Dang it! More Exclamation Points, and less damn Question Marks!
So, I had some testing done today. First, I went for vision test to determine if I'm showing any nerve problem in my optic nerves (this'll be important momentarily); then, I went to the neurologist's office to have nerve conduction studies done (he wanted to find out if the numbness in my fingers is a resurgence of my long-ago carpal tunnel syndrome).
First off, the vision testing was boring and greasy (kind of like sitting in on a session of the House of Representatives -- ZING!); they had to stick the electrodes to my head, which meant putting goop in my hair. Then I went for the nerve conduction study; luckily, the doctor determined I didn't have to have the needle probe (I had this done in 1993, and that was worst pain of my life, including the stuff I went through a couple weeks ago).
Anyhoo, he determined that whatever's wrong with my hands is NOT carpal tunnel syndrome. Also, the results of my lumbar puncture (AKA spinal tap) had come back, and my spinal fluid had no abnormalities that would indicate MS. What that means is that the doctor's original diagnosis of transverse myelitis still stands, and in fact may be idiopathic transverse myelitis, which means there may not be another disease causing the condition. That's a mixed bag, as my symptoms may go away, stay the same or get worse; and there's no way to know. In a day or so, he should have the results of the vision test; if there is nerve trouble with my vision, that would be a strong indicator toward MS (or something like it; there's still the outside possibility that I have ALS, and if you've seen Pride of The Yankees, you know how that turns out). If everything on the vision test is hunky-dory, I may be out of the woods as far as MS is concerned.
In the meantime, I'm starting three more days of solu-medrol I.V.s tomorrow (most of the improvement I saw after the first round is gone now), and the neurologist has also recommended physical therapy, which I'll probably start next week sometime.
First off, the vision testing was boring and greasy (kind of like sitting in on a session of the House of Representatives -- ZING!); they had to stick the electrodes to my head, which meant putting goop in my hair. Then I went for the nerve conduction study; luckily, the doctor determined I didn't have to have the needle probe (I had this done in 1993, and that was worst pain of my life, including the stuff I went through a couple weeks ago).
Anyhoo, he determined that whatever's wrong with my hands is NOT carpal tunnel syndrome. Also, the results of my lumbar puncture (AKA spinal tap) had come back, and my spinal fluid had no abnormalities that would indicate MS. What that means is that the doctor's original diagnosis of transverse myelitis still stands, and in fact may be idiopathic transverse myelitis, which means there may not be another disease causing the condition. That's a mixed bag, as my symptoms may go away, stay the same or get worse; and there's no way to know. In a day or so, he should have the results of the vision test; if there is nerve trouble with my vision, that would be a strong indicator toward MS (or something like it; there's still the outside possibility that I have ALS, and if you've seen Pride of The Yankees, you know how that turns out). If everything on the vision test is hunky-dory, I may be out of the woods as far as MS is concerned.
In the meantime, I'm starting three more days of solu-medrol I.V.s tomorrow (most of the improvement I saw after the first round is gone now), and the neurologist has also recommended physical therapy, which I'll probably start next week sometime.