Re: Hello
Jo Ellen Finkelstein (ghellen(AT)ninenet.com)
Tue, 30 Sep 1997 18:59:13 -0500
Marsden51(AT)aol.com wrote:
>
> Hello all:
>
> I am new to this list. My name is Sharon, I am 46 years old and I was just
> diagnosed with TM last Friday. On Labor Day Weekend I became numb from my
> mid-back to my toes on the left side. I was very numb, but still hurt when I
> moved. It was very difficult to walk. I felt very unsteady and wobbly. If
> anything cool touched my numb side it felt burning hot. The numbness is 90%
> better now. I saw the neurologist on Friday. The doctor told me that my
> chances 1 in 15 of having MS. I got the feeling he thought I do have, or will
> have, MS. He told me I had a good chance of having a recurrance and that the
> next time it happens to demand to see him ASAP (I am on an HMO). He said at
> that time he would do a MRI and a lumbar puncture.
>
> I have been extremely fatigued for over a year now. I am very unsteady on my
> feet at times. I did hurt my knee in January and was on crutches for 2
> months, then a cane until May. Somedays I seem to be okay and then the next
> day I will barely be able to walk. Now, I wonder if my fatigue and leg
> problems could be from the TM or possible MS.
>
> Do very many people have TM only with no MS? I really need answers. I am
> very frightened by this whole thing.
>
> SharonHi Sharon,
My name is Jo Ellen, I have TM with no MS, my symtoms came on
quite rapidly (within a couple of hours) the Doctors ran multiple tests
including 2 lumbar punctures, a myleogram, cat scans, x-rays. They were
stumped for the first month and decided since I had been under a lot of
stress that it was a psycosomatic paralisis (the stress was losing my
husband to cancer after only 17 months of marriage) The second month
they did an MRI and could see a spot on my spinal cord. It's been
nearly a year now and finally I seem to be making some progress toward
walking again. I am going to be evaluated for braces and fitted for
them (hopefully) next week.
I know how scary it is to not know what is happening with your
body and to feel like your Doctors don't know quite what is going on. I
hope that they can give you a diffinative answer soon. Did they give
you any steroids like solumedrol? That can sometimes help. What you
are going through sounds more like MS than TM to me but I'm still
learning about everything so I may be wrong! Sometimes with TM you can
have an episode and then seem to get better then have it back again so
it is sometimes confused with MS. I can tell you this much, that You
are in my prayers as is everyone on this list. E-mail me if you want to
talk more (ghellen(AT)ninenet.com)
Jo Ellen