Janet, I'm so sorry.It must be awful to hear the diagnosis for your son. You would think they would have looked at tm sooner since you have it. Do you know why they took so long to get the diagnosis? Just know that all on the list are thinking of you and your son. Cheryl in Easthampton,Mass.
--- On Thu, 5/6/10, Janet Dunn <j.d...@shaw.ca> wrote: From: Janet Dunn <j.d...@shaw.ca> Subject: [TMIC] My Son To: "'Transverse Myelytis'" <tmic-list@eskimo.com> Date: Thursday, May 6, 2010, 12:30 PM Hello all you fellow TM’rs. It is with such a heavy heart, and with tears rolling down my face that I write this. My 15 year old son, who has struggled with his legs for a year now, undiagnosed, has finally been diagnosed. While it is not life threatening, it is TM. I am so sad. I do not know what to think. When I was diagnosed he is the only child of my four that asked if it was hereditary, and I said no. He replied “Good, then I won’t get it.” Now they strongly think he has it. I am so sad. So hurt – probably angry if I allow that emotion. I worry about his future. I know he can be productive, but really – two people in the same family having this beast of a disease? What are the chances? The only common denominator, other than the gene pool, is that he was in the same vehicle accident that I was in 8 years ago. And he was on the same side of the truck that I was on, in the back seat. Why so long to manifest? I don’t know. He has seen me and my trials, so he knows what is ahead. Does anyone know if this beastly condition can be hereditary? He is already talking about not having children in case it is. I am so sad, so discouraged. I know that he is lucky – he can walk with a cane – for that I am thankful. He has not gone to school for a year because of the pain, and the exhaustion. I know that Tracy out there has an eleven year old daughter with it. I am just wondering if anyone else has two family members afflicted with this thing? I simply cannot stop the tears. It is one thing for me, at 47, to face life with this, but to have my son have it too, at 15 is almost too much. Thanks for listening. Janet