>Hi, My name is Jim,
>I'm resubmitting my post of March 4, 1997 because of the multiposting of
>the other day and I don't want my info to be lost about "elevated
>liver enzymes".
>
>I'm 49 years old. My first attack started on Oct. 18, 1994, my feet
>felt like they were cold and frozen and numb. In five days the numbness
>had progressed to my breast bone. I was completely numb, could not feel
>anything including body function and bowl movements. I experienced a
>tightness around the abdominal area that seem to be like a belt tied
>around the area below the rib cage
>
>Went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MINN. Was seen by a neurologist,
>stating that I had good reflex and muscle strength, had blood test
>for Lymes, Gallium Barre, AIDS, etc., no conclusive results. A spinal
>tap had shown nothing, EM Voking with no results, MIR of cranial had
>shown a few foci of increased T2 signals in the deep cerebral white
>matter, but nothing indicative of MS, had an abnormal MRI of spine with
>a mild to moderate expansion of the spinal cord between T5 and T9, with
>abnormality most prominent at the T7 interspace.
>
>Others of you have questioned if chemicals could be a result of TM. I
>have had the same concerns since, I am funeral director - embalmer who
>works with chemicals. For the past twenty years, blood tests that I
>have had, always shown a elevated liver enzymes, and have been
>questioned about my drinking habits, which I have none.
>
>I find that I tire easily when I do little work, I feel fortunate that I
>don't have or did have any type of paralysis or any significant pain
>that others have experienced, just the heaviness and tightness in the
>groin area, numbness and tightness in lower extremities to the toes.
>Have awkwardness in walking. . Lately my back gets tired and have
>been pain around the T-7 area.
>
>Years prior to my onset, I had a sharp pain, the size of a dime in my
>right shoulder blade. Thought it was a torn muscle, related to lifting
>in my profession. Had PT and ultrasound treatments that did not help.
>
>If any one else is a embalmer, health care service or had similar
>experiences, please let me know.
>
>I have had many people in my community praying for me. It sure feels
>good to have people supporting you, must be helping, I am still able to
>function in partial capacity.
>
>Have found this site on the WEB which I feel is great, we must stick
>together and get this mystery resolved
>
>God Bless
>
>Jim L. (jlaur(AT)up.net)
>
Jim
Any physician worth his salt will look for sparrows before canaries --in
this case the most common cause of elevated liver enzymes is alcohol
use/misuse/abuse. since the liver detoxifies "almost" everything --elevated
liver enzymes can be caused by many many things --including taking too many
Tyenol --or in my case taking Dilantin --which I took years before any of
this TM got me. But,, of course it's the degree of elevation that indicates
how serious an underlying problem is. One liver enzyme GGT is elevated by
almost anything and notroiuosly non-specific --others certainly point the
finger at alcohol --and this must be ruled in or out. Now,,, in the
absenece of such a problem all sorts of chemicals can be implicated --are
the ones used in embalming responsible --good question --I must ask my
brother in law --and i suppose my sister who while she may be "less" exposed
is also in the "workshop".
The point here is that TM is an inflammation/infection of the cord at a
certain level with no evidence of any cerebellar or cerebral involvement. I
have no doubt it could be caused by chemical exposure but i heard no one
propose a "pathogenenic process" --ie how does it do it and why oh why would
it choose to selectively damage the cord. Threre is proof of course that
certain viruses have an affinity for nervous tissue, so why not chemicals.
As a final note --during my acute phase of the illness all my
liver enzymes were off the map -- including pancreatic ones --so much so
that they thought i also had acute pancreatitis -- which was VERY difficult
to diagnose because i had stomach pain of all sorts -- and still do --now my
enzymes are all back to normal --who knows!!!!!!
While I am pontificating here I would also like to stress that TM
is NOT a grab bag diagnosis --which had been suggested here many times. It
is a very specific illness with clear definiton of what it is and what it is
not --I remember a posting the other day of a person who was told by their
doctor that he/she wasn't sure if the person had Guiallan Barre --it was
TOTALLY ludicrous -- loss of sensation with muscle control maintianed is the
exact opposite of GB --wish some of those doctors would be not so damn
snooty and open their copies of "Current Dignosis and Treatment" --even in
front of the patient --nobdoy knows everything although some physicians seem
very unable to give up on that myth ;-( (it gives us all a bad image and
"I" do not like it!!!)
bryan