Length of time between remissions?

[Udkas]

Hi there, yep I have another question.  I have gone like forever between attacks/flares, I have had symptoms but no progression for over 13 years, but the symptoms have only been there when I have been sick, tired or hot, stressed etc. but never any worsening until now.

The radiologist basically told me that if that was the case he doubted if I had anything wrong with me.  I feel quite good at the moment but some sensory problems have remained, I still have no feeling in certain areas, well very little and that was new but that happened back in September.  Whats your thoughts? Can people go into remission for 13 years and then come back out of remission???  Am I wasting everyones time, that's what I felt like, not by my neuro but others and this frustrated me and depressed me a bit. Can Lupus, TM and MS all flare again with such a big time frame?

Cheers,
Udkas.

[Udkas]

Thanks for the support, I am feeling a tad down which is not like me.  I just so much want a definate diagnosis for what I feel. I feel reassured knowing that my neuro believes me and still says TM despite whatever the results are, at least it's sort of an answer.  I will know my MRI results with the Gad on Wed.  I know there was problems with them as the radioographer told me, but I think it was disc problems which showed up before that the neuro says is unrelated to my problems, but I'm not sure and he is not the radiologist that would be reporting on my pretty pictures..lol

I always get like this when I am having tests done, I find the waiting and the anticipation of going through them and hoping for a result STRESSFUL.

Will let everyone know how I get on after I have my LP but going away for a week.
Cheers,
Udkas.
THANK YOU AGAIN

[doni54]

Hi Udkas,

Of course I'm not dx so don't know if my experiences are from MS or not, but my problems list about like Sherry's.    

When I did my timeline is when I realized I had been having symptoms for at least 8 yrs and possibly much longer.  Always seemed to be normal after problems and might not feel bad for months. When it was happening I just always thought I had worked too hard or something (I was a home builder).  2006 was tough and it has only gotten worse.

In Heather's post the other day, she made a statement that I agree with.  We can't know exactly how long the damage has been occuring, it is all just guess work even for the neuro's.

Take care and don't give up searching for your dx.  You aren't crazy, you know your body and that something just isn't right.  If you're crazy, then that puts a bunch of us here in that same catagory....hahaha!!!

doni

[risnerrose]

In hind sight, I believe I experienced my first symptoms 18 years ago, with various symptoms sprinkled throughout the next 15 years.  Three years ago everything moved into high gear, and I went to the doctor.  If I'm correct, then I was basically 15 years in remission . . . but I never had the severity of symptoms that have hit in the past 3 years.  I suspect it is not uncommon to look back and recall unexplained episodes that occured a decade before.

Sherry  

[shoshin]

Hey, again. Something is wrong and you're not wasting people's time trying to find out what it is so get that out of your head.

As usual, I don't really know anything for sure, but by poking around, I found a study about MS that said that "More than three-quarters of patients (1692/2189) experienced a 5-year relapse-free period during the RR [relapsing-remitting] phase." (http://jnnp.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/79/12/1368). I don't see how they could prove that you couldn't have a decade without relapses.

Dunno anything about lupus or TM.

Hang in there.

sho