Neurologist after Head MRI
I've talked about the conclusions already and although I glossed over the likelihood of this being MS, it's not something I've glossed over in my thoughts. It's been hard to come to terms with even as a remote possibility, now it is more likely.
I'm lucky to have my wife by my side in all these meetings and tests, she asks the questions sometimes I just ask in my head. Kris has a sharp mind for medical details and takes nothing the neurologist says for granted, I'm really lucky to have her as a counterpoint to my more subdued response.
I will have a lumbar puncture tomorrow, I guess to rule out Lyme Disease and other things. And, I just learned another EMG in the afternoon tomorrow. Then, starting Friday, I will have five days of steroids by IV. Unfortunately they are different than Bonds' steroid program, see the steroid's for MS link. Nonetheless I'll at least do pushups to try to get bigger biceps!
I have done some research into the steroid treatment and other options, what I've taken from it is that different people react in different ways. The blessing and the curse of the internet is that I can read a blog from someone who had an awful experience with the steroid treatment, or even the IV contrast for MRI, and someone who had experienced significant improvement. I imagine this is due to different causes of MS and the different ways it can present itself, so I'm trusting the judgement of my neurologist (she specializes in MS) because she knows the differences better than internet posters.
I feel better after writing up these blogs, I try to carry all this info in my head (and I guess I still do) but putting it down will make explaining the story easier for a whole lot of different audiences: work, friends, teammates and everyone else. And could in the long run be really useful as I discover what my diagnosis will be and my prognosis.
I'll use this to track the steps of my progress and probably even useful research that I discover so that I can also educate everyone on MS and other demyelinating diseases if necessary.
I'm lucky to have my wife by my side in all these meetings and tests, she asks the questions sometimes I just ask in my head. Kris has a sharp mind for medical details and takes nothing the neurologist says for granted, I'm really lucky to have her as a counterpoint to my more subdued response.
I will have a lumbar puncture tomorrow, I guess to rule out Lyme Disease and other things. And, I just learned another EMG in the afternoon tomorrow. Then, starting Friday, I will have five days of steroids by IV. Unfortunately they are different than Bonds' steroid program, see the steroid's for MS link. Nonetheless I'll at least do pushups to try to get bigger biceps!
I have done some research into the steroid treatment and other options, what I've taken from it is that different people react in different ways. The blessing and the curse of the internet is that I can read a blog from someone who had an awful experience with the steroid treatment, or even the IV contrast for MRI, and someone who had experienced significant improvement. I imagine this is due to different causes of MS and the different ways it can present itself, so I'm trusting the judgement of my neurologist (she specializes in MS) because she knows the differences better than internet posters.
I feel better after writing up these blogs, I try to carry all this info in my head (and I guess I still do) but putting it down will make explaining the story easier for a whole lot of different audiences: work, friends, teammates and everyone else. And could in the long run be really useful as I discover what my diagnosis will be and my prognosis.
I'll use this to track the steps of my progress and probably even useful research that I discover so that I can also educate everyone on MS and other demyelinating diseases if necessary.
Comments