Hi. I am a 37 year old female. I have a question about oligoclonal bands. My neurologist has been testing me for MS, due to my symptoms of left leg weakness, numbness, neurogenic bladder and balance issues. When I saw him for my LP results, he told me that I had o-bands in both my serum and CSF. I think I heard him say 15 in each, but I may have heard wrong. He tends to "think out loud" and talk and me interchangeably. I know I heard him say bandS, as in plural. He said that the other two tests on my CSF were okay. However, he expressed a concern about "opportunistic infections" and said that al the meds I am on can open my body to that possibility.
Previous MRIs came back okay. That was two years ago, according to him. (My memory stinks.) I had the brain and spine imaged -- all okay. He told me I will need follow up MRI(s?) and I am having the brain done with/without contrast 14 Jul 15. Areas below the head are contraindicated due to my bladder pacemaker (I have a neurogenic bladder).
My confusion lies over the "opportunistic infection" thing. I don't know why that came up. It confuses and worries me. Can someone please provide me with general information as to what this might mean in the given context? In other words, the doctor mentioned it when talking about the presence of o-bands in both blood and serum, but did not explain why. There is some kind of disconnect here. My husband went to the appointment with me and he was confused, too. I find it hard to communicate with the doctor, though he is very smart.
Also, what is the MS hug? Can someone please explain it to me? I feel like I cannot wear a bra because it is too uncomfortable, as if I am already wearing one. Does it feel like that? I have felt that way for some time.
Thank you for your insight and your time.
K