Aa
What is wrong with me?????
I keep seeing the same things over and over, All of you with these aggravating neuro symptoms, doctors who don't listen and difficult to interpret lab results. I am at my witts end. I really feel like crawling into a hole. I'm 31 years old and just had a baby in early May. In the last rimester of my pregnancy I lost sensation In my left thigh from my knee to my hip. There was an "indolent appearing" lesion seen on my femur in an MRI. The doctor suggested that my baby was sitting in my sciatic nerve and that after delivery it should resolve. Two days after I had my son I randomnly had tunnel vision/ double vision and was unable to focus on anything in my direct line of vision. This occured off and on for two days. I went to my post partum appt and told my doctor that I had not regained feeling in my leg. I didn't mention the vision issue because at the time i didn't think is was relevant. At this time my doctor stated that she felt I had slipped discs that were causing the numbness and ordered an MRI. These are the results:
T11-T12- Moderate disc desication and loss of disc sace height. There is a very small central disc protrusion which mildly effaces the ventral CSF containing spaces but doesn't contact the cord. No neuroforaminal narrowing.T12-L1- Mild facet joint degenerative change with no significant stenosis.L4-L5- Very small broad based disc buldge and moderate facet joint degenerative change results in minimal bilateral neuroforaminal narrowing with no significant stenosis.L5-S1- Broad based disc protrusion and moderate facet joint degenerative change which results in moderate spinal canal stenosis. Both traversing S-1 nerve roots may be minimally contacted. The exiting nerve roots do not appear affected. Impression: 1. Additional images of the lower thoracic spine were obtained by the MRI technologist revealing a moderate sized disc protrusion at T7-T8 which does not appear to contact the cord. In addition there is ovoid T2 signal abnormality within the T-10 vertebral body which likely represents an incidentally noted vertebral body hemangioma. Given these findings, dedicate a non-contrast MRI of the T-spine 2. There is a linear region of fat signal within the posterior aspect of the spinal canal extending from approximately the L2 level distally to the sacrum consistent with an incidentally noted fatty filum terminale.
I went to the spine surgeon after these results. By then, my symptoms had progressed to waves of tingling, burning pins and needles down the leg that is numb as well as things crawling on my extremities. It started in my numb leg, then moved to my other, then a few random times in my upper extremities. The surgeon asked my symptoms,then told me, " Your back is not your problem, I believe you have MS". He wanted an MRI of my brain which he felt would show lesions. My symptoms spread with intensity to all extremities,head and my face. After the MRI of my brain, I went back to my primary, he said in his opinion, it was MS. He asked my history and the year prior, I was in Iraq. I received vaccines, including anthrax and small pox. Later, I developed severe fatigue, painful musculoskeletal issues and probably some minor depression. I thought it was the environment I was in and being away from family. A month after returning from Iraq, my husband and I conceived our 3rd child. Almost immediately my fatigue and muscle pain dissapeared, which I thought was because I was finally out of hell... Anyhow, these are the results of my brain MRI:
Technique: Mulitplanar T1 and T2, gradient echo, FLAIR and diffusion weighted images, with ADC map, are obtained. Postcontrast T1 fat saturation images are also reviewed.
Findings: Several scattered tiny T2 FLAIR bright leasions are seen throughout the subcortical white matter. These are most notable in the posterior left frontal lobe towards the vertex with a seperate more lateral left parietal lobe subcortical lesion, best seen on coronal image #18. These largest lesions measure 4mm or less in greatest dimesnion. No associated enhancement or restricted diffusion. Most of these lesions are too small to be visible on the T2 weighted images. Location and shape of these lesion are atypical for demyelenating process. There are no periventricular deep white matter lesions or central lesions. Callososeptal interface is spared.
There is normal midline anatomy with normal appearance of the CSF structures with no mass lesion or mass effect. No hemorrhage suggested on the gradient echo images. There is normal parenchymal enhancement with no evidence of disruption of the blood brain barrier. Normal T2 flow voids seen on the T2 weighted images in the major intracranial vessels. Paranasal sinuses bilateral orbits are normal in appearance.
