I am so sorry for this new development, Roger. I hope and pray the medicines give you the best recovery possible.
Barbara H. http://barbarah.wordpress.com On Tue, Jun 29, 2010 at 8:15 PM, Roger Pratt <r.c.pr...@verizon.net> wrote: > Here it is almost the 4th of July, 2010, I haven’t written in a long > time, and here I am again at a major turning point in my life. > > > > It all started in mid-February. While on vacation in Mexico, my > right foot started hurting. “More fun and after-effects from my > Transverse Myelitis,” I thought, and I resolved to see my neurologist when > we got home. I had recently stopped a medication she had put me on for > nerve pain that had horrible side effects and also had what seemed to be a > spider bite on my right leg. “Something minor,” I thought. By the time I > got to the doctor, my right foot started to swell. She had an ultrasound > done of the blood vessels in my legs to check for blood clots, and then my > left foot and ankle started to swell. Then my right hand went numb and I > lost use of two of my fingers. As pain and swelling increased, I went > through five MRIs of my spine and brain, a spinal tap, other miscellaneous > tests, and handfuls of pills (mainly pain pills that just made me sicker). > After much delay, my doctor sent me to an MS specialist in Seattle, who > confirmed that my doctor was, as she had said before sending me, “clueless”, > and that she (the doctor in Seattle) didn’t know what it was either. By > this time I started having muscle loss in my right hand and was generally > losing weight all over. Finally on the 7th of June I was sent to a doctor > in Walla Walla who specializes in peripheral nerve disorders. He did a > nerve conductivity test and diagnosed me as having a rare autoimmune > disorder called Mononeuritis Multiplex that attacks peripheral blood > vessels and nerves. I am now on steroid IVs once a week and am taking a > drug called Imuran which suppresses the autoimmune system that should stop > the progression of the disorder. This will probably take a long time and > may not reverse all the damage. I may have to be on Imuran for the rest > of my life. For now it’s just wait and see. >
