bringing my daughter into my neuro

[sunshine008]

hi

so i'm bringing my daughter into my neuro in a few weeks to be checked for MS.

Shes' been presenting with several symptoms for a long period of time now. we've done blood work and it comes back clean and ok. we cant' nail it.

she's exhausted alot of the time, extreme fatigue
aches and pains
bladder issues

anyone here have a child with ms? if so how'd it present? what clicked in your mind that sent you to the neuro?

also what are the odds of more than one child having it?

my youngest is mentally ill so she suffers from alot of symptomatic complaints daily which often renders me confused. yet as of late she has UTI's we cant get rid of. she also suffers from continous bladder issues, weak limbs, headaches.

any thoughts would be appreciated.

[jlenox98]

i can't speak to most of your questions since our 12 year old has yet to be dx'd with MS however she woke up 6-7 weeks ago with blurred vision in one eye, eye pain, etc. dx'd with optic neuritis. still dealing with that and based on her MRI, we're leaning towards things looking a lot like MS. she'll have a spinal tap and another mri in a couple of months once this ON clears up. having said all that, she's had a tendency to get headaches, joint pain, and stiffness. learning disability that she had been dx's as dyslexic but we're now 2nd guessing. so, i guess and mri and spinal would really tell you what, if anything, is going on?

[Redwings]

Hi sunshine:
Your daughter's mental illness is challenging enough on its own. But there's more to contend with that goes beyond a neuro eval.

Is this the same daughter that has the eating disorder? Her eating disorder is likely to be causing nutritional imbalances that can lead to physical signs and symptoms. The resulting metabolic disorders can lead to a host of neurologic symptoms. Fatigue and aches and pains seem pretty much universal with nutritional imbalances. Those symptoms are far more prevalent in people who don't have primary neurological conditions, and certainly accompany some mental illnesses. The smart thing you're doing is to evaluate for a true, primary neurological cause, lest it get lost in all of the other causes.

In addition, the off-kilter systemic environment can be a cause of bladder problems and UTIs. Some people with eating disorders have chronic yeast infections.

Your daughter has had blood testing, but has she been tested for in-depth enough for enough of the right things? At a minumum, beyond the usual, including having her vitamin B12 and D levels checked, because low levels of both can lead to neurological symptoms. And are you [I]sure[/I] her electrolyte balances are normal? It might be necessary to not stop at the first, screening blood test for B12 and thyroid hormone levels. Analysis of those can be very complex, and normal results can come up for levels that are still inadequate for an individual patient and causing significant symptoms. That level of analysis is not likely to come from blood level screenings through a PCP.

Finally, the effects of any medications she's taking have to be considered. The medications used for treating mental illnesses have [I]significant[/I] side effects. Add those into the effects of the illness itself and possible effects from an eating disorder and you have quite a melange to sift through.

You might be thinking about MS, but the possible causes for her signs and symptoms go far beyond MS. Even if CNS lesions are found, it will be a diagnostic challenge to assess what the cause of them is because MS isn't the only possibility. The overall challenge will be to NOT jump to conclusions about MS in a complicated case like your daughter's.

[sunshine008]

Hi

thanks for writing all of that. infact it's truly for my older one who is 18 years old. whose been showing symptoms for years. blood work always comes back great. we always buy more vitamins! yet as i now know i have it, and watched her quietly w/o her noticing and more intently i said hmm could be and it's worth a mri to chk it.

as far as the younger one goes your right and didnt' think, uti's could be from the continuous pysch meds. I think my mind was wandering on that one, yet she is just who she is.

its a food phobia (ocd related) issue we have been battling. which reared it's ugly head 4 weeks ago again, as the approach to start of school began.

yet i'm happy to say she's on lithium (which i've avoided for years i think) and doing very well so far on it. has been in school everyday w/an aide transferring her from class to class. I bring her each week for blood draws to check all vitamin levels, etc. and have her ortho's checked, weigh in to see where she's at and if she's stable medically to continue on.

soo many balls up in the air, as we all have. tmrw my school starts should prove interesting to see how i'll balance all.

[SNOOPY]

Originally Posted by sunshine008

yet i'm happy to say she's on lithium (which i've avoided for years i think) and doing very well so far on it.

Good to hear your daughter is doing well on Lithium. Be sure to have her Lithum Levels checked, her prescribing Dr. can tell you how often blood work should be done for Lithium Levels.

Timing of blood work is based on X amount of hours after her last dose, her Dr. or lab can give you that information.

[sunshine008]

thanks, and yes i researched it and did first draw already. my doc isn't very good with that just the meds unfortunately and lithium you have to be so careful with to avoid toxicity.

she's a fighter has alot going on now that isnt' her fault. she is my inspiration each day, she's tough.