[Starznight]

Okay I was sent by the neuro to get a spinal tap after a long drawn out suspicion of ms that without insurance was too expensive to extensively track down. Regardless, finally got an MRI that appeared to show lesions and in the correct portion of the brain for ms so got a follow up MRI with contrast and sent for a spinal tap as well. Now since local anesthetics don't numb anything and just burn and sting for hours they just did it, no local, no pain killers, relaxants... Nothing but my usual morning dose of baclofen, prescribed for the past year (been on muscle relaxants for almost 10 years) for continuous muscle spasms. Well back to the question after a bit of history, to start with the blood draw was more painful than the lumbar puncture much to the shock and awe of the radiology department (got quite an audience once they found out it was being done w/o anything to calm or numb me) but really made me wonder why they even bothered to give a local to folks since 'pain' isn't a term I'd use to describe a lumber puncture. But I also didn't have any issues with the EMGs I've had, and needles don't bother me in the slightest, so didn't think too much about that. The question comes in to what happened after the test, prior to the draw I had a low grade headache, usual precursor to a migraine, my lower back was already awake and spasming, the legs were likewise stabbing, cramping, stinging and hurting, eh the usual.... But after the lumbar puncture... The headache went away, the back loosened right up, the legs didn't go numb but the pain in them went away completely, the muscles were still spasming but not to the extent they usually do, for about six hours I felt better than I have in ten years. Now 12 hours after the test there feels like a knot is forming near the injection sight, been gently stretching it out, but still no headache although slowly the pain is increasing in the legs and the spasms growing stronger, but has anyone else here ever felt such relief from the removal of CSF? And what might it be indicative of, if anything, it could just be my body is being the odd ball as usual.

[SallyC]

Hi Starz, welcome to NeuroTalk. I don't know the answer to your question,
but wanted to welcome you and let you know we are here for you.

[Starznight]

Well into the day after the LP and right back to square one as far as pain and symptoms go, even the knot slipped out from the injection site making yesterday seem as if it never even happened, six glorious hours of normalcy gone away, with only a bandaid still remaining to hold it in reality. Reading further about others reactions to LPs I'm starting to think mine was just one more reaction that will have the doctors scratching their heads with a "hmmmm...that ain't right...ummmm...dunno." Maybe I'm an alien but unlike Superman the earth's gravity is crushing me rather than letting me jump tall buildings in a single bound. "Look down there on the ground, it's an ant! It's a turtle! It's road kill... No! It's Underman!!! Able to move at speeds slower than dead turtles, flounder on the ground like a newborn baby and pop meds from a pez dispenser! It's Underman here to warm the bed." okay need to get off here and go make my super hero costume

[Starznight]

Okay still waiting on the other half of results, but really starting to question the drs near certainty since as yet (and I don't have the results in yet for the bands) but I would venture to say my protein count is way too low for MS. But at least I can shoot the next doctor who suggests diabetes, I'm still running low on glucose in the normal range yes, but low side of normal and I had cookies for breakfast before the test soooo safe to say it's not especially in conjunction with the various other glucose tests I've had, sorry docs I'm getting chunky from being crippy for ten year and not crippy for ten years because I'm. chunky Anyways back to the real reason for this post... Does anyone know what the numbers after the Mono csf ABS (5#) Lymphs csf ABS (95#) and SEGs csf ABS (00#) might mean? I don't see my neuro till august and the curiosity is killing me and as we all know "curiosity killed the cat, but... Satisfaction brought him back"

[Starznight]

Okay, learning the importance of having alllllll the results. MS is back on the table given the igg/albumin results which my csf doubled down on. Not a confirmed kill but is certainly the result of some form of degenerative disorder, to whit MS fits best inconjunction with symptoms. Now whether the neurologist agrees... Well.... But it does make me feel a lot better knowing that in less than two months I should finally have an answer. Granted it's not one that has a magic pill to make it all better, and not even one that follows a set regime of progression, but it is an answer, knowledge that I'm not just a big crybaby over a stubbed toe or simply a lazy piece of trash looking for any little ache to avoid doing anything. (Believe me sometimes I have wondered, and paid the price by doing far more than I should have just because the was no "reason" why I couldn't, excruciating, shock inducing pain wasn't a "reason" because there was no "reason" for the pain) I'm not quite planning the 'answer' party yet, but definitely forward to my neuro appt more now than I was last night after all, in war Knowledge is the greatest ally.

Thanks everyone sometimes it helps greatly just to have a place to write it all out and get the brain firing on all cylinders.

[SallyC]

YAY!!! sTARZ. Glad you are finally getting answers. Let the fights begin.

[msarkie]

Wow, Starz, have you ever been checked for hydrocephalus?

[Starznight]

No I haven't, aside from the headaches (without vomiting or dizziness) and feeling better afterwards, for the most part it doesn't fit with the symptoms.

I had considered idiopathic intercranial hypertension, which could be associated with ms, but decided I was brushing up too much on my old Latin courses... All though most of this is Greek to me ha ha...ha...

Sorry couldn't resist... But for the most part my MRIs have been fairly unremarkable aside from the possible lesions, and in my first MRI it showed enlargement of the optic nerve that was resolved in the second MRI which coincided with some vision issues I was having, and the sudden reversal of them...

It's the same thing that keeps the pain mgmt dr and orthos scratching their heads too. MRI of my ankles shows severe tendonosis of three tendons in the left and the same three in the right, however every thing else is clear, no fluid build up, no damage, wear or loss of density to the bones, no effects to the ligaments or surrounding muscles, no deformities...

A remarkably well-turned healthy set of ankles apart from... Which has me often teasing the doctors that I'm probably the healthiest, decrepit patient they'll ever treat...it's all good till they start agreeing.

Even my EMG was a head scratcher, the test was completely normal, other than it wasn't.... That is the nerves are talking, freely passing conductions back and forth, no sign of muscle damage, but my reaction to the test went beyond simple pain tolerance. The nerves might have been chatting in mandarin for all my parietal lobe cared. Even when they got a muscle spasming, and started apologizing, offering to move the probe, I didn't feel a thing. The skin didn't even flinch when they stuck the needles in.

But the results were normal, the test....well.... They didn't know what to make of it. Still don't, I've a total of three, each one left them more confused. Especially when they checked the reflexes after the last two and the reflexes worked just like they're supposed to. Other than failing that one finger flick test to check for ALS, they flick the middle finger and the thumb moves, only it's not supposed to.

I'm telling ya... Alien... That's gotta be it, I always knew my siblings were right, I was found in a garbage can, and my mom claims she carried me for ten months... Ha! Or maybe that's normal for aliens

[msarkie]

Starz, I think you had better come with me to Mayo. Or go on Mystery Diagnosis! Or maybe just contact Stan Lee about his Superhuman show...........

[Starznight]

Lol. I would go to mayo with you gladly, but they don't take me insurance

Mystery Diagnosis sounds like an option though, frankly I'm surprised my mother hasn't called them on me.

It's really frustrating not having an answer, but at the same time the morbid in me finds this all hilarious, even with the sex issues. All I can say is the doctors are definitely getting their money's worth on their degrees with me