Went to the physiatrist. I'm getting an MRI for Xmas. (where can I return that for the money?)

Doctor thinks it's possibly an actual real physical problem and not an MS-ish thing. (that's what I didnt see coming) Thinks it's a slipped disc or something. Getting a lumbar MRI in the most open MRI in the city. (I posted about that MRI machine here a couple of years ago)

So, he thinks (and we're both hoping) it's an actual physical thing. Said that it could be irritating the MS, or coincidentally had an MS flare at the same time. But he said some of the symptoms were making him think it was physical.


Of course, that might mean surgery, which I'm hoping isnt going to be needed. I'd rather just do a ton of PT if I can do that instead of getting cut into (I want aquatic PT! I wanna go swimming!!)

I feel a little better emotionally now about this...not as doom filled at least.

Since I'm up and actually dressed (in my nicer sweatpants) I'm going to go out for Greek food. I havent been anywhere for two weeks. I'm going nuts. Still cant drive, but I can talk my parents into souvlaki (shishkabob's) and baklava. Now I kind of wish I'd taken a shower.

Kudos to your doctor for actually looking past MS!!

Keep us posted and eat some grape leaves for me.

Erin, good luck with the tests. It would be nice to have something fixable, although I hope it's not too serious.

I grew up with neighborhood friends...one Greek and the other Lebanese. Their food was much alike and I enjoyed them both, except for the Baklava(Greek) and Baklayawa(Lebanese)...TOOO DANG SWEET...it'll curl your teeth..

The Lebanese also ate raw lamb(Kibbe) but I preferred mine cooked TYVM. and stuffed with Hushwai(sp) Loved the Lebanese unleaven bread.

The Greek girlfriend became Miss Greek America and the Lebanese is still my best friend today. Both were born Americans of Greek/Lebanese born Parents.

Greek is my favorite, too. I am a great fan of grape leaf rolls, which they sell with the olives at my local supermarket or at Whole Foods. I had a Greek roommate in college and afterward in San Francisco. She had never cooked, as her mom did it all at home, but we made some pastry to serve to our boyfriends, layer by layer. What a job! I learned to sing in Greek and they told me I could sing without an accent. That was long ago.

I'm hoping it's something physical that can be actually touched and fixed or physical therapy-ed back into working order. Getting tired of having everything blamed on the MS. I dont think I'm going to get my hopes up. I'm going to assume it's MS-ish in nature tho and I'll have to wait months and months and months for it to get better.

Whatever triggered it, it's scary as heck to go from walking nearly normal to being lucky to be able to get to the potty without falling down as fast as this happened.

Well, it didnt exactly happen fast. Some of it I noticed at least a month ago. Back pain, that was getting worse and worse, that suddenly went away one day. Right about the time the foot tingling started. The back pain came back when I was bending over picking up some stuff off the floor in my dad's office, and it was after that the numbness started. Doctor today said it was suggesting a slipped disc. He wants to rule that out before anything else.

Whatever it turns out to be, I really hope that PT fixes it. I dont want surgery, and once I'm done with the oral pred that I'm on, I'm going to see if I can go a few years before I have to take it again.

Doctor told me to go to Cabelas and get a special pair of work boots that he says are probably just as good as basic AFO. (wont rub as much) Says that they're not all that attractive, but he's been wearing some and said they'd be good for keeping my right foot stable. Said they're good on snow too. I cant remember the name of the boot. My boyfriend works for Cabelas tho, so I'm going to see if he'll go with me to buy them. Might get my boyfriend to lend me his discount too.

Said after I get the MRI on thursday that I can go see him again, and talk about what the MRI said, and then I either get PT and possible surgery, or just a ton of PT and some patience to wait for the symptoms to heal.

I am so hoping for aquatic PT. The pool has a special floor. They lift the floor of the pool up, you walk out onto the floor and then they lower the floor back into the pool. Water's 93 degrees. He said he might not put me in the pool because of the MS and the stupid Uhthoff's phenomenon thing because of the heat of the water, and I told him I dont care, I'd risk a little Uhthoff's just to get into the water. I want to go swimming!!!!!!! The Uhthoff's will go away once I cool off. I want in that pool! (Ooo...I'll need a swimsuit!)

Grape leaf rolls... Those are dolmades. (doh-mahd-es) The ones at my favorite restaurant are pretty good. Hamburger, rice, lemon, and bechemel sauce (think the bechemel is made with butter and lemon and other spices) Rolled into a sausage shaped meatball with grape leaves wrapped around it.

The bechemel sauce is ok, but sometimes that place gives you too much sauce. They're really good rolled up in pita bread. (I'm getting hungry again!!!)

