[olive1976]

Hi All, I'm new to this forum. In February 2011, I had a bout of suspected optic neuritis in my left eye. My vision was blurry in that eye for a few weeks and then it went back to normal. In April 2012, I got numbness and tingling in all four limbs which I still have (7 months on). I had my first MRI last week and here is what the report said:

Multiple increased T2/FLAIR signal intensity lesions are seen in the periventricular and subcortical white matter bilaterally in a distribution consistent with multiple sclerosis. A solitary increased T2 signal lesion is seen in the right side of the pons. No enhancement of these lesions is demonstrated.

I will be making an appointment to see a neurologist next week. I'm really terrified of being diagnosed with MS. My biggest fear is not being able to live a normal life. I have a few questions that maybe folks here can help answer.

1) I understand that the following line in the report is a good sign: "No enhancement of these lesions is demonstrated." Could somebody explain why?

2) Am I going to be able to live a normal life with MS? Will I be able to continue to work at a job that requires a high intellectual ability and performance.

3) Is anyone familiar with Terry Wahls supposedly MS curing diet?

[SallyC]

Hello Olive and welcome to NeuroTalk.

So sorry for your MSy symptoms. I hope you find out soon and in the meantime, take a deep breath and try to keep your stress level down. It only makes things worse than they have to be.

No enhancement usually means that the lesion is not active at the moment and yet you may still be having symptoms.

Living a normal life depends on what direction your disease takes. A mild onset can mean you will be able to carry on as usual, with a few restrictions.

I know absolutely nothing of ANY diet that may be a cure for MS. Be careful out there on the web...charlitons(sp) abound. A well balanced diet with a cutback on saturated fats, is always good for your health, but a cure? NO!

Thanks for joining us.

[olive1976]

Hi Sally,

Thank you for your quick reply. I tried to post a link to Terry Wahl's Ted Talk, but apparently I'm not allowed to do so before having 10 posts. You can find it on YouTube by searching for "Terry Wahl MS Ted Talk." She is a physician and researcher with the most severe form of MS. She claims to have made a complete recovery through a diet which ensures she gets all the nutrients she needs daily without supplements. I'd be curious to know what you and others think of this.

Cheers,

Olive

Originally Posted by SallyC

Hello Olive and welcome to NeuroTalk.

So sorry for your MSy symptoms. I hope you find out soon and in the meantime, take a deep breath and try to keep your stress level down. It only makes things worse than they have to be.

No enhancement usually means that the lesion is not active at the moment and yet you may still be having symptoms.

Living a normal life depends on what direction your disease takes. A mild onset can mean you will be able to carry on as usual, with a few restrictions.

I know absolutely nothing of ANY diet that may be a cure for MS. Be careful out there on the web...charlitons(sp) abound. A well balanced diet with a cutback on saturated fats, is always good for your health, but a cure? NO!

Thanks for joining us.

[Kitty]

I think this might be the video you're talking about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc

[olive1976]

What do people here think of the video?

[NurseNancy]

hi olive and welcome to NT.
i'm glad you found this.

your post brings back memories of my experiences on the road to dx (diagnosis). it also has given me the benefit of almost 12 yrs post dx. in which i have some hingsight now and have gained some wisdom concerning the disease.

i'm RRMS; now PPMS but i'm stable. i still walk with a cane, am independent and drive my car. i'd like to encourage you to take things one day at a time.
no one knows what the future holds, even for healthy people. everyone's MS is different and no one has the same course. while some folks do get very sick many others con't to work, have children and live their lives.

we learn gradually how to make adjustment, like using a cane, but we get thru. this is a great site for info and support. please stick with us for help.

i don't know about the diet and frankly don't believe in "cures" like that; imho. also, if you havn't told anyone at your job don't do it right away. there are consequences to telling so think it thru.

anyway, welcome. hope to hear more from you.
write all your Q's down and try to bring someone with you to the dr appt for a 2nd set of ears.

also, i've learned to start a medical file on myself. get copies of mri's and reports. as you may see other drs down the road they will want these records. always keep your file. also, try keeping a sx (symptom) journal. it will help your dr track your condition on a timeline.

[Erika]

Hello Olive and welcome to our gathering. We can share our experiences and the information we have gathered with you (Thanks SallyC, Kitty and NurseNancy), but as NurseNancy put so well, everyone's MS is different.

Hope that you get some answers soon, but please know that it can also be a long journey to diagnosis; so please try to take one day at a time and let us know how you are making out along the way.
It really does help to share and ask questions of those who have been where you are now....and yes, to even vent if/when it becomes frustrating.

We are here for you .
With love, Erika

[doydie]

Hi and welcome to NT. We are a great group here, a family. From your initial post it seems like you are a very intelligent person and worry about staying that way and being of use to yourself and the world. As the others have said, MS will take a different course with every single person. It's all according to where the lesions are, other health problems determination, guts, will, etc. As you well know that in life you are continually reasessing the situation, resetting goals, basicall making changes where changes need to be made. In my profession it was the nursing process. Oh how I hated that term in nursing school but learned that it's just something that one does in every situation they come upon.

I was a cardiac nurse before MS. It was my life, my passion. I worked for several years after my diagnosis but eventually had to quit. There are many here who work full time, learn how to adapt so they can work. There are full time Moms, and who can not say that a full time Mom is the hardest job ever. Get the info you need, asess it, take a plan of action, be willing to reasess and replan and move on. You have to make this YOUR journey

Forgot to add, I still drive on my own, travel, go shopping, go to the Y and do some of the things I used to do and have learned how to do some different things to take the place of what I can no longer do.

[Lynn]

Hi Olive

Nice to meet you - but for all the wrong reasons.

I agree totally with everything that others have said. Sal was right in saying that there are a lot of charlatans out there who promise the world and deliver nothing but an empty promise, and often a reduced bank balance.

As you have probably heard, MS is usually unpredictable, and no two cases are the same. We all present and progress differently.

I am eleven years in, still walking (sure, not so fast, or as elegantly as before, but still on two legs...), still working four days a week as a business studies teacher, mum of two (who were only young when I was diagnosed) - one is now at university, and the other is in her last year of junior high school), I have been married to the same wonderful man for 22 years and we have lots more to come.

My point is, MS is not an ending, it is a readjustment. It is a time to reassess, find your strengths, ditch whatever weaknesses you can afford to lose and move forward.

Non-enhancing lesions mean that they are not currently active (no inflamation is happening right now). That is a good thing.

IF you are diagnosed with MS, it is not good, but there are many worse things we could have, and yes, it is possible to live a happy and full life for a long time. None of us know what is around our corners - sure MS could become seriously disabling, but so could lots of other things that may happen to us.

I hope you get the answers you need - sometimes I think not knowing is the hardest part.

Regards

Lyn

[freeinhou]

Hi Olive -

Welcome to the board. MS is not very predictable.

It started with ON for me too. January 1988. I was working at a nuke plant then. And I gotta go to the morning daily operations meeting in 10 minutes. We got a Soyuz launch this week and subsequent docking with the international space station. I still work. I even still walk normal. Can't run, but I'm also getting old...

Tom