>
>
> I am 29 years old and was diagnosed with Tranverse Myelitis
> eight weeks ago.
>
> Just a few days after I began to experience unusual symptoms
> (aching and numbness from waist down), I lost the ability to
> urinate on my own. After being seen by scores of doctors, a
> neurologist finally diagnosed me with TM and immediately
> admitted me to the hospital for intravenous steroid
> treatments. Fortunately, I have regained the ability to
> empty my bladder on my own. However, the other symptoms
> continue to persist.
>
> In fact, I have recently experienced tremors in my hands,
> shortness of breath and extreme sensitivity of my teeth to
> cold or sugary foods/drinks. My internist thinks these
> symptoms might be side effects of the steroid treatments (I
> continued to take oral Prednisone for nearly five weeks
> after the initial I.V. treatments). My neurologist
> attributes the symptoms to anxiety (I disagree!)
>
> Has anyone else had a similar experience? This is such a
> frustrating disease with many unknowns -- It would bring me
> comfort to talk to others who have been through this, too!
>
I have also experienced a number of "odd" symptoms after TM ( a year and ten
months ago), including tremors or weakness in areas that weren't originally
affected, flashes of light and dark spots in vision, sudden feelings of
warmth in one area (one particular spot on my back, for instance),
fluctuating feelings of numbness and pain, and, more recently, ringing in my
ear. I don't think they'd be related to the steroids because they happened
long after I stopped taking steroids. My neurologist said he thought the TM
had "altered" my nervous system, making it more sensitive to stimuli. Not a
very satisfactory answer, but the only one I have so far. :)
Anxiety is, unfortunately, a factor. For me, the symptoms are physical but
can flare up and/or last longer when I am anxious about them. Originally
there was a sense of panic whenever some symptom flared up, particularly an
increase in numbness that had decreased before -- a panic that this was
starting all over again, that I was about to have another attack. For me, a
flare-up of symptoms can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few days and
seem to be affected by tiredness, stress, other illness, and anxiety. And
then sometimes they just start up out of the blue and I have no idea what is
going on. Now, whenever symptoms flare up, I'm naturally "on alert", but I
try not to focus on them and to tell myself that this is just another
flare-up that won't last long, and, if it is another attack, well, we'll just
deal with it.
Philippians 4:6-7 are a big help to me: Be careful (anxious) for nothing;
but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
The man who started and maintains this list, Jim Lubin, keeps archives of all
the other mail that has come on the list
at:http://www.eskimo.com/~jlubin/disabled/tmic/
There are also other helpful links there. My own experience was written in
Jan. under the subject "TM Questions", and one letter that was particularly
helpful to me was from Leo Freyer on Mar. 16, subject "jolts." This letter
was a possible explanation of odd symptoms.
Hope this has been helpful!
Barbara
John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only
true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.