They serve their dolmades with Moussaka (hamburger, tomato sauce, eggplant and kasseri (goat) cheese on top. (My dad calls it greek lasagna) and you either get a souvlaki with it, or spanakopita. (feta, spinach and spices in filo dough and baked....getting hungry again!)

Greek food is my most favorite food in the world (next to Italian) Every time I've had a big flare that's required steroids, for some reason my body always wants Greek food. It must be my comfort food.

I made enough phone calls to that place for takeout in the last few weeks, the girls always ask "is this Erin?" and I'm like "yeah". I tip well when I eat there alone, so they're really nice when I ask for extra feta and extra pita. I think I spoiled them with larger tips, and they've spoiled me with the extra feta and pita. Love that restaurant. Been going there since I was 10. (back when it was just a hamburger and gyro place)

If I ever get married (not likely) or need to have a party (also not likely) that's where I'm going to do a reception/party. Place doesnt look like much, but OMG the food is so good.

Just read my MRI reports that I have from way back in 2006/2007.

Interesting to find out that way back then, they actually FOUND "annular bulging" (slipped discs) at c4-c5, c5-c6, and c6-c7 with a very small left paracentral protrusion (hmm...does that mean "slipped disc"?) of the c5-c6 disc (without cord compression or stenosis)

They also found a hemangianoma (abnormal buildup of blood vessels) on, if I remember right, L5-S1. (hemangianomas are beign, and usually dont cause problems, but can sometimes press on nerves...interesting?)

What the hell? All that was there FIVE freaking years ago and they never bothered to tell me???

Now I think I really do want to do that MRI. (half tempted to call that doctor back and ask them to do the cervical and thoracic while they're doing the lumbar)

I know I'm calling my neurologist in the morning and tell him I'm having an MRI and ask him to look at the MRI report from 5yrs ago and see what he thinks about that.

Oh Erin! I would definitely tell both drs. about the MRI from 5 years ago. I hope today's MRI goes well.

More and more drs. now a day are opting for conservative treatment before jumping in to surgery (unless, of course, they feel surgery is the only way). I hope that in your case PT is all you need. As for the 93 degree pool, no way would I get in it. It would take me at least all day to recup. I do get what you are saying about swimming through. I love to swim. Anyhow, when I do PT, they will not let me in the pool and it's kept a 82 degrees.

Keep us posted on what happens.

I'm home from the MRI.

It wasnt as bad as the ones I did 5yrs ago, mostly because they didnt contrast me, so I only had to lay there for about...25 minutes?

My back hurt really really bad when they were done. I think I annoyed them because I had to sit there for a minute or two before getting up and crawling out of the room. (they were bringing some guy in as I was walking out) The tech was really nice. A lot nicer than the ones I remember from 5yrs ago.

The machine was smaller than the other open MRI's that I've been in. Those were huge, this one was smaller, so it did give more of an "open" sense to it. The big magnet above me had a smaller footprint than any previous open MRI's I've been in. If I could have stretched my arms out to the sides, I could almost reach the side of the machine...I'd have to have stretched my arms a lot tho. My back was killing me at the end tho. The tech said I didnt move at all. He said usually the claustrophobes he gets will fidget a lot and I didnt fidget except he could see my hand moving. I kept getting an itch on my neck and my nose, and so every time I felt an itch, I'd use my thumb to scratch my index finger and pretend I was scratching the itchy spots on my neck and nose.

I have no idea when I'll find out the results. I'm guessing it'll be next week.

I think the 'roids have finally started to work on whatever inflammation is going on. I'm still really numb, but the neurological pain isnt making me scream to wear a pair of sweats and I can put shoes AND socks on without trying to climb the walls to get away from them. If it is a slipped disc, one of the first things they'd have tried would have been oral steroids, and if it's the MS, well...that's what they would have given me anyways. So if it's a disc problem I guess it was ok to take the 'roids.

I'm just glad that the MRI is done. Now I can finish wrapping Xmas presents.

I'm still kind of hoping whatever triggered this stuff is a disc problem, since that's something a doctor can actually see, might be able to touch and fix if they have to, and give me some idea of how long I'll be numb like this. If it's an MS thing, they'll just tell me the generic "could be better in 6 weeks to 6 months to a year to never..." that I always get whenever I have a flare.

I must be feeling a little bit better, because I actually went out to breakfast and then to the grocery store with my parents to get groceries and a couple of gift cards for my uncle. (does anyone else get "car sick" riding those grocery scooters?) I'm going to go take a nap. Maybe the doctor's office will call later...hopefully.