Quote:
Originally Posted by amyblake
Cherie,
I had an LP in January and I am trying to look through my test results regarding the O-bands. I found the following information: Oligoclonal Bands # (abnormal) Present
I have so much "medical lingo" information in my report, is there another term I can look at to find the # of O-bands?
I have not recieved the records from my last set of MRI's yet, so I don't have anything to refer to other than the ones from Dec 08 and July 06. When we were talking with the Dr. about the latest MRI, he said that they also found several lesions in the brain stem and the thoracic and cervical spine. I did not get the feeling that there were a lot.
I am so glad I posted this thread....I am feeling so much better knowing that others feel that the Dr. having such a "hunch" of PPMS so early in my diagnosis may not be the actual case, and that ppms tends not to be diagnosed so quickly. I am feeling much more positive, really. Thank you!
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Yes, O-bands are Oligoclonal bands (I can never remember how to spell it
).
Well, most of us are apparently expected to have O-bands, but sometimes they look at the number of them (2+) to see how much activity there is. The number of O-bands can offer a "hint" as to the disease process going on ... but it's just a hint.
People with PPMS tend to have more spinal lesion disruption, and less inflammatory brain activity . . . at least compared to early RRMS. You seem to have both going on, but he seems to be focusing on the spinal lesions with your dx.
The reason he is focusing there, is because "MRI-noticable" spinal lesions can potentially cause us additional difficulty. (I am one with mostly spinal (big) lesions, so I know how they can be a challenge). Most of us with MS eventually have spinal lesions though (about 75% of us) . . . but they aren't always big or noticable by MRI. When they are noticable on a MRI though, there is probably more chance of having symptoms from them.
Amy, I had one very big spinal lesion for the longest time. If it had been very active, or if the relapses they caused hadn't healed as well as well they did, they probably would have called me PPMS too. Very active spinal lesions just aren't THAT common with MS, so when they see them, they sometimes think the worst.
I am 18 yrs into this and still walking and doing relatively well.
I have a gut feeling you will be too.
Cherie
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I am not a Neurologist, Physician, Nurse, or Hairdresser ... but I have learned that it is not such a great idea to give oneself a haircut after three margaritas
.