> Subj: RE: jolts
> Date: 97-03-16 06:51:45 EST
> From: LEO_4084(AT)msn.com (LEO FREYER)
> Resent-from: tmic-list(AT)eskimo.com
> Reply-to: tmic-list(AT)eskimo.com
> To: tmic-list(AT)eskimo.com
>
> Barbara
>
> I monitor the TMIC for my daughter who has TM. I do not have TM myself.
> Your
> description of the jolt sensations are similar to sensations I
occasionally
> get in my leg from an old motorcycle accident injury that damaged the
> muscles
> and nerves. My explanation is purely speculative, but I thought I'd post
it
>
> for your consideration. As I understand it, Myelin is the protective
sheath
>
> around the nerves. Similar to an insulator around an electrical wire.
When
>
> TM attacks the Myelin it disrupts its insulating properties. This in turn
> disrupts the electrical nerve signals allowing them "short out", jump
around
>
> to other nerves sending the wrong signals to the wrong places or cut off
the
>
> signals all together. I believe our feelings of pain, numbness, pressure,
> tingling, electrical sensations and so on are the brain's interpretation
of
> these nerve signals. In the case of my leg, the feelings are fairly
> localized, because that is where the damage is, and is in a remote part of
> the
> "circuitry". The sensations being variously: sudden sharp pain,
electrical
> tingling, numbness, twitching or muscle spasms and unusual hot/cold
> sensations. In the case of a TM damaged area of the spinal cord, there
are
> more "circuits", representing various parts of the body, for the nerve
> signals
> jump between causing erroneous messages to be received by the brain. The
> same
> logic (?) would apply to the "control signals" sent out by the brain to
> control muscle functions like walking, bladder and bowel control. When
> these
> "control signals" are disrupted by the TM damaged area, the controlled
> functions are disrupted.
>
> In line with my analogy, the jolt you felt may have been caused by
pressure
> on
> the TM affected area from bending over the hamper, causing the signals to
> "short out" and producing the jolt.
>
> Also, since the body functions in accordance with its chemical balances or
> imbalances, the food additive suggestion may have some merit when mixed in
> with all the other variables.
>
> Again, this is pure speculation on my part, and obviously a very
simplistic
> view of a complicated situation. But it is just my way of seeing things.
> Take it for what it's worth.
>
> Warm Regards
> Leo
>
Leo,
Thanks for sharing. It makes sense to me! I told both my primary care
physician and neurologist that I wished I could find a booklet written in
layman's language entitled something like, "Nerves: How They Work and Why
They Sometimes Don't."
If anyone ever writes such a thing, I think your note should be in it.
These weird, odd things disturb me almost as much as the numbness and
pain, I guess because they are odd, and they didn't happen at the beginning
of the TM, and they make me wonder if all my nerves are going completely
wacky. Once out of the blue, while I was getting ready to go somewhere, I
felt a pulling sensation across my right cheek, looked in the mirror, and my
left eye, which has had a "droopy" lid since TM, was open very, very wide.
This, too, lasted only a few seconds, but disturbed me because it was so odd
and also made me wonder if it was the start of something.
Your theory would explain these kinds of things. What I try to do now, when
these things happen, is to think, "It's just a nerve thing; it will stop in a
few seconds." And it usually does. If it doesn't, or progresses, then I'd
guess it's time to call the dr. again.
Thanks again. My best wishes to you and your daughter.
Barbara