Impression: 1. Several tiny nonspecific subcortical white matter T2 and FLAIR bright lesions with no assosciated restricted diffusion or enhancement. Distribution and morphology are atypical for demyelinating process which cannot be excluded given symptomology. 2. Otherwise normal exam.
So, my primary sends me to neurology on a referral which turns out to be a 4 month wait. In the mean time, I feel like I have red ant biting all over my body, keeping me from sleeping. My cognitive function seems to be degrading greatly, I’ve been forgetting things more frequently, stumbling more over my words, saying the wrong words and getting frustrated, slurred speech, mind blanks, i'll just forget what i was trying to say and it wil ltake me a few seconds to get back on track. This is NOT normal for me, I have always been very sharp. It’s distressing to me because I’m a nurse, I’m getting to the point where I feel that I may be a danger to my patients. I ended up in the ER becuase I couldnt take the biting feeling anymore and neuro was consulted. They ordered every blood test under the sun, started me on neurontin and said that they didn’t think it was MS from the MRI. They didn't want to jump to conclusions... Lime disease negative, no lupus apparently, no syphillis, no HIV, all the routine tests seemed normal, My PMNS or PMNR was elevated at 25, but i don't know the signifigance. They did a spinal tap to check for oligoclonal banding, which I fully expected to come back positive, however, the banding came back negative, but said that no patient serum sample was provided.. So not sure if that is signifigant either. All of my other labs have come back normal. What's more frustrating is that the doctors cant seem to agree, the neuro intern came to talk to me in the hospital and said all things considered, it was probable MS, other internal med people say no.. In the mean time, I am walking around everyday feeling like i'm hungover, that's the best way I can describe it. I am always feeling dizzy, and foggy headed, fatigued, unbalanced ,uncoordinated, my brain feels like i'm in a haze, my vision is always kinda blurry, like I need to flush my eyes out or blink to moisten them, it can be hard to focus. The pins and needles are breaking through and spreading despite the 300mg of neurontin I take three times a day. It seems to be getting worse everyday, no signs of remission like everyone talks about. I'm worried that these symptoms are not going to be reversable and delaying treating whatever it is scares me. The doctors are not communicating with me and I feel they think I'm crazy. I'm even starting to think I'm crazy.. Now with the negative CSF report, I don't know what to think, on one hand it's good but on the other, where does that leave me? Honestly I am getting to the end of my rope and feeling hopeless :(. I know this is alot of info and I know that you guys hear the same story over and over on here, but I am desperate at this point and don't know what else to do. Any input or opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thankyou guys so much your time.
T11-T12- Moderate disc desication and loss of disc sace height. There is a very small central disc protrusion which mildly effaces the ventral CSF containing spaces but doesn't contact the cord. No neuroforaminal narrowing.T12-L1- Mild facet joint degenerative change with no significant stenosis.L4-L5- Very small broad based disc buldge and moderate facet joint degenerative change results in minimal bilateral neuroforaminal narrowing with no significant stenosis.L5-S1- Broad based disc protrusion and moderate facet joint degenerative change which results in moderate spinal canal stenosis. Both traversing S-1 nerve roots may be minimally contacted. The exiting nerve roots do not appear affected. Impression: 1. Additional images of the lower thoracic spine were obtained by the MRI technologist revealing a moderate sized disc protrusion at T7-T8 which does not appear to contact the cord. In addition there is ovoid T2 signal abnormality within the T-10 vertebral body which likely represents an incidentally noted vertebral body hemangioma. Given these findings, dedicate a non-contrast MRI of the T-spine 2. There is a linear region of fat signal within the posterior aspect of the spinal canal extending from approximately the L2 level distally to the sacrum consistent with an incidentally noted fatty filum terminale.
