@ Rest Area 51 Paging ALL MS Newbies Jan 29 '12

[gomer]

Welcome to Rest Area 51... a special haven our your New MS family for newbies Dx'd w/MS in recent days or years and newbies at heart.

Take a well deserved break from your MSuper highway,pull into a nice cozy shady parking spot, Pitch a tent or just lay out a blanket and enjoy the crisp cool fresh air . Help yourself to fresh Cider and donuts. The camp fire is roaring in the open pit ready for hot dogs, marshmallows and smore's Feel free to share your ideas, experiences and support to your fellow newbies. Relax, you are among friends, friends that understand. We have a virtual soap box, feel free to vent anytime.

Being a newbie can be as scary and lonely as being in limbo, Remember we are you family away from family. The BIG question answered means many more new questions and decisions.

PLEASE.... Take a break from the MSuper hwy and let us know how YOU, a member of our MS newbies family is doing.


Have a QUESTION? Please don't be shy........
The only dumb stupid question........is the one NOT asked.

Sorry for not starting a new thread last week, I have been a bit under the weather due a kidney scare ( sent for an emergency evaluation, Jan 12) then a couple weeks ago, I fell in my driveway the 19th. After a meat-wagon ride to ER told I no broken bones, just pulled muscles, despite sever pain.

A couple days later my kidneys acted up, and still in such pain had to have an ambulance take me back to ER. This time a better Xray crew found I did break 5 ribs in the fall. So I was put on morphine right away, and IV etc for my acute kidney situation and admitted to the hospital for a couple days.

For me its been a wild and not so fun coupe weeks. I am on the slow mend, my kidneys responded to treatment and I am doing somewhat better. Still hurts, lucky no MS hugs and it hurts to even burp let alone cough even a tiny bit.

Take care and hope all our rest area crew are doing well. can not currently drive, docs orders, but hope to get back on the road a little in time for my stereo-photo club meeting Feb 8th. I had to cancel my eye doc and urologist appointments, till I get better. I see my fam doc tomorrow and see how things are going.

?How was your Year? ........
...Good I hope, Any Dr. apts tests etc?

? What does the new Year have in store for you?
....Any Dr. appts. tests etc.

Gomer

[journeyman]

WELCOME HOME

We have missed you and worried about you. Glad to see you back. I hope you are feeling better.
Dave

[LisaL77]

That sounds like a horrible week. I hope you are on the mend.

I was preliminarily diagnosed Wednesday 1/25/12 due to MRI with white matter showing initial presentation of demyelination. Symptoms began around New Years. Trigeminal nueralgia pain on right side-tickling, burning, pain, itching. Numbness on right side of head down neck to fingers. Profound weakness in right arm. Stumbling walk, vertigo.

This came on fast. Neuro appt Friday. Hoping for better pain meds for the Trigeminal nerve. Took day off.

[suzyguqt]

GETTING DIAGNOSED

[B]I see a neurologist specializing in MS on 2/10. I first had symptoms at 19 after my son's birth with optic neuritis, numb right leg and loss of memory. Could not remember yesterday. Memory has never come back very much.

Fast forward 30 plus years. I have had off and on problems that come and go. About a year and a half ago had another significant mental decline and now am having foot/toe/leg cramps, garbled/slurred speech, issues with swallowing liquids.

New nurse practitioner had sister with MS. MS had been suggested in the past but no follow through by anyone and symptoms just treated as "stress". An MRI in 2009 showed plaques consistent with MS. Went to a neurologist who said radiologists always say that and it was nothing. So my new NP is sending me to a neurologist who specializes in MS.

When I began reading about MS, I was shocked to know there was even treatment. I was told back when that it didn't matter anyway since nothing could be done. I also discovered the "MS Hug" which I have had since about 5 years after my first symptoms after my son's birth. It is painful and I never got any explanation for this horrible pain around my ribs. I'm feeling upset to the max right now and scared.

On top of it, my dear husband has finally begun reading about MS and keeps giving me "ha, ha's" about the mental and memory stuff rather than understanding or , God forbid, sympathy. He thinks he has hit the motherlode for confirmation that I'm not right in the head and justification for blaming me. I'm afraid my memory deficits are going to cost me my job soon as I have been making mistakes (I am a laboratory scientist) and hub is royally ticked at the idea.

Thanks for letting me vent. AND I DO NOT WANT A LUMBAR PUNCTURE!!!!

[Kraheera]

Susan - I can understand not wanting a lumbar puncture. I sure didn't want one. But they CAN be the final tick that allows a doctor to say "Yep, MS!"

I'm sorry the system has treated you like crap. I've found in my 26 years of life that the only way to make sure you are taken care of is to force doctors and the system to stop ignoring you. It's tough, and you run into all sorts of *****, but there it is.

And as for your husband, forgive me for saying it, but he sounds like a complete *****. You need to take him to the side and tell him to keep his snide behavior to himself. This is a big deal, and treating you like crap is not 'good husband' behavior.

