Hello Vanessa, my name is Lisa, I'm 33 and from Scotland, UK. Sorry to read about what you've been going through. I was diagnoses with TM last September 2011 after spending a week in hospital undergoing gruelling testing. My attack started with tingling in my right foot and then I went numb up to my bra strap level. Anyway, they found a spot of inflammation on my spine at my bra strap level and diagnosed me with TM. I was then given 3 days of IV steroids. I never had any pain or bladder/ bowel issues, I only suffered with sensory issues. I did struggle to walk though due to the numbness and some weakness. I reckon it took about 3 months to feel functional and then another 3 months for my legs to begin to feel totally normal. I was told that my test results also indicated that I had a 60-70% chance of developing MS and if I had another attack I would have the MS diagnosis confirmed.

So....it's now June 2012 and 4 weeks ago all my symptoms came back. I'm pretty much numb AGAIN up to my rib cage and have bits of tingling, pins and needles etc. So I consulted my doc and he said this is a flare up of my original attack and it will settle in time. It's also worth mentioning at this point that throughout this whole time, ie for the past year, I have been and still am being treated for a chronic anxiety disorder. It's interesting what you say about stress overload because I really think my anxiety condition has put so much stress on my body. I'm not surprised I have an autoimmune condition!!!! No doctor will admit to me that stress and anxiety has had an impact on all this but I totally believe everything is linked.

I have some food intolerances too, not allergies, just poor reactions to food.....gluten and wheat etc. I'm hoping when I'm feeling better to radically change my diet to help my body recover and keep well. There is also a natural product called colostrum which is designed to balance out the immune system, so I might give that a go. It's apparently a miracle product.

I totally feel for you, I absolutely hate this too and not knowing when my stupid body is going to attack itself again. I'm currently sitting around waiting for my legs to get better while everyone else is running and moving around getting on with their lives. So frustrating. They say it's rare to have more than one TM attack. Yeah right!!!

Keep in touch
Lisa x