What a great way of explaining various neurologists' interpretations of the
connection between TM and MS! That's exactly the way I feel, but you said it
so eloquently!
I've been told by 3 different neurologists that if a person diagnosed with MS
had TM at one time, then that first attack of TM was probably MS. The same 3
neurologists said that, in their experience, the most common cause of TM is a
virus. Since reading this list, I've seen numerous things told to different
people by various neurologists as to the cause and prognosis of TM, and the
connection between TM and MS.
All of these neurologists no doubt consider themselves knowledgeable and
experienced. Most, I believe, are trying to do their best to explain a
condition that is still largely a mystery. Doctors are, after all, only
human. Just like people in other professions and vocations, most do their
best in their everyday work. But that "best" is based on whatever knowledge
and experience they have been able to gain up to that point in their life.
If we put ALL of the doctors in the world together in one large stadium, we
still would not have ALL the answers to ALL of the world's illnesses and
diseases. So why are we expecting that neurologists have ALL the answers to
a "rare" condition such as TM, or to the connection between TM and MS?
The IFMSS (International Federation of MS Societies) puts out a biannual
publication called "MS Management." Although this publication is primarily
for doctors and other health professionals involved in the provision of
services for people with MS, anyone interested in MS can get it -- FREE! I
subscribe to it because I try to read as much on the subject as possible.
The best statistic I've seen on the research done on MS worldwide came from
the Sept. '95 issue of "MS Management." Here it is:
In 1994, there were 1,010 MS research projects in progress, for a total
expenditure of $95,500,000!
Helllooohhh, ... that's $95 MILLION ... IN ONE YEAR!!!
Yet for all of that, the medical community still has not been able to
determine the cause, and certainly not the cure, for MS.
Now, if TM is so much rarer than MS, how can we possibly expect doctors to
come up with more answers for TM than they've been able to come up with for
MS, which has been studied for more than 50 years?!?
A final thought: If we all do our best to communicate with our doctors,
maybe we'll help them come up with more answers. And maybe - just maybe -
one day the medical community will find not only an effective treatment for
TM, but also a cure.
Being the eternal optimist that I am, I will continue to hang on to that
hope!
Julie P.