???? It's just as good a name
as any.
And what does 'transverse' mean anyway......??? To give an example, the
myelin on the spinal cord has been chewed off by a virus (as some think),
ergo myelitis. A scar or plaque is what's left after the myelin's been
chewed off, ergo the name slerosis (hardening or thickening of the sclera,
another substance on the spinal cord).
Multiple, why, when there's more than one plaque. Simple.

So tell me, what's in a name......??????

Enough already, Robert