Location of lesions

[October22]

Does anyone know if the location of your lesions changes the approach of treatment? I've heard the stronger drugs are needed with cervical spine lesions as opposed to brain lesions. I know there's no one size fits all but generally speaking...

[Kenmore]

Does anyone know if the location of your lesions changes the approach of treatment? I've heard the stronger drugs are needed with cervical spine lesions as opposed to brain lesions. I know there's no one size fits all but generally speaking...

I don't know about treatment, but it is generally recognized that cervical lesions have a more negative prognosis.

[ladibabe]

cervical lesions

I've been doing some research on this myself. My first lesion was a cervical one which brought on my symptoms. My second possibly third lesions were found 6 months later in my brain. The one in my spine causes me the most problems.

[Kenmore]

Does anyone know if the location of your lesions changes the approach of treatment? I've heard the stronger drugs are needed with cervical spine lesions as opposed to brain lesions. I know there's no one size fits all but generally speaking...

I haven't heard anything about a change in treatment for cspine lesions. For myself, I take Avonex and I also work with a naturopathic dr....so I do both...and hopefully that helps more than the Avonex alone.

[Thinkimjob]

The little suckers come and go. Where one was this month may not be where another is next month.

"Treating" RRMS is not like trying to treat a cut finger, where there's a different approach to a paper cut and a stab wound.
They can't fix it.

If you've got RR, you've got a choice of dmds, and that's it. Tysabri is currently very popular right from the start because they're hoping the drug will knock the disease out, or so says my doctor.

Not cure it, just I think (and I'm not a doctor etc) delay it. To me it sounds like a big thing to basically commit to three years of infusions and worry.

I'd cut my leg off with a pocket knife, if it would cure me, but not on the off chance I might not have as many flares and the progression would probably slow down.

I was told when diagnosed 14 years ago that my prognosis was good, because ON and tingling as the reason for diagnosis generally meant a milder course.

As they say, it's benign until it's not. I had ten good years, anyway, and it's not unbearable now.

Make hay while the sun shines...

[04blackcobra]

I have only 2 small lesions in my brain and many in my cervical spine. I always thought that I was lucky. However in saying this to my neurologist at my last visit she stated that there is usually more disability with the cervical lesions

[SNOOPY]

Does anyone know if the location of your lesions changes the approach of treatment?

Not that I am aware of. The treatments used in MS are for the disease not the location of lesions.

Kenmore:
but it is generally recognized that cervical lesions have a more negative prognosis

blackcobra:
However in saying this to my neurologist at my last visit she stated that there is usually more disability with the cervical lesions

Spinal cord lesions are well known for causing mobility problems. However, I am proof that prognosis or disability of having spinal cord lesions is not always bad.

This disease, for me, and from the begining, has affected the spinal cord more then the brain. Do I have limitations? Yes.

Two miles has usually been the maximum for walking I can do without taking a break --- this has been the case from the begining. I have had 5 exacerbations and have gone back to baseline each time.

I have not had any progression in several years, I do not and never have used a DMD. My cervical spinal cord MRI went from numerous (too many to count) c-spine lesions to a countable 3.

In the last couple of months I have started working out 3 or 4 days a week on a 4 station weight maching and I have been able to increase the amount of weight used.

My legs, due to c-spine lesions, have always been a struggle for me. I can now leg press 200lbs, as one example.

There are no guarantees when dealing with MS. It is possible for some one, like myself, to be doing well even with spinal cord lesions. It is also possible for someone with just brain lesions to be more disabled than myself.

[holdhm]

I currently going through a flare-up and got 3 days of steroids. Although I can get around fine now just from always walking the numbness how not gone away and in my legs and abdomen it is getting worse. Should I ask my neurologist if I can do more steroids or should I just let the MS run its course and hope it improves? I am scheduled for an MRI and have always had lesions on my brain and C-spine, but recently I have been having horrible upper back pain. Should I have an MRI done of my thoracic spine too? Could the pain be coming from MS lesions?

[MarkLavelle]

... recently I have been having horrible upper back pain. Should I have an MRI done of my thoracic spine too? Could the pain be coming from MS lesions?

The pain could be from MS, but I think actual back pain should also be checked out as a physical issue (as opposed to nerve). My physiatrist is my go-to guy for anything that might be either physical or neuro, because that's a big part of their training. He's the guy who first sent me to a neuro...

[rdmc]

The little suckers come and go. Where one was this month may not be where another is next month.

ThinkImJob...right you are!!!

I've posted this before, but to me it's so enlightening. Time lapse video of an MS patient's MRIs over the course of a year in which he noted no flare or change of symptoms (the article is entitled "More than meets the eye" and that is so true. His lesions were coming and going the entire time, they'd get big then disappear, only to reappear. As I said, I find this fascinating for some reason. Here's the link:
http://www.msdiscovery.org/news/news...more-meets-eye

[mssassafras]

Does anyone know if the location of your lesions changes the approach of treatment? I've heard the stronger drugs are needed with cervical spine lesions as opposed to brain lesions. I know there's no one size fits all but generally speaking...

I was diagnosed in 2008 with multiple lesions in the brain. I did not have an MRI done on my spine until 2010 and lesions were found. I have been on Avonex since 2008. I have been lucky. I generally do not have any problems unless I overexert myself. I have gone from extreme trouble walking (2008) to almost non-existant MS. I follow what Thinkimjob wrote "Make hay while the sun shines..."

[Danny555]

Well i dont have much information about this.

[dart12]

I have one big lesion on my cervical spine and numerous lesions in my brain. Only diagnosed month and a half ago. One flare up in April this year, since then no major signs except some pins and needles, slight numbness in fingers or feet. I made full recovery from attack in April and neurologist doesn't think I have a worse prognosis but guess we'll have to wait and see...