There is a blog I love to read that has been very helpful in my "other" life as an ebay seller and they are having a give-away and I wanted to share it with you all. The blog is fun to read as it is written by 2 sisters who actually live cross-country. It is called The Selling Sisters and I think anyone would enjoy, but at the very least pop on over and check it out, just click on their name it is a link to the give-away... Have fun
After my last post I had seen the Specialist who had informed my husband and myself that she was diagnosing me with MS or Multiple Sclerosis. It was not a huge or terrible shock to us, we had heard those words before 4 years earlier with the first positive Spinal Tap, so we plowed forward to make plans to get "our proverbial ducks in a row". I made an appointment with my Family Dr. and requested that he order all the test that the Neurologist would need to make his diagnoses, so I would walk in his door with everything in hand. My Family Dr. has always worked under the assumption that I had Fibromyalgia, because when I entered his practice I had just been diagnosed with that from a reputable Rheumatologist. As we sat there discussing the looming appointment he was looking through all my past medical records and he said he agreed with the previous Dr's opinion, he was diagnosing me with MS as well. He had never seen all the evidence laid out before him, because we had always assumed it was the Fibromyalgia. Once he saw the 2 positive Spinal Taps and he already knew my symptoms, he agreed immediately and ordered the tests.
So now I have 2 DR.'s that have diagnoses me with MS and I my test scheduled. My Spinal Tap is this Friday Morning, yipppee!!!!! The The full scale MRI's are the end of the month. Most people don't understand when my husband Greg and I say this is an answer to prayer. I mean "How in the world can a chronic debilitating disease be an answer to prayer?" It is really quite simple. I have been ill for over 10 years and to FINALLY be so close to an actual and REAL answer, is the end of my journey. Well maybe that is not worded correctly. It is not the end of my journey, it is really the beginning of a really BIG, NEW journey. This journey though I will have some support through it (besides my husband who has NEVER wavered). I will have the medical community treating SOMETHING, instead of chasing phantoms.
So where are you in your journey this week??? Any changes in your condition? Remember to leave notes in the comments section for communicating with one another.
Gentle Hugs-
Michelle
You know how it feels when you think you just might have a grip on something finally and all of a sudden the game plan changes? Well yesterday was one of these days for me. I had my long awaited appointment with the new Dr. She is an Infectious Disease Doctor and it was assumed that I had probably come in contact with some funky parasite or bug at some point in my adult life and it was causing all these problems. This new Dr. was going to get to the bottom of the problem.. Well we hit a snag. She begins looking over my massive pile of lab work from the last 10 years, concentrating on the last 2 years mainly and looks at myself and my husband and asked who my Dr's were. I tell her and she keeps writing feverishly.. Now to go back a little and give you a little history, I was tested for low spinal fluid pressure 4 years ago in regards to my headaches and they did a Spinal Tap. It came back probable for MS. I ran all over Michigan for 1 year seeing specialists only to be told you have all the symptoms, but your MRI's are clear, so you don't have MS. fast forward to a 2 years ago. I am talking tom my Neurologist and I Saul to him aren't we supposed to do a final Spinal Tap to rule out MS and he said "Yep your right". We schedule it and I have it done. A week later I get a call saying it is coming back negative for MS. I get my copy don't really pay attention and putt in my notebook that I keep my records in. Fast forward to yesterday. This new Dr is comparing the 2 Spinal Taps and she sees the Dr's handwriting on the bottom of the second one and cant Reed it and asks me if I know what it says. I told her it Said d to call me and tell me it was negative. She got very upset and said that this test is not negative for MS, It is decreased by 1 from the previous test. First test showed 4 + more bands and this test showed 3 bands, but the big deal is you are not supposed to have any in your system EVER unless you have MS primarily or a couple of other diseases. So I have unofficially DX'ed with MS and am looking for a Dr in Michigan who knows the head from there rear end. Any suggestions??
