NEWLY DIAGNOSED

[Jesse S]

HI ALL

BEST WISHES TO EVERYONE. I CAN TELL YOU AS A FIRST TIME READER AND A NEWLY DIAGNOSED MS'ER READING THIS MESSAGE BOARD CAN BE SCARY BUT I FIND IT VERY HELPFUL AND THERAPUTIC. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION. MY NEURO TOLD ME LAST WEEK I HAVE MS BASED ON SYMPTOMS AND BRAIN MRI SHOWING ONE LESION. HE IS SENDING ME TO A SPECIALIST THIS WEEK AND I AM SCHEDULED FOR CERVICAL AND THORACIC MRI LATER THIS WEEK. I AM A 60 TEAR OLD MALE - HERE TO FOR IN OVERALL GOOD HEALTH. MY SYMPTOMS STARTED LAST OCT. WITH VERY LIGHT TINGLING OF THE LEFT SIDE OF MY FACE. I HAD BEEN BITTEN BY A TICK RECENTLY SO MY PCP TREATED ME FOR LYMES DISEASE WITH ANTIBIOTICS. TINGLING WAS NOT CONSTANT AND SOMETIMES WENT AWAY FOR WEEK OR MORE. HOWEVER IT KEPT RETURNING. AFTER A 28 DAY REGIMEN OF IV ANTIBIOTICS DID NOT CLEAR UP THE FACE TINGLING I WAS SENT TO A NEURO WHO FIRST SENT ME FOR A REGULAR BRAIN MRI WHICH SHOWED NORMAL. DURING DECEMBER AND JANUARY I BEGAN GETTING WHAT I CALLED NEURO FLASHES - WHICH WERE BRIEF INCIDENTS OF MILD FLUSHING FEELING EMANATING FROM THE BACK OF MY NECK UP THRU THE TOP OF MY HEAD - NO PAIN OR DIZZINESS. SO MY NEURO DID A WALKING EEG WHICH CAME OUT NORMAL. HE THEN SENT ME BACK FOR A MRI WITH CONTRAST WHICH REVEALED THE 1 LESION. MY SYMPTOMS HAVE WORSENED IN THE LAST 2 WEEKS. I HAVE HAD EYE PAIN AND SOME VISION "PECULIARITIES" SQUIGGLEY'S AFTER CLOSING MY EYES TIGHT AND OPENING THEM AND OCCASIONAL TRAILING SHADOWS.
IN THE LAST FEW DAYS I HAVE FELT THICK-HEADED AND KIND OF GROGGY - NO REAL DIZZINESS. I ALSO FEEL WEEK ALL OVER BUT NO NUMBNESS. WHAT IS FUNNY IS THAT I PLAYED GOLF 2 WEEKS AGO WHEN IT GOT TO 60+ DEGREES IN JANUARY (AND PLAYED SOME OF THE BEST GOLF OF MY LIFE) . I THINK I MAY HAVE PLAYED MY LAST ROUND OF GOLF UNLESS SOMEHOW I HAVE RRMS (AND NOT PPMS) AND I EXPERIENCE A REMISSION.

THOUGHTS ANYONE? HAS A 60 YR. OLD MALE DEVELOPED RRMS BEFORE OR IS IT ALMOST ALWAYS PPMS?

[Thinkimjob]

I think you'll be okay, well as okay as you can be with MS.

[CougarMama]

Hi

Hi Jesse! I can't help you with your question but I thought I would suggest you also post your question in the Senior's Sanctuary? And read through some of those posts, I feel like I read something very similar to your situation there.

Best of luck to you in getting your questions answered,

[Redwings]

Hi jesse:
Based on what you've told us, it's much too soon to determine whether you have RRMS or a progressive form.

No, it isn't "almost always" PPMS, as PP and PR are the least common forms of MS, amounting to only 5 to 10% of all MS cases.

Secondary progressive is a possibility, if you've had symptoms for 10 or more years that weren't followed up on, although SPMS isn't the first thing that comes to mind if you only have one brain lesion. Your neurologist is the only one who can tell you which form you most likely have.

[FL_Jhawk]

Hi, Jesse,
I was dx'd at 56, after experiencing some tingling in my wrists and arms, then the legs. Kind of went down hill the last quarter of last year to where I was fearful of not being able to walk by New Year's, but I got the steroid IV treatment and things got better (though the Solumedrol takes me down after a few days for about 2 weeks), though I have no idea if the Solumedrol was responsible for the improvement or not.

So, like you, I was worried that I might go directly into a progressive mode and keep getting worse and worse and worse, but things have gotten a bit better, so the fear of immediate disability is reduced.

This is still scary, and I have read that older men like us who get the disease have a greater chance of staying progressive than others. At least right now, I am in a remitting stage, though that could end at any time I suppose.

For you, it is still early in the dx process and you might very well be suffering from Lyme disesase. See a neruo to find out and, hopefully, that is it and you will be fine. If there was brain damage, it might take a while for you to recover, and I hope the recovery will be total.

If MS, review your options for things like CCSVI and stem cells. Change your diet to get more Vit D, E, etc.

Good luck!

[KyleW]

Last October I was DX with SPMS, at age 52. I think what made it SPMS was that I have some niggling SX that are with me all the time.The big ones like extreme fatigue, serious muscle weakness and sever nystagmus resolved after 5 days of IVSM.

Have you discussed IV steroids with your doc? If some of your SX respond the steroids it may give you and your doc a better picture of where your are.

Kyle