Hey all. Paraplegia since 89, MS since 06.
Mechanic (what I can reach) and try to fix just about everything including myself.

Thankyou

Hi Edife and welcome to NeuroTalk!

This is the best MS site around and everyone is friendly and helpful. We even have The Stumble Inn where we go to have some fun and talk about stuff other than MS. Here's the link in case you haven't been there yet:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum102.html

Hope to see you around the forum! :)

Hi Ed, so nice to meet you. Welcome to Neurotalk. We are all here for each other. I hope we can be here for you..:hug:

Come on in and join us anywhere.:)

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/r...es/rainbow.gif



Hi Edife, and welcome to NT! We're so glad you found us! :)

I also have MS, and I hope to see you around. You will be amazed at how friendly, caring, and helpful everyone is.

Feel free to jump right in!

Hi! I have RRMS. Diagnosed in December of last year. Believed it in September of this year. Three attacks in five months. One ON and 2 numbness from the waist down. Still walking and remitting, but this one is remitting very slowly. I am determined to fight this disease. I look forward to getting to meet ya'll.

Welcome Chachacha...http://home.earthlink.net/~sal.pal/s...tures/kick.gif....couldn't resist.:)

Nice to meet you and great to have you with us.:hug:

Welcome to the forum, Chachacha! I'm from Georgia, too! :)

gomer mustering in
 

Welcome to NeuroTalk Gomer! :) :welcome_sign:

Good luck with your November 11th appointment. I hope you'll get answers though you're right about it possibly being a prolonged process. With your medical history they might have to do a lot of ruling things out but I hope it's fairly clear cut and easy to diagnose.

This is a great community with lots of awesome people. Take care and keep us posted on your testing.

Welcome, Gomer. I'm glad you found us. :)

Sounds like you have a lot on your plate but with a great attitude. Good luck with your Nov 11th appointment..

Come on in and join us anywhere. Be sure to visit the Stumble Inn for a little levity and non-MS chatter.

:hug:

Limbo...
 

Hi all,

I'm still in limbo and looking for information and support. To make a long story short, after 5 years of progressing symptoms, I'm in the final stages of a full work-up and waiting for answers. In the past few months I have seen two neurologists (the first one was a jerk, so we requested a second opinion), a neuropsychologist, a rheumatologst, an ENT and a Vestibular Audiologist... and now we are back to the neurologist again because everything points to some type of central nervous system problem... and the "M" word keeps coming up. Symptoms include fatigue, pain/numbness in my hands, stumbling, dropping things, ringing in my ears, vision problems (nystagmus and oscillopsia) and some pretty significant cognitive changes with my short-term memory and sequencing abilities.

I see the neurologist again on Thursday and they are talking about a lumbar puncture looking for "bands" and evoked potentials. My MRI showed only one lesion, but they said something about the strength of the original MRI not being what they liked. Does this sound like they are looking at MS?

I'm really at the point where a MS diagnosis would be welcome, rather than being in this limbo of "we know something is going on, but we don't know why".

Thanks!

Welcome, Plewmom, nice to meet you and happy to have you join us.

We've all been where you are and some of us are still waiting fo an absolute DX....not me, I'm an oldster at this disease..:mad:

Good luck thursday and be sure to report back in. In the meantime come in and join us in our MS banter and fun.:hug:

Hi! :D I'm new to the forums....I'm kinda in limbo-land. I started having symptoms at the age of 17, but it came and went...then episodes started getting more frequent, and the past 6 months have been pretty bad. I just turned 21 and I can no longer walk for long distances or do much activity.

Lupus and all other blood-test things have been ruled out.

Annoying limbo-land!! :rolleyes:

Welcome, Hoshi, I'm so glad you're here..:hug:

Tysabri
 

Hi, I'm Harryp the aged grandfather of 4 lovely grandchildren one of whom sadly suffers from MS. I am researching the disease in order to be of as much help and support to her as possible. She has been perscribed "Rebisf" which she took for 3 1/2 years when it ceased to be effective she changed to "Copaxone" with no success. Her Neurologist advises that she should move onto "Tysabri" and this causes her some concern as she fears some of the serious side-effects associated with that drug!
My object in joining this site is to gain as much knowledge as I can from personal experiences with "Tysabri"

Harryp

Welcome, Harry. My Grandpa's name was Harry, but I am, also now, a Grandmom of 8....4 of whom I see on a weekly basis. :)

I'm so sorry to hear about your Grand's MS. There is an info and check-in thread for Tysabri. You are certainly welcome to read there and ask question. There are many here, who are on Tysabri and I'm sure will be happy to talk to you about it.

