@ Rest Area 51 Paging ALL MS Newbies NewYears 2012

[jbell2435]

Well, back from the holidays...I had 3 days Solumedrol on 12/15 - 12/17, my first time and I self administered days 2 and 3! I was pretty proud of that, but started a melt down on day 3 and felt like doggy doo days 4 and 5, then traveled to WA for the holiday.

My banding (ms hug?) went away but I feel like it is starting back up...

Had a new mri of the thoracic spine on 12/20 and doc said there was a new spot at the top that was not there in Sept at dx and now wants me to consider DMD's, so researching those options.

It seems that my leg and walking have been worse the last month, I stopped PT on 11/30 due to sx and work schedule, but waiting for a new script now to return.

Other than that it has just been stressful Dec/Jan so far...$600 fence repair due to wind damage, fridge died $1,100, patio roof repair $1,400, and now water/sewage clean-up in rental home in WA up to $8,000 + plumbing repair. Lack of sleep last night worrying about how to pay for the latest plumbing issue.

OK, now I know why I feel so crappy! I really need/want this to pass and get back on track with feeling better if that is even possible.

[journeyman]

Gomer

Well I had my nose surgery. Very unpleasant. But at least it is over. I hope I will not have to use my cpap machine again.
So far I am doing OK.
Dave

[valeriem2220]

Muscle spasms and twitches continue 2 weeks after Christmas. Maybe I didn't just overdo it?
Tuesday I had what feels like all of my muscles in my torso...from chest to waist tighten and they have stayed tight...like they are cramped. I have found that if I overexert these muscles then they start to spasm....I have compared this feeling to child birth...maybe even worse.
When they would spasm it would make me want to double over in pain, but I couldn't because every other muscle was tight and it hurt to even move., So when a spasm would come on I would just freeze and hold my breath until it passed. The spasms continued to come about every 5-10 minutes through the night.

I still have tight muscles and am being very careful not to move myself in any way that may cause the spasms to start again. I have only had a few since Wednesday.

On the upside, I have rock hard abs and didn't have to do any sit-ups.

Other twitches in my legs and arms are still frequent but not painful, just annoying.

[A.J.]

Well last January was when my MS attacked, at the time I didn't know it was MS. I had 6-7 sx's going on, can't remember which, cog fog prevents it. I was rushed to ER last February due to black out's and they did an MRI, which caught the "lesions", which got me into an MS Neuro doc quickly, who then did the LP with physical exam and diagnosed it as MS.

Then at the end of Feb my employer found out through "facebook" chatter that I'd been diagnosed with MS and was just waiting on "official label", and wouldn't let me back into the building that following Monday, after 8 years of exemplary service with many written letters of praise from members and supervisors they decided I was done...thanks bcbsil.

Then in Sept I had major fatigue and "brain pain", wasn't a normal headache or migraine, laid down for a nap, and 13+ hours later I woke up in the ICU surrounded by friends and family as they told DW to call everyone as they didn't think I was gonna make it through the night.

Now in January 2012, all of the sx's I picked up in 2011 are still there, some just as severe, some not as bad but still there...daily. And when I asked the Doc yesterday if it really was RRMS he said only time would tell but for now it was, yet I don't have any remission, but do have many relapses (if relapse=new sx's), just had one a few weeks ago, even though I never truly hit remission.

Next week I go into hospital again for a week for more testing and "brain mapping" of signals/waves and where they are, then another MRI in March, this time of spinal cord as well as it's never been done.

On an upside, the company I went with for the Soc Sec application process has things going strong and fast. Apparently in about a month I'm supposed to get sent to "their docs" for my evaluations, and my application was officially submitted to Soc Sec early Dec, so I guess things are flying.

[elmo2010]

I'm tired of going to see the doctors, as they never have anything good to tell me!

Something is messing with my liver & its not the Rebif. forget which it is but the levels that could increase because of Rebif are stable, but the other one is continuing to climb. Neuro actually sent a letter to my pcp asking if i was or had a history of binge drinking! (i rarely drink)
what i thought was MS fatigue, so I ignored it for a while before mentioning to my neuro resulted in a sleep study. So now i have sleep apnea too! (I stop breathing 38 times an hour) CPAP machine here i come.

to top it all off sx are starting to flare up & I'm going on vacation in 8 days! I'm nervous about if the heat will affect me, as it never used to but the past few months i've noticed more of an issue with it then I've experienced before.
I'm also nervous about flying with my rebif as i've never done it before - any suggestions on dealing with security/customs?

Sorry about the b*%$# session but no one else gets it!

[gomer]

As for flying, I suggest having a COPY of the rebif Rx from your doctor, just in case TSA gets nasta-moody. These days they are usually better about meds.

I sure hope you get to enjoy your trip.....

Gomer sex Bon Voyage

[RonPaulaD]

Hi, I was diagnosed 11/18/11. Came right out of nowhere. I'll be starting Copaxone any day now. Took a little while to get going since I wanted a second opinion. During all of this, I learned that I need to have a hysterectomy. That will be on January 26. Since I was feeling so down, we decided to book a cruise for the end of March with pre-existing insurance, of course. That's where my thoughts go when I overdo it and become symptomatic.

Paula