Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 8:54 am
Hi Brock,
I can't really add much of any value to what the others have already said here, except that everyone's right!
I agree that monitoring lesion load every year is not especially helpful -- lesions can disappear, and who knows, maybe if you had another snapshot in six months' time, some of the ones you have now will have gone. A lot of neurologists have gradually come round to the idea that lesion load is pretty irrelevant in terms of disability... It's the location that's important. Telling you you got some more serves no purpose except to make you more frightened and depressed: but in my view it's like telling a man who shaves his head that his hairline is receding... so what? (sorry, another useless analogy).
Years ago, I saw a documentary about a woman who had had some routine scans of her head. Everybody was astonished because, although she was absolutely normal in every respect, she had virtually no brain. Her skull was just a massive, fluid filled cavity, with just a thin cortex lining it, and had probably been like it since birth. When this disease is stopped in its tracks, (which I'm sure won't be too much longer), I think our plastic brains will get by even with a few holes!
I'd like to second what you said about this website: I personally wouldn't know where to go to get all the knowledge, support and community that we find here. Thanks to everyone!
Dom.
I can't really add much of any value to what the others have already said here, except that everyone's right!
I agree that monitoring lesion load every year is not especially helpful -- lesions can disappear, and who knows, maybe if you had another snapshot in six months' time, some of the ones you have now will have gone. A lot of neurologists have gradually come round to the idea that lesion load is pretty irrelevant in terms of disability... It's the location that's important. Telling you you got some more serves no purpose except to make you more frightened and depressed: but in my view it's like telling a man who shaves his head that his hairline is receding... so what? (sorry, another useless analogy).
Years ago, I saw a documentary about a woman who had had some routine scans of her head. Everybody was astonished because, although she was absolutely normal in every respect, she had virtually no brain. Her skull was just a massive, fluid filled cavity, with just a thin cortex lining it, and had probably been like it since birth. When this disease is stopped in its tracks, (which I'm sure won't be too much longer), I think our plastic brains will get by even with a few holes!
I'd like to second what you said about this website: I personally wouldn't know where to go to get all the knowledge, support and community that we find here. Thanks to everyone!
Dom.