Re: [TMIC] Son

Errol White (eamjwhite(AT)bigpond.com)
Thu, 24 Jun 1999 21:16:52 -0700

Hello Karen,
Sorry to hear your son has had so much trouble getting his diagnosis. It
seem to happen to many of us.
Firstly welcome to this group, you will find many here world wide that have
this problem called TM, and you will find all sorts of good advice and
support here also. My onset in December 1993 was originally thought to be
from a virus, but it seems to be from a combination of many things, and one
was from anti hepatitis B vaccinations. Other things were a heavy cold in
the year prior to onset also the stress of my work at that time along with
the long hours, I was a tour coach driver then. Today I work in an office,
walk short distances with two canes but use an electric scooter for longer
journeys, and drive an automatic car with left foot controls. I hope your
sons rehab goes well, recovery means a lot of hard focused work, and it has
worked for many. He will need to be very focused on what he has to do and
learn to rest when his body tells him to, be careful of those parts that
lack sensation. Keep us posted on his progress.
Kind Regards from Errol, Narangba, Queensland, Australia.
-----Original Message-----
From: CARINJEAN(AT)aol.com <CARINJEAN(AT)aol.com>
To: Tmic-list(AT)eskimo.com <Tmic-list(AT)eskimo.com>
Date: Wednesday, 23 June, 1999 10:48 PM
Subject: [TMIC] Son

>Hi my name is Karen. My son Ray is right now in Cleveland Clinic awaiting
to
>be brought back here for therapy. He first started having problems with
his
>right leg on Memorial weekend. He continued to go to work that weekend as
he
>had just started that job. On Tuesday he went to see his doctor and was
sent
>to the ER. A Neurologist was called in and an MRI was done. He was put
into
>ICU for two days. A spinal tap was done. The spinal tap showed nothing.
The
>MRI showed some inflammation along the spine, and a lesion on the brain.
>Since he had just started that job he had no insurance, he was told that he
>had a stroke and was sent home with a cane. This was on a Saturday. I
>brought him to my house and each day watched as he grew weaker in his legs.
>I had called the neurologist office each day talking to the nurse that he
was
>getting worse, only to be told that they were waiting for his evoke
>potentials to be faxed to them from the hospital. By Friday night he could
>not lift himself up off the couch, even with a walker I had gotten him, and
>his sister and I on both sides of him. I took him to a different hospital
>ER. They admitted him and run two more MRI's. They did another spinal
tap.
>The spinal tap again showed nothing. They gave him steroids and run dozens
>of blood tests. From a very sympathetic nurse he was told that he might
have
>Acute Transverse Myletis. This nurse ran several letters from this listing
>for him. Finally on a Tues. night another neurologist came up and told him
>that they would be sending him to Cleveland Clinic and that he was being
>treated for TM. Wed he was in Cleveland. They are giving him plasma
>treatments and his last one is tomorrow. So far he has little pain, but a
>burning sensation in his legs. He says like he's been sunburnt. One
doctor
>tells me TM another MS. The nurse that has been taking care of him says
that
>they are really vague as to what is wrong. They are supposed to send him
back
>here to MCO for therapy, but as of today they won't accept him because of
the
>insurance issue. We have applied for Medi. but are waiting. He was told
that
>this was started due to antibiotics that he had taken a month before for
flu
>like symptoms. He is affected from T2 down. He will be 36 next week. I am
>hopeful that once he gets home around his friends and family that will
>therapy he will be able to walk again. Has anyone been told that their
>disability has been attributed to antibiotics?
>