They found a lesion :(

[germifer]

My reg doctor read me the radiologist report. They found an 8mm lesion in the right cerebellum. Dr said based on the report that it is likely MS but she cannot give the "official" diagnosis, only my neurologist can.

I am feeling numb and sad at the same time.

My husband has Huntingtons disease... and we found that out when I was 6 weeks pregnant with our now 2.5 year old.

I feel helpless for my child.

What are the chances two people would marry each other and both have issues like this? (Rhetorical question).

Thanks for letting me vent.

[jimmylegs]

you have power! you can emphasize taking the best possible care of yourselves, and give your family the best possible experience that the pursuit of health can achieve. the food system is rigged for failure (in terms of chronic disease) right now. it takes work to actually achieve the specific nutrient intakes humans require to optimize health and make sure that wherever possible, naughty genes are not overexpressed. the science is coming. you can learn in parallel to venting

Environmental factors as modulators of neurodegeneration: Insights from gene–environment interactions in Huntington's disease
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar ... 3415000731
Highlights
• Huntington's disease (HD) reveals unique insights into gene–environment interactions.
• HD has been shown to be modulated by mental and physical activity, stress and diet.
• The mechanisms mediating environmental modulation inform therapeutic targets.
• Enviromimetics may enhance experience-dependent plasticity in HD and other diseases.
• HD and its modulators have many parallels with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases

Unlike many other neurodegenerative diseases with established gene–environment interactions, Huntington's disease (HD) is viewed as a disorder governed by genetics. The cause of the disease is a highly penetrant tandem repeat expansion encoding an extended polyglutamine tract in the huntingtin protein. In the year 2000, a pioneering study showed that the disease could be delayed in transgenic mice by enriched housing conditions. This review describes subsequent human and preclinical studies identifying environmental modulation of motor, cognitive, affective and other symptoms found in HD. Alongside the behavioral observations we also discuss potential mechanisms and the relevance to other neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. In mouse models of HD, increased sensorimotor and cognitive stimulation can delay or ameliorate various endophenotypes. Potential mechanisms include increased trophic support, synaptic plasticity, adult neurogenesis, and other forms of experience-dependent cellular plasticity. Subsequent clinical investigations support a role for lifetime activity levels in modulating the onset and progression of HD. Stress can accelerate memory and olfactory deficits and exacerbate cellular dysfunctions in HD mice. In the absence of effective treatments to slow the course of HD, environmental interventions offer feasible approaches to delay the disease, however further preclinical and human studies are needed in order to generate clinical recommendations. Environmental interventions could be combined with future pharmacological therapies and stimulate the identification of enviromimetics, drugs which mimic or enhance the beneficial effects of cognitive stimulation and physical activity.

Zinc: indications in brain disorders
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... 12110/full
Zinc is the authoritative metal which is present in our body, and reactive zinc metal is crucial for neuronal signaling and is largely distributed within presynaptic vesicles. Zinc also plays an important role in synaptic function. At cellular level, zinc is a modulator of synaptic activity and neuronal plasticity in both development and adulthood. Different importers and transporters are involved in zinc homeostasis. ZnT-3 is a main transporter involved in zinc homeostasis in the brain. It has been found that alterations in brain zinc status have been implicated in a wide range of neurological disorders including impaired brain development and many neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, and mood disorders including depression, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and prion disease. Furthermore, zinc has also been implicated in neuronal damage associated with traumatic brain injury, stroke, and seizure. Understanding the mechanisms that control brain zinc homeostasis is thus critical to the development of preventive and treatment strategies for these and other neurological disorders.

doesn't that kind of thing sound promising?? i only learned very recently the apparently old news that alzheimer's = type III diabetes. so many connections, and so many opportunities for us to do better with the basic building blocks of health.

[Snoopy]

Hi germifer,

When do you see the Neurologist? I dislike when a PCP tells a patient it might be MS, most don't know that much about MS or the diagnostic criteria. Maybe it's MS but maybe it's not. Multiple Sclerosis means many scars --- lesions are scaring. Multiple Sclerosis is a disease of the Central Nervous System(CNS) which includes the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves, lesions can and do show up anywhere within the CNS.

Lesions can be caused by numerous conditions, some are even benign, and one lesion would not meet the diagnostic criteria for Multiple Sclerosis. I suspect you will be having more testing done. Multiple Sclerosis isn't necessarily a quick diagnosis, sometimes it takes years and sometimes it's not the diagnosis a patient receives.

I wish you well and hope what you have is not Multiple Sclerosis.

[lyndacarol]

To germifer: Do not panic at the news that you have a lesion. Lesions are not unique to MS – they are found in many conditions; for example, migraine headaches, vitamin B 12 deficiency, etc.

