[dobblet]

Hi, I'm glad to join your support group. I'm feeling pretty low today , and in need of some support. Most of the time I cope well and I am lucky to have good friends and family.
I suddenly became ill in late June this year, terrible vertigo, right-sided facial numbness, difficulty walking, altered vision, altered taste & hearing reduced. I was lucky to be seen by a Dr and got a CT scan within 4 days, which was clear. Then i had an MRI scan which showed a 6mm high focal lesion in my cerebellar peduncle. The Dr told me they thought it might be MS, so sent me for a lumbar puncture. Yesterday I got the result from the LP which showed no oligoclonal bands present in my CSF. This is good news, but despite this I feel really low again... probably because i don't know what has caused the lesion and if it will happen again. I am seeing a neurologist for the first time in 2 weeks time, so hopefully he will have some answers.
I am alot better than i was , dizziness has gone, I just feel very tired most of the time, and still have a sore back where they did the lumbar puncture. I have been off sick from work for 10 weeks now, and i am feeling pressure to return to work now. I go to see occupational health tomorrow, to discuss a phased return to work. I work full time as a nurse as well as having a teenage son to care for and support in the difficult teenage years. My job is rewarding but quite demanding. I am worried about returning to work too soon, and not being up to the job, but also the longer I am away the harder it is to return.
Its been good to put my thought down. I'm looking forward to reading others posts too..... best wishes dobblet x

Your relief in knowing what's not wrong is of course understandable.... but even more your continued concern over what it. You are a nurse, so you have a fuller, more realistic "imagination" than a civilian.

Your situation sounds a little like mine several years ago when I had a devastating headache, which I continue to have. They explored for years so many avenues, found an aneurysm & other conditions, which various docs all wanted to take care of--but none of which caused the headache.

I hope you get some clear, final, fixable answers soon. Until then, the folks here are really good at listening--about going back to work, about your son (are you bringing him in on your support team or doing your best to protect him?), or the demands of nursing in our cut-the-budget world, etc.

So much surrounds the actual disease, when we finally get down to it, that it's amazing that we have much fight left for it.

Take great care of you. Stop in here often. It's really a terrific bunch.

[Darlene]

dobblet,

Hello and welcome to NeuroTalk. Happy to see you have come to be with us. Just let us know if we can be of any help.

There are great number and caring fellow members here to assist you. Our shoulders are here for support in many ways. I hope you will be getting some answers soon.

Again welcome, looking forward to seeing you around. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Darlene