The Waiting Game

This is the place to ask questions if you have symptoms that suggest MS, but aren't yet diagnosed.
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jimmylegs
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Re: The Waiting Game

Post by jimmylegs »

i don't know much about DVA or the drainage aspect but this could be an interesting read, if you haven't already seen: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5027236/

any chance at follow-up serum levels for magnesium and b12 in the next week or two? plus a look at serum zn?
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clarkycat
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Re: The Waiting Game

Post by clarkycat »

Probably going to follow up most of the vitamin blood tests again given the time since the last round, but I'll have to get a full rundown of what the Dr is thinking when I see him next Thursday.

One thing that came up today which I'm interested in seeing if we can eliminate as a possibility is frontal lobe epilepsy with nocturnal focal seizures. I'm not sure if anything would jump out on my sleep study's EEG but if not this could easily have passed for sleep apnea. The vast majority of my symptoms - the headaches, memory issues, fatigue and tunnel vision / blurred peripheral vision could be explained by sleep disturbance. The only thing that didn't fit was the diagnosis of OSA with no obvious cause.
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jimmylegs
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Re: The Waiting Game

Post by jimmylegs »

hopefully you get some answers one way or another! pls don't forget to add serum zinc in addition to retesting nutrients you've had assessed previously.

not a human study, but interesting:

Effects of dietary zinc status on seizure susceptibility and hippocampal zinc content in theEl (epilepsy) mouse
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar ... 939090806M
These results suggest that zinc may have a preventive effect on the development of seizures in theEl mouse, and hippocampal zinc may play an important role in the pathophysiology of convulsive seizures of epilepsy.

i must say that at my most brain-damaged point, it was definitely a zinc issue.

wonder if the doc might consider a referral to a dietitian at all...

also, if it's an issue in your case, low zinc could be a contributor to recalcitrant low b12 as well.
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NHE
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Re: The Waiting Game

Post by NHE »

clarkycat wrote:can something appear as OSA but is in fact something else?
Central sleep apnea. However, if you had this they would have likely caught it during your sleep study test.
clarkycat
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Re: The Waiting Game

Post by clarkycat »

That's what I would have assumed, but there's a few articles I've come across of FLE presenting as OSA:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3952334/
clarkycat
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Re: The Waiting Game

Post by clarkycat »

jimmylegs wrote: These results suggest that zinc may have a preventive effect on the development of seizures in theEl mouse, and hippocampal zinc may play an important role in the pathophysiology of convulsive seizures of epilepsy.

i must say that at my most brain-damaged point, it was definitely a zinc issue.

wonder if the doc might consider a referral to a dietitian at all...

also, if it's an issue in your case, low zinc could be a contributor to recalcitrant low b12 as well.
I've been supplementing 50mg zinc citrate for the last month along with 500mg magnesium bisglycinate. Whilst I don't have zinc on file (will see if I can get this) I've not noticed any substantial changes in my symptoms during this time. Maybe I needed a test period of longer than 1 month?
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jimmylegs
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Re: The Waiting Game

Post by jimmylegs »

it'll be worth seeing the bloodwork when the time comes, and if the mag and zinc can be ruled out as contributors after that, definitely time to look elsewhere. wouldn't hurt to add serum copper to your list of tests.

i'd generally expect magnesium to be felt sooner than a month. perhaps not zinc at 50mg per day though. depends where your levels were to start and where they are now.

personally i've certainly had some symptoms in the past that would never have responded to diet or supplements. for example, some chronic pain required physiotherapy - had pelvic issues causing hip pain for months, and spine issues causing neck pain for years before getting the right help. hip and neck are both pain free now. interestingly, it was one pt in an office who sorted out my neck, but a different pt at the same office who stood in for a few visits, who successfully zeroed in on the cause of the hip problem.
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