I went to the spine surgeon after these results. By then, my symptoms had progressed to waves of tingling, burning pins and needles down the leg that is numb as well as things crawling on my extremities. It started in my numb leg, then moved to my other, then a few random times in my upper extremities. The surgeon asked my symptoms,then told me, " Your back is not your problem, I believe you have MS". He wanted an MRI of my brain which he felt would show lesions. My symptoms spread with intensity to all extremities,head and my face. After the MRI of my brain, I went back to my primary, he said in his opinion, it was MS. He asked my history and the year prior, I was in Iraq. I received vaccines, including anthrax and small pox. Later, I developed severe fatigue, painful musculoskeletal issues and probably some minor depression. I thought it was the environment I was in and being away from family. A month after returning from Iraq, my husband and I conceived our 3rd child. Almost immediately my fatigue and muscle pain dissapeared, which I thought was because I was finally out of hell... Anyhow, these are the results of my brain MRI:
Technique: Mulitplanar T1 and T2, gradient echo, FLAIR and diffusion weighted images, with ADC map, are obtained. Postcontrast T1 fat saturation images are also reviewed.
Findings: Several scattered tiny T2 FLAIR bright leasions are seen throughout the subcortical white matter. These are most notable in the posterior left frontal lobe towards the vertex with a seperate more lateral left parietal lobe subcortical lesion, best seen on coronal image #18. These largest lesions measure 4mm or less in greatest dimesnion. No associated enhancement or restricted diffusion. Most of these lesions are too small to be visible on the T2 weighted images. Location and shape of these lesion are atypical for demyelenating process. There are no periventricular deep white matter lesions or central lesions. Callososeptal interface is spared.
There is normal midline anatomy with normal appearance of the CSF structures with no mass lesion or mass effect. No hemorrhage suggested on the gradient echo images. There is normal parenchymal enhancement with no evidence of disruption of the blood brain barrier. Normal T2 flow voids seen on the T2 weighted images in the major intracranial vessels. Paranasal sinuses bilateral orbits are normal in appearance.
Impression: 1. Several tiny nonspecific subcortical white matter T2 and FLAIR bright lesions with no assosciated restricted diffusion or enhancement. Distribution and morphology are atypical for demyelinating process which cannot be excluded given symptomology. 2. Otherwise normal exam.
So, my primary sends me to neurology on a referral which turns out to be a 4 month wait. In the mean time, I feel like I have red ant biting all over my body, keeping me from sleeping. My cognitive function seems to be degrading greatly, I’ve been forgetting things more frequently, stumbling more over my words, saying the wrong words and getting frustrated, slurred speech, mind blanks, i'll just forget what i was trying to say and it wil ltake me a few seconds to get back on track. This is NOT normal for me, I have always been very sharp. It’s distressing to me because I’m a nurse, I’m getting to the point where I feel that I may be a danger to my patients. I ended up in the ER becuase I couldnt take the biting feeling anymore and neuro was consulted. They ordered every blood test under the sun, started me on neurontin and said that they didn’t think it was MS from the MRI. They didn't want to jump to conclusions... Lime disease negative, no lupus apparently, no syphillis, no HIV, all the routine tests seemed normal, My PMNS or PMNR was elevated at 25, but i don't know the signifigance. They did a spinal tap to check for oligoclonal banding, which I fully expected to come back positive, however, the banding came back negative, but said that no patient serum sample was provided.. So not sure if that is signifigant either. All of my other labs have come back normal. What's more frustrating is that the doctors cant seem to agree, the neuro intern came to talk to me in the hospital and said all things considered, it was probable MS, other internal med people say no.. In the mean time, I am walking around everyday feeling like i'm hungover, that's the best way I can describe it. I am always feeling dizzy, and foggy headed, fatigued, unbalanced ,uncoordinated, my brain feels like i'm in a haze, my vision is always kinda blurry, like I need to flush my eyes out or blink to moisten them, it can be hard to focus. The pins and needles are breaking through and spreading despite the 300mg of neurontin I take three times a day. It seems to be getting worse everyday, no signs of remission like everyone talks about. I'm worried that these symptoms are not going to be reversable and delaying treating whatever it is scares me. The doctors are not communicating with me and I feel they think I'm crazy. I'm even starting to think I'm crazy.. Now with the negative CSF report, I don't know what to think, on one hand it's good but on the other, where does that leave me? Honestly I am getting to the end of my rope and feeling hopeless :(. I know this is alot of info and I know that you guys hear the same story over and over on here, but I am desperate at this point and don't know what else to do. Any input or opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thankyou guys so much your time.
