Hello,

I have been looking around this site for a few days to get the feel of things, and I am now ready to say hello to everyone.

I was in another lifetime, a Senior Lecturer in a University, however this was ended with the ensuing series of events.

It is a long, long story to this point and I will not bore you with much if it. Some years ago I was very ill and required resuscitation and urgent surgery. That was when things went wrong. Since then I have had increasingly troublesome balance problems. A lumbar puncture showed Oligoclonal bands and it was thought that I had MS, but that was later ruled out. Several MRIs later, and I was told the most recent showed Empty Sella Syndrome, which led me to an endocrinologist. She told me that what I had been told for 13 years was Peripheral Neuropathy, was in fact Dorsal Column disease.

The problems are progressing slowly, and some days I have quite severe ataxia, others only mild symptoms. Falls and bruises are commonplace. On bad days a walking frame is a great help. On good days, a walking stick is enough. I recently became the pet of an opinionated and stubborn teacup Chihuahua, who I love wholeheartedly. He takes me on quite long walks and gets me out in the garden for tug of war and fetch sessions (often I do the fetching). He has been so good for me.

I guess it is only a question if time until I find my way back onto the merry go round that is Neurology. I guess that is why I am here. To find out if other people have had similar experiences, and hopefully find out how they cope.

Warm good wishes to all, especially those who are experiencing poor health at the moment.