Hello from Europe
Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 11:27 pm
Hi everyone. I guess it's customary to post a short introduction so I'll try keep this brief.
My symptoms started in March 2010 with numbness and loss of coordination on the left side of my torso, the symptoms lasted only a couple weeks. An MRI showed information that pointed to MS however a lumbar puncture came back negative on all tests.
I had another brief flareup in July which I kept to myself but then things began to go rapidly downhill in November.
In late November I experienced severe numbness and loss of coordination in most of my body so underwent a further two MRI's which revealed several further lesions.
On Christmas Eve I experienced my first crippling flareup which rendered the right side of my body numb and my right leg almost useless. This flareup had almost receded when last Friday evening I experienced the scariest and most damaging attack so far.
The attack left me severely crippled and unable to walk, it also attacked my vision leaving me with a "vertigo" type inability to focus on anything. I have just spent four days in hospital where an intravenous drip of some hard-core steroid has corrected my vision and enabled me to get out of the wheelchair and stumble about like a marionette instead.
I am now back at home and waiting for my mobility to return slowly but surely. I have a consultation with my neurologist on Tuesday where we will discuss the best long-term treatment for multiple sclerosis. My neurologist had originally prescribed Copaxone but the hospital neurologist has suggested I need a stronger treatment due to the rapid evolution of my condition.
I've noticed that none of these introductions are particularly cheery and mine is no exception but I suppose like most newcomers I'm still pretty shook up, scared and looking for advice.
Without inadvertently breaking rules with product placement the only advice I can currently offer anyone suffering MS who needs to type as part of their job is to get a good speech recognition program (like the one I have used to compose this post).
My symptoms started in March 2010 with numbness and loss of coordination on the left side of my torso, the symptoms lasted only a couple weeks. An MRI showed information that pointed to MS however a lumbar puncture came back negative on all tests.
I had another brief flareup in July which I kept to myself but then things began to go rapidly downhill in November.
In late November I experienced severe numbness and loss of coordination in most of my body so underwent a further two MRI's which revealed several further lesions.
On Christmas Eve I experienced my first crippling flareup which rendered the right side of my body numb and my right leg almost useless. This flareup had almost receded when last Friday evening I experienced the scariest and most damaging attack so far.
The attack left me severely crippled and unable to walk, it also attacked my vision leaving me with a "vertigo" type inability to focus on anything. I have just spent four days in hospital where an intravenous drip of some hard-core steroid has corrected my vision and enabled me to get out of the wheelchair and stumble about like a marionette instead.
I am now back at home and waiting for my mobility to return slowly but surely. I have a consultation with my neurologist on Tuesday where we will discuss the best long-term treatment for multiple sclerosis. My neurologist had originally prescribed Copaxone but the hospital neurologist has suggested I need a stronger treatment due to the rapid evolution of my condition.
I've noticed that none of these introductions are particularly cheery and mine is no exception but I suppose like most newcomers I'm still pretty shook up, scared and looking for advice.
Without inadvertently breaking rules with product placement the only advice I can currently offer anyone suffering MS who needs to type as part of their job is to get a good speech recognition program (like the one I have used to compose this post).