People with MS symptoms are often found to have NO symptoms when MRIs are done; by contrast, people with NO symptoms (their whole life long!) are found after death, upon autopsy, to have many lesions. In my opinion, "lesions" are not worth all the excitement and attention they are given.

You have said that you and your child have been tested for vitamin D levels – I wonder if your husband has also had the 25-hydroxy D blood test.

I have read: "When it comes to vitamin D, you don't want to be in the 'average' or 'normal' range. You want to be in the 'optimal' range."


If "Huntington's disease is viewed as a disorder covered by genetics," optimal vitamin D may affect that, according to:

Vitamin D Research Page from http://www.mercola.com/article/vitamin-d-resources.htm

"There are about 30,000 genes in your body and vitamin D affects nearly 3000 of them, as well as vitamin D receptors located throughout your body."

[germifer]

To germifer: Do not panic at the news that you have a lesion. Lesions are not unique to MS – they are found in many conditions; for example, migraine headaches, vitamin B 12 deficiency, etc.

People with MS symptoms are often found to have NO symptoms when MRIs are done; by contrast, people with NO symptoms (their whole life long!) are found after death, upon autopsy, to have many lesions. In my opinion, "lesions" are not worth all the excitement and attention they are given.

You have said that you and your child have been tested for vitamin D levels – I wonder if your husband has also had the 25-hydroxy D blood test.

I have read: "When it comes to vitamin D, you don't want to be in the 'average' or 'normal' range. You want to be in the 'optimal' range."


If "Huntington's disease is viewed as a disorder covered by genetics," optimal vitamin D may affect that, according to:

Vitamin D Research Page from http://www.mercola.com/article/vitamin-d-resources.htm




"There are about 30,000 genes in your body and vitamin D affects nearly 3000 of them, as well as vitamin D receptors located throughout your body."

To germifer: Do not panic at the news that you have a lesion. Lesions are not unique to MS – they are found in many conditions; for example, migraine headaches, vitamin B 12 deficiency, etc.

People with MS symptoms are often found to have NO symptoms when MRIs are done; by contrast, people with NO symptoms (their whole life long!) are found after death, upon autopsy, to have many lesions. In my opinion, "lesions" are not worth all the excitement and attention they are given.

You have said that you and your child have been tested for vitamin D levels – I wonder if your husband has also had the 25-hydroxy D blood test.

I have read: "When it comes to vitamin D, you don't want to be in the 'average' or 'normal' range. You want to be in the 'optimal' range."


If "Huntington's disease is viewed as a disorder covered by genetics," optimal vitamin D may affect that, according to:

Vitamin D Research Page from http://www.mercola.com/article/vitamin-d-resources.htm

"There are about 30,000 genes in your body and vitamin D affects nearly 3000 of them, as well as vitamin D receptors located throughout your body."

My husband has not had his Vit D levels tested but I have him on the Same D supp I take. My B-12 and folate are great and radiologist report states lesion is not from migraines and he is ruling it out.

I do have awful tremors that come and go and shaky vision (but my eyes are not moving!!), I have neuropathy through out my body (Big toes, parts of forearm and most of my scalp). I know I do not have a actual diagnosis, I am just scared, as I am sure all of you have felt what I am feeling. Thanks for your always helpful responses!! I should def get hubby's Vit D tested to see where it is at.

[germifer]

Hi germifer,

When do you see the Neurologist? I dislike when a PCP tells a patient it might be MS, most don't know that much about MS or the diagnostic criteria. Maybe it's MS but maybe it's not. Multiple Sclerosis means many scars --- lesions are scaring. Multiple Sclerosis is a disease of the Central Nervous System(CNS) which includes the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves, lesions can and do show up anywhere within the CNS.

Lesions can be caused by numerous conditions, some are even benign, and one lesion would not meet the diagnostic criteria for Multiple Sclerosis. I suspect you will be having more testing done. Multiple Sclerosis isn't necessarily a quick diagnosis, sometimes it takes years and sometimes it's not the diagnosis a patient receives.

I wish you well and hope what you have is not Multiple Sclerosis.

Hi Snoopy,

I see my neuro on the 24th! So soon, but not soon enough haha. I think what made me believe the PCP that it IS MS is in the report radiologist said "The finding is seen in a demyelination process such as MS." I am suppose to have more testing done, but it was never discussed exactly what would come next because Neuro wanted to wait and see what my MRI showed... or didn't show. I know there was talk of a lower body nerve study (I have neuropathy of big toes and ankles... but I also have no feeling in parts of my forearm and scalp). Thank you for your kind reply!