Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Transverse Myelits

On Super bowl Sunday I started experiencing some pain and numbness in my back and shoulder blades. The best way for my to describe the numbness is that it feels like I have an epidural in my back. When I first went to the doctor he thought that I could have shingles. I was a little freak out but after a few days there was no rash. So we did after blood work which came back fine. Then x-rays which just showed some mild degeneration in my lumbar's. Then an MRI and it showed deteration in my neck . And I also tryed a corazon shot which didn't change anything.
So today I got seen by a Neurologist. And I finally got some answers. I found out that I have something called Transverse myelitis (TM) is a neurological condition that causes abnormal inflammation in the spinal cord, which cause there to be blocking in the nerve impulses. TM is a rare disease, with a frequency estimated to be five new cases for every one million people. TM can affect anybody, regardless of age, gender, or race. So far I don't have any other changes like weakness in the arms or legs , Muscle spasms.
My doctor has told me that the MRI didn't show any tumors, a herniated disc, or abscess compressing the spinal cord. But I'm trying to find all the information that I can about this.
So the plan is to try some nerve pills to see if it will take the numbness and pain away. But if nothing changes, the pain and numbness gets worse. Then the next step will be an MRI on the brain and a spinal tap. I will be trying the medicine for 6 weeks. So until then I will be waiting.

3 comments:

Chantelle said...

Oh my goodness! You'll be in my prayers. I hope that you get some relief now that you have answers as to what it is. I had a young pt. that had transverse myelitis last semester and was surprised when I saw your blog post because of it being rare.

Kimberly said...

They will porbably put you on something like Nuerontin. This is what I will be getting tomorrow because I have post-op neuropathy in my back. I will let you know how it works for me. Keep me updated. I am