I hope that you will be able to get this figured out soon.
I just got my DX of MS this year after the VA sent me to an MS specialist outside of the VA. With my MRI of brain I still don't have any typical lesions and the only thing they found in my C-spine was a 50% narrowing of the cord. I suspect the narrowing is really a black hole from a former lesion. I also had a negative LP. One of the things that got my DX was having a neuro Psych test done. That took 5 hours but was very much worth the time and effort.
Dennis
I just got my DX of MS this year after the VA sent me to an MS specialist outside of the VA. With my MRI of brain I still don't have any typical lesions and the only thing they found in my C-spine was a 50% narrowing of the cord. I suspect the narrowing is really a black hole from a former lesion. I also had a negative LP. One of the things that got my DX was having a neuro Psych test done. That took 5 hours but was very much worth the time and effort.
Dennis
I don't understand why your doctor is saying this, either.
If the doctor is testing the CSF for something other than MS like a virus or bacteria, then maybe the serum is not needed. If they are looking for MS evidence, then it absolutely is needed.
I will go to the mat on the fact that you must have a blood sample taken within a few hours of the CSF taken from the LP to look for o-bands. Everyone can have them in the CSF - it is the number of o-bands in the CSF that aren't in the blood sample that help to determine supporting evidence for MS. This doctor is totally wrong and that's something I don't venture out and say often.
Good luck with seeing a specialist -obviously you will do better there.
If the doctor is testing the CSF for something other than MS like a virus or bacteria, then maybe the serum is not needed. If they are looking for MS evidence, then it absolutely is needed.
I will go to the mat on the fact that you must have a blood sample taken within a few hours of the CSF taken from the LP to look for o-bands. Everyone can have them in the CSF - it is the number of o-bands in the CSF that aren't in the blood sample that help to determine supporting evidence for MS. This doctor is totally wrong and that's something I don't venture out and say often.
Good luck with seeing a specialist -obviously you will do better there.
Thanks for the link. That was very concise and easy to understand. That being said, I don't understand why my doctors are telling the serum is not important ??
Shelly-
Thank you soo much for your support and respect. I can assure you that it really means a lot to us.
I understand what you mean about not jumping to conclusions. I would much rather find out for sure what is happening instead of slapping a label on quickly and missing something that is much more serious in the long run. It's just frustrating when you know that there is something wrong with your body and it you can't fix it. I'm sure you can relate to that though!! :0
As for the neurontin, it helped at first, it definately toned down the intensity of the bit. However, within a few days, I started to have break through of the pins and needles. My neuro uped the dose to 300mg three times a day, which hasn't made a difference at all. I didn't realize the neurontin knocked you for a loop like that, I have really been getting slow mentally and just out of it. It was like that a little before the meds, but it has gotten much worse. I'm hoping that it is just the medication, I really thought I was losing my mind here.. lol
I saw my ortho doc today for a follow up appt. and he told me about neurontin puttin you in a stupor, and prescribed ametrypteline for me. I havn't researched it yet, but he seems to think it will help me alot. Do you know anything about the med?
The pregnancy issue is what really makes me feel that it is MS, considering the very sudden onset of symptoms after delivery. Losing my vision two days after birth, i thought it was just my blood pressure. I have tried to research the MS mimics to see about pregnancy relieving symptoms, I havn't had any luck with that.
As for the LP, i still can't get an answer as to wether the results are accurate or not without the serum sample. I am pretty upset about that because I had a rough time with the spinal headache for about 6 days after, and the blood patch was no fun at all. They did the LP on the 15th of september, and the results came back on the 27th of september. my neuro doc told me if i was concerned that the results were not correct, to call quest directly and find out their protocol. That will be my mission tommorrow. I really hope that they still have a csf smaple and can just take the serum. I relly dont want to go through that again, but I know how important it is.