Again welcome!!:hug:

New to all of this........
 

Hi,
I was dx on jan 20th with RRMS. however, I am not sure it is correct...I have a second opinion scheduled for march 17.
I have a history (last 10-15 yrs) on neck/back/shld pain, with numbness and tingling in arms and achy/crampy legs, migraines.
more recent, frequent and leaking urine, blurry/double vision. Dx of Optic Neurtis (mild) only dx because of mild color issues, and mild afferent pupillary defect. no inflamation seen on optic nerve.
neuro exam showed: hyperactive deep tendon reflexes, mild ataxia, positive hoffmans, positive babinski, absent abdominal reflex, abnormal SSEP.....but normal VEP, normal auditory EP. low B12, MRI with few subcoritcal lesions, normal spinal tap.
It seems that so many of my tests are border line.....
Anyone out there with similar findings?

I should also say, that I do have three herniated discs that could cause some of my symptoms.....see why I am confused?

Welcome to NeuroTalk and to our MS Home. :hug:

You're probably not the only confused one. It can take awhile to get a deffinate MS DX. All of your symptoms together, sound like and look like MS, but there are mimickers.:confused:

Stick with us and let us know how the process goes for you and we will try to help you hang in there. :)

Hi and welcome to NeuroTalk! It can take a while to get a definite diagnosis of MS. Hang in there and keep coming here....we all understand and it helps to be able to talk to others who understand. :)

hello and welcome to those who I missed coming in. :hug:

I do have a definite diagnosis of RRMS.......
how often are they wrong?

Sometimes, especially if the come up with a DX, before all other diseases/causes are eliminated.

Has your Doc recommended any Meds yet?

He gave me the info for ABC-R....but I am leaning toward LDN only. I have read a lot about each, and I just do not feel comfortable with the first four. LDN just makes sense to me. I do question my dx and will be getting a second opinion in March. My doctor is good and open to LDN...he is a general neurologist so i will be seeing a MS specialist at a comprehensive MS clinic in March.

I have a great deal of the symptoms.....but also have other medical issues that could account for some of them.

I have neck/back/shld pain with numbness and tingling into my arms and legs, very cramp/achy legs and an abnormal SSEP......but I do have two herniated discs

I have frequency and leaking urine......but I have 5 children

I had a few white matter lesions.....but I have a history of severe migraines, which can cause similar lesions

I have low B12 (not extremely low 308) which can mimic MS symptoms, including extreme fatigue.

Do you see what I mean.....I am in the medical field and I know that makes me a very bad patient and I question everything....because after all it is
Practicing Medicine

Maybe it is just denial....I haven't told me mom or siblings....want to wait for the second opinion, so maybe I won't have to tell them at all.

Thanks for listening,
Sharon

Nothing wrong with a little healthy denial. :p

Come on in and join us in the rest of our home, pull up a pillow and make yourself comfy..:hug:

There is nothing wrong in waiting to start DMD (disease modifying drugs) if you are actively persuing a 2nd opinion. I had one neuro tell me that it was perfectly acceptable to chose NO meds if that is what I wanted to do. He warned me that once you start, they tend to not want you to stop. They will switch you to another one, if you have issues, but rarely will they let you put down the needle once you pick it up.

Welcome to the club house. Sorry you need to be here.

even without a DX, LDN is a good choice :)

A newbie here!
 

I'm hoping to find relief and maybe some sympathy for my Trigeminal Neuralgia pain and the ups and downs with the variety of meds the docs like to throw at me.

Every time I think my TN pain is under control ... it isn't. I'm frustrated with my body. The tegretol at full dose makes me so tired that I cannot finish the day at work but the pain is ALL gone. I ratchet back the tegretol and I am fully functional but the pain it there.

