Quix, Can you help me understand this???

[santana8]

I have been searching for information on having new or different symptoms after ADEM.  I found this article that talks about it some, but don't fully understand what it means.  It reads like this:

ADEM is considered a monophasic illness. The natural history of ADEM appears to vary. Reappearance of earlier symptoms during subsequent illness is common and worrisiome for patients.  This should not be confused with a relapse, which refers to a worsening of clinical condition or of new deficeits that last longer than 24 hours. Some of these relapes, when it involves a different site indicates the evolution to MS.


This is the web address incase you need to read the whole study to answer this question.

http://www.annalsofian.org/article.asp

Does this mean that the new symptom has to last  at least 24 hours at any given time to be considered a relapes?  the new burning in my foot, and transient tingling/numbness only last  from 1-5 min, and never more!  I am confused about what this means!

~Santana~

[santana8]

Bump

[essdipity]

Hey there. I think I can answer at least part of this. In MS, the symptoms don't have to be continuous or non-stop for 24 hours or more. They can be off and on, but the whole episode has to last that long.

So one or two fleeting blips of whatever wouldn't do it. But if you've had some symptom that is intermittent but has been bothering you for several days, that could be an MS relapse.

Hope this helps.

ess

[santana8]

I guess what I really want to know is if what my neuro, that just left was right when he said that the transient numbness and tingling in my caves and the sides of my forearms was residual damage from the ADEM.

Now, the first and most prominate symptom I had both at sudden onset and even today, is the visual field defect and the eye pain.  Although the visual field defect has gotten better over the past two years it is still not gone, and the pain seems to be related to the Meibomian Gland Dysfunction,( oil producing glands that help make up the tear film)  Blepharitis( inflammation of the eye lids), and Dry eye syndrome!

All of the mental status changes at onset could have been due to the abrupt switch of My SSRI( Zoloft) to (Paroxetine) with out a taper after 14 years of being on the Zoloft,  all phyciatric symptoms stablalized after being put back on Zoloft after being off of all meds for two months!

The stiff neck was about two months after onset and I had it constant for two months and then off and on for about a year. Still get very slight stiffness there but doesn't last long!

Then Right after the spinal tap which was eight months after onset I started having some transient numbness/tingling in my lower back for about a month, then it was gone.

Then four months after this the transient numbness/tingling started in the backs of my caves and the sides of my forearms.  I noticed it with getting too hot or stressed out!  This comes and goes on some days and only last for 1 to five min, and I get it more when I feel stressed out!

Now the latest weird thing was a transient burning or warm feeling running down the top of my left foot. This happened three different times last week and only lasted a few seconds and then was gone. Haven't so far had this any more, but have had the transient numbness/ tingling in between.  It is like all of these symptoms are taking turns showing up, but only for a brief time, just enough time to agravate me.

My neuro that just left to go to a new job told me when I asked about the transient numbness/tingling, that this was residual damage from the 10 lesions in the brain.  I am seeing my new neuro on July 29th and he is suposed to specialize in MS.  My Dx for now is ADEM, so far no new lesions in two years.

My question is could all this be residual damage from the origional 10 lesions in the brain?  Can brain lesions cause numbness, tingling, burning,stiffness and eye pain from prior Retroubulbar Neuritis?  My C-spine and brain stem didn't show any lesions a year ago.  

ADEM causes damage to the myelin sleath just like MS. Would it make sense that damaged myelin could produce residual symptoms like this?  Or does these sound more like new symptoms?  

I am going to bring all this up to the new neuro, but  I just wanted to ask if you thought that ADEM two years ago could still be producing residual symptoms this long after the attack?  I am thinking that these new things might be an indication that this may be MS.  I am due a new scan now, but if it doesn't show any new lesion like all the others have not , then I will be stumped on this one!!  Any Ideas???????????????

The link above is what I found that describes what is considered a repapes in ADEM, but I don't know if all of this fits in with this or not!!!!!

~Santana~