On the bright side, I got tough with my neuro doc today and told him I didn't feel comfortable with the wait and see approach and that I didn't want to go another 45 days feeling like im drunk everyday. He said that he wanted me to see internal medicine and that he was referring me to a MS specialist. I have an appt on monday afternoon with internal medicine and I'm hoping she will look at all the pieces of the puzzle instead of just a portion. Another opinion never hurts.
I really appreciate the input and support, I have been very overwhelmed with all this, it's hard trying to juggle soo much and keep your composure together at the same time. Having somebody that's been there help guide you through this maze is a god send. Thank you for that!! :)
Take care and I will be updating soon- Kari
Thank you soo much for your support and respect. I can assure you that it really means a lot to us.
I understand what you mean about not jumping to conclusions. I would much rather find out for sure what is happening instead of slapping a label on quickly and missing something that is much more serious in the long run. It's just frustrating when you know that there is something wrong with your body and it you can't fix it. I'm sure you can relate to that though!! :0
As for the neurontin, it helped at first, it definately toned down the intensity of the bit. However, within a few days, I started to have break through of the pins and needles. My neuro uped the dose to 300mg three times a day, which hasn't made a difference at all. I didn't realize the neurontin knocked you for a loop like that, I have really been getting slow mentally and just out of it. It was like that a little before the meds, but it has gotten much worse. I'm hoping that it is just the medication, I really thought I was losing my mind here.. lol
I saw my ortho doc today for a follow up appt. and he told me about neurontin puttin you in a stupor, and prescribed ametrypteline for me. I havn't researched it yet, but he seems to think it will help me alot. Do you know anything about the med?
The pregnancy issue is what really makes me feel that it is MS, considering the very sudden onset of symptoms after delivery. Losing my vision two days after birth, i thought it was just my blood pressure. I have tried to research the MS mimics to see about pregnancy relieving symptoms, I havn't had any luck with that.
As for the LP, i still can't get an answer as to wether the results are accurate or not without the serum sample. I am pretty upset about that because I had a rough time with the spinal headache for about 6 days after, and the blood patch was no fun at all. They did the LP on the 15th of september, and the results came back on the 27th of september. my neuro doc told me if i was concerned that the results were not correct, to call quest directly and find out their protocol. That will be my mission tommorrow. I really hope that they still have a csf smaple and can just take the serum. I relly dont want to go through that again, but I know how important it is.
On the bright side, I got tough with my neuro doc today and told him I didn't feel comfortable with the wait and see approach and that I didn't want to go another 45 days feeling like im drunk everyday. He said that he wanted me to see internal medicine and that he was referring me to a MS specialist. I have an appt on monday afternoon with internal medicine and I'm hoping she will look at all the pieces of the puzzle instead of just a portion. Another opinion never hurts.
I really appreciate the input and support, I have been very overwhelmed with all this, it's hard trying to juggle soo much and keep your composure together at the same time. Having somebody that's been there help guide you through this maze is a god send. Thank you for that!! :)
Take care and I will be updating soon- Kari
Hello Karen and thank you for your input!! :)
I have done quite a bit of lifting, and jumping and crawling in my army career.. lol, so I wasn't too suprised about the state of my spine. I was a little concerned about the hemangioma, but i was born with one on my face and head, and the spine surgeon said it was an incidental finding. what did they say about you lesion? did they mistake it for a hemangioma to begin with?
I will def. keep an eye on it though. I am going to ask mu neuro to get a c-spine, I am starting to notice that when i tilt my head down, like to read a book, i sometimes get a stronger buzzing sensation and my overall symptoms seem to get worse..
I had a follow up with ortho today, which was what started this whole mess.. The ortho doc took pitty on me and said he was ordering ametrypteline for me to help with the pins and needles. He said he would find a justification to order it for me.. lol, I am going to try that out next. The gabopentin helped, but it is slowly becoming less effective, and is making my confusion and fogginess feel worse.
We do have an immunologist at the hospital, that is a great idea!! I remember getting sick, having a very bad headache and throwing up the night of the first anthrax vaccine and small pox injection. It may be difficult for me at this point to address that issue because the army is still very hush, hush about the anthrax controversy.
As for an advocate, my chain of command are being very helpful and supportive. They have even called favors from doctors they have worked with previously. Thats how i finally got the blood patch.. lol. at the end of the day though, we all have to go through the same system.
The neuro i am seeing now is a bit of a quack to me, he reminds me of john malkovich... i dont have much confidence in him and he rushes through the exams.. I talked to him today about the LP and he told me no serum was necessary in his opinion and that the csf was negative for o-bands so he was satisfied. he said i should call quest diagnostics to find out wether the serum was actually required.. He did say he is sending me to an internest because of my "hung over, cloudy feeling" and a MS specialist.
My husband and I have requested an emergency transfer to maryland . We have an autistic son and he needs services that they cant provide us here. we have a a very good chance of getting it and being out of here by january. the john's hopkins center is just outside of the army postthere and we would be elegible to get our healthcare through them instead of tricare docs. I have read that they have anmazing MS center there and I think I could see the neuro/opthamologist there with no issues. They also have the best autism treatment facility in the country, so we would be very blessed. Please keep your fingers crossed for us. :)
Well thankyou so much again for your input, i will definately be putting your suggestions in action!!
-Kari
I have done quite a bit of lifting, and jumping and crawling in my army career.. lol, so I wasn't too suprised about the state of my spine. I was a little concerned about the hemangioma, but i was born with one on my face and head, and the spine surgeon said it was an incidental finding. what did they say about you lesion? did they mistake it for a hemangioma to begin with?
I will def. keep an eye on it though. I am going to ask mu neuro to get a c-spine, I am starting to notice that when i tilt my head down, like to read a book, i sometimes get a stronger buzzing sensation and my overall symptoms seem to get worse..
I had a follow up with ortho today, which was what started this whole mess.. The ortho doc took pitty on me and said he was ordering ametrypteline for me to help with the pins and needles. He said he would find a justification to order it for me.. lol, I am going to try that out next. The gabopentin helped, but it is slowly becoming less effective, and is making my confusion and fogginess feel worse.
We do have an immunologist at the hospital, that is a great idea!! I remember getting sick, having a very bad headache and throwing up the night of the first anthrax vaccine and small pox injection. It may be difficult for me at this point to address that issue because the army is still very hush, hush about the anthrax controversy.
As for an advocate, my chain of command are being very helpful and supportive. They have even called favors from doctors they have worked with previously. Thats how i finally got the blood patch.. lol. at the end of the day though, we all have to go through the same system.
The neuro i am seeing now is a bit of a quack to me, he reminds me of john malkovich... i dont have much confidence in him and he rushes through the exams.. I talked to him today about the LP and he told me no serum was necessary in his opinion and that the csf was negative for o-bands so he was satisfied. he said i should call quest diagnostics to find out wether the serum was actually required.. He did say he is sending me to an internest because of my "hung over, cloudy feeling" and a MS specialist.
My husband and I have requested an emergency transfer to maryland . We have an autistic son and he needs services that they cant provide us here. we have a a very good chance of getting it and being out of here by january. the john's hopkins center is just outside of the army postthere and we would be elegible to get our healthcare through them instead of tricare docs. I have read that they have anmazing MS center there and I think I could see the neuro/opthamologist there with no issues. They also have the best autism treatment facility in the country, so we would be very blessed. Please keep your fingers crossed for us. :)
Well thankyou so much again for your input, i will definately be putting your suggestions in action!!
-Kari
Hello Karen and thankyou for your input!! :)
I have done quite a bit of lifting, and jumping and crawling in my army career.. lol, so I wasn't too suprosed about the state of my spine. I was a little concerned about the hemangioma, but i was born with one on my face and head, and the spine surgeon said it was an incidental finding. what did they say about you lesion? did they mistake it for a hemangioma to begin with?
I will def. keep an eye on it though. I am going to ask mu neuro to get a c-spine, I am starting to notice that when i tilt my head down, like to read a book, i sometimes get a stronger buzzing sensation and my overall symptoms seem to get worse..