[jbell2435]

Gomer - So sorry for all your troubles lately, hope you feel much, much better soon!

Am I still a newbie? Sometimes, I feel like I've had MS for years (well, knew I had it)!

I am on 10 days now of Copaxone and doing pretty good with it, even without training!

Traveled to FL on business last week, home Friday and that was pretty tiring to say the least. I could barely walk on Saturday so took it easy, was better yesterday and today.

See a local neuro on 2/10/12 to have on hand in case I need any more iv infusions.

Hope to start back up with PT soon too. Have a great week.

[seeuinct]

Hi all-
Now just finished my 4th week of Avonex. Doing pretty well with it.
Neuro wants me to see a urologist. So I am woring on that. Feeling pretty good. Hope next week is better for you Gomer.

[gomer]

I want to WELCOME our newbies, glad you found us, just sorry for the reason.

It's sure been a non boring month already. A kidney scare the 12th, nasty five ribber of a fall the following Thursday then my kidneys started shutting down, but caught it quickly and doing better after a couple days in the hospital on IV for that and the broken ribs.

I saw my fam doc this morning, he said it was good I caught the acute kidney failure early or it could have been much worse. Note; Acute kidney failure is recoverable, if caught early and having CKD makes me more prone to such events.

Still hurts, taking strong pain killer and holding my breath I don't get any MS-hugs for a while. It hurts to laugh, cough or even hick-up etc. For now I am not allowed to drive..a BUMMER, but I hope to be back on the road before Feb 8th (my order to my doc) for my photography club meeting out of town.

Everyone take care, may your MonSter behave..........

Gomer

[valeriem2220]

I have been doing ok lately. Can't say good because most days just seem to be ok and I'll take the ok days over the bad days anytime.
Have been having the wonderful bladder issues that I hoped so much I would never have the last few days. I feel as if I cannot make it to the bathroom when I do have to go, which has been every 30 minutes, and then when I do get there, if I haven't had an accident by then, only a trickle. and leave the restroom feeling like I still have to go, but can't. I am really hoping this goes away. It is very hard at work like this.

I have also had a bummed out weekend. I got onto my insurance company's website to print out all of my medical information from last year and decided to have a look around to see if anything needed updated. I ran across my medical history, and right there in big bold letters.....MS as a diagnosis. I didn't think I could get down about this anymore, I mean for heavens sake he told me in October that that is what I had. I guess it was hard to actually SEE it is writing. It was like I had the wind knocked out of me. Maybe still in denial since I have been feeling ok?

[chucklebug]

Been suffering with foot pain - very rough - for past 2.5 weeks or so. Recently started some spasticity in my right leg and back, but only when I'm very tired. Fatigue is bad as well.

But I had my first tysabri infusion last Thursday. I hope it helps!

[gomer]

valeriem.. I can RELATE!

Very frustrating when you go, then little if anything, then have to go almost as soon as you leave the b-room. I ahve been having similar issue for a little while and WAS scheduled to see my urologist tomorrow, but had to delay it due to my bad fall. I just re-scheduled today for 3 weeks out.

I highly recommend you get into a urologist about this. Voiding issues, if left alone can over time cause kidney problems. In my case I already have kidney disease and fighting to keep them on the job.

chucklebug... I had foot problems (& AFOs) for several years before my formal MS Dx, NO FUN! Good luck.

Gomer

[journeyman]

I did it again...(Sort of lol)

Every spring we get spiders on our porch. So I spray them and they go away.
Yesterday I was doing my annual spraying. There was a couple that I couldn't reach. So I got my ladder. I climbed up and sprayed them. Just then there was a gentle breeze and they landed on me.
I am not fond of spiders or ladders as you may know. The pool was around 50 deg. When the spiders landed on me I screamed, the ladder went over into the pool and I landed on the edge before going in with the spiders, spray, ladder and fully clothed. I ended up with a broken rib but that's the worst of it but could have been worse.

Yes I can hear Gomer's lecturing re. ladders. But it was the only way to get to them but I think they got to me. Never did find them. Honest I was trying to be careful.
Dave

[LisaL77]

Dave, really?

Are you auditioning for a new jack@$$ episode? That show is a horrible train wreck and your antic...well, you know.

[gomer]

Dave...............

I am gonna call yer WIFE and ORDER she lockup any and all lader type equipment so it safe from ole GOATS!

No sort of about it, you and ladders DO NOT MIX. & BTW what the heck are you trying to do, have a rib breaking contest? If so, you are 4 short of even a tie...........HaHa.

Next time, have a sane neighbor de-spider you grib. Any-who, they got ya beat 4 to 1 in the leg dept. They also got ya beat when it comes to eyes.

At least when I fall its NOT from being off the ground, I don't even need a single step, just level surface seems do do me just fine.

Gome a least knows enough to stay away from ladders,

[LisaL77]

And Im so careful on my step stool.