Enough of my ranting. After reading so many posts here, I am ashamed of my whining.

Hi NanaBug :)

not sure if you also have MS as this is the MS forum

we also have a forum for trigeminal neuralgia here http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum26.html

and the main community new member intros is here
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum88.html

if you also have MS, then you are in the right place :grouphug:

Welcome, Nana, to NeuroTalk. Nice to meet you. :) I'm sorry about your TN. :( ..Is that with or w/o MS? They sometimes go together.

I hope you get the right Med combo that helps only you, as not all meds work for all people. I believe there are certain meds with your name on them, though....you just have to try them to find them.:rolleyes:

Glad to have you here.:hug:

once again, here I am
 

Hi folks, Wanted to say hi with a new login name. I was on the Braintalk communities back in the day, but not only forgotten that handle, i've had several email addresses since then.

DX'd for 15 years and spent 10 years on Avonex with good results. This past fall, the pressure in my job increased tremendously and I have been dealing with the fallout from two exacerbations, in Oct and Dec.

Doc wanted me on Tysabri, and I had infusion #1 last week, but not before some of the progress I'd made since December slipped away. My energy is good, strength is decent, but my sense of balance seems to come and go (mostly go). Not sure what's in the future, but I'm keeping Dr. in the loop and he'll bring me back in if this doesn't clear up in short order.

Thanks -- Susan

nana and susan, nice to have you here! pull up a chair and chat. :hug:

I was at Braintalk a lot in the old days and knew a few Susans. Which one are you...LOL

It doesn't matter, just glad you're here. Don't forget to check out the TY sticky.

Welcome. :hug:

Hi Everyone, pleased to meet you all!
My chosen name is Sparkledust, and I am a 48 yr old female from Edinburgh, Scotland.
I was training to be a nurse in 1982 until I ended up in hospital myself with MS.
Sadly I haven't worked since.
I am still mobile and have RRMS/ query SSMS.
I have been on Rebif for 6 weeks and also began on LDN about the same time.
I have memory problems and chronic fatigue, and have had ON and sensory problems many times.
I have two teenage children and a cat and dog!
Looking forward to joining in the conversations!

Hi Sparkledust and welcome to NT! You'll find lots of encouragement and support here. We have lots of MS members and our Forum stays quite busy. Join in wherever you feel comfortable. We also have The Stumble Inn where we go to get away from the MS Monster and have a little fun. Here's the link to that forum:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum102.html

Glad you've joined us! :)

Hiya Sparkle! welcome! pull up a chair, and grab your reading glasses. We are happy you found us. :hug:

Welcome, Sparkledust, pleased to meet you also. :)

Neurgenic bladder
 

I am Sally, and have been DX with MS for 32 years, with symptoms dating back to 1964. :eek: Yep! Long Time. The good news is, I was in remission for 18 of those years. I am now SPMS, can still walk, but use a scooter around the house and for outside distances. I walk as often as I can, so I won't lose the ability.

I am on LDN (for 3.5 yrs) to steady my MS and Paxil for Anxiety. I have used Avonex and the Copaxone in the past.

Tell us about yourself and ask any questions you want. We are here to support you in your fight and your coping with MS. We might even have some fun, while you're here.:D

Best Wishes,[/QUOTE]

I'm Cal, 70 year old male. (Think I have autonomic neuropathy)
Several years ago the VA discovered my urinary retention. Lots of tests including 2 different MRI's. Wore a bag for 2 months have catheterized several years since then.
No blockages in urinary system including recently scoped prostate.
Prevent UTI by taking apple cider vinegar daily.
Looking into using INF therapy to help return to normal voiding.

Hi Cal and welcome to NeuroTalk! Glad you found us....we're a friendly group that has MS but we also have alot of fun here, too. Hope to see you around the forum! :)

Hello Cal, from one 70 yr youngster to another. :)

Welcome and Come on in and join us. :hug:

Hi Cal. Welcome to Neuro Talk. Pull up a chair, grab your reading glasses, and chime in. We are happy you found us.