I had a follow up with ortho today, which was what started this whole mess.. The ortho doc took pitty on me and said he was ordering ametrypteline for me to help with the pins and needles. He said he would find a justification to order it for me.. lol, I am going to try that out next. The gabopentin helped, but it is slowly becoming less effective, and is making my confusion and fogginess feel worse.
We do have an immunologist at the hospital, that is a great idea!! I remember getting sick, having a very bad headache and throwing up the night of the first anthrax vaccine and small pox injection. It may be difficult for me at this point to address that issue because the army is still very hush, hush about the anthrax controversy.
As for an advocate, my chain of command are being very helpful and supportive. They have even called favors from doctors they have worked with previously. Thats how i finally got the blood patch.. lol. at the end of the day though, we all have to go through the same system.
The neuro i am seeing now is a bit of a quack to me, he reminds me of john malkovich... i dont have much confidence in him and he rushes through the exams.. I talked to him today about the LP and he told me no serum was necessary in his opinion and that the csf was negative for o-bands so he was satisfied. he said i should call quest diagnostics to find out wether the serum was actually required.. He did say he is sending me to an internest because of my "hung over, cloudy feeling" and a MS specialist.
My husband and I have requested an emergency transfer to maryland . We have an autistic son and he needs services that they cant provide us here. we have a a very good chance of getting it and being out of here by january. the john's hopkins center is just outside of the army postthere and we would be elegible to get our healthcare through them instead of tricare docs. I have read that they have anmazing MS center there and I think I could see the neuro/opthamologist there with no issues. They also have the best autism treatment facility in the country, so we would be very blessed. Please keep your fingers crossed for us. :)
Well thankyou so much again for your input, i will definately be putting your suggestions in action!!
-Kari
I have done quite a bit of lifting, and jumping and crawling in my army career.. lol, so I wasn't too suprosed about the state of my spine. I was a little concerned about the hemangioma, but i was born with one on my face and head, and the spine surgeon said it was an incidental finding. what did they say about you lesion? did they mistake it for a hemangioma to begin with?
I will def. keep an eye on it though. I am going to ask mu neuro to get a c-spine, I am starting to notice that when i tilt my head down, like to read a book, i sometimes get a stronger buzzing sensation and my overall symptoms seem to get worse..
I had a follow up with ortho today, which was what started this whole mess.. The ortho doc took pitty on me and said he was ordering ametrypteline for me to help with the pins and needles. He said he would find a justification to order it for me.. lol, I am going to try that out next. The gabopentin helped, but it is slowly becoming less effective, and is making my confusion and fogginess feel worse.
We do have an immunologist at the hospital, that is a great idea!! I remember getting sick, having a very bad headache and throwing up the night of the first anthrax vaccine and small pox injection. It may be difficult for me at this point to address that issue because the army is still very hush, hush about the anthrax controversy.
As for an advocate, my chain of command are being very helpful and supportive. They have even called favors from doctors they have worked with previously. Thats how i finally got the blood patch.. lol. at the end of the day though, we all have to go through the same system.
The neuro i am seeing now is a bit of a quack to me, he reminds me of john malkovich... i dont have much confidence in him and he rushes through the exams.. I talked to him today about the LP and he told me no serum was necessary in his opinion and that the csf was negative for o-bands so he was satisfied. he said i should call quest diagnostics to find out wether the serum was actually required.. He did say he is sending me to an internest because of my "hung over, cloudy feeling" and a MS specialist.
My husband and I have requested an emergency transfer to maryland . We have an autistic son and he needs services that they cant provide us here. we have a a very good chance of getting it and being out of here by january. the john's hopkins center is just outside of the army postthere and we would be elegible to get our healthcare through them instead of tricare docs. I have read that they have anmazing MS center there and I think I could see the neuro/opthamologist there with no issues. They also have the best autism treatment facility in the country, so we would be very blessed. Please keep your fingers crossed for us. :)
Well thankyou so much again for your input, i will definately be putting your suggestions in action!!
-Kari
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Here are 12 simple – and fun! – ways to boost your brainpower.
Discover some of the causes of dizziness and how to treat it.
Discover the common causes of headaches and how to treat headache pain.
Two of the largest studies on Alzheimer’s have yielded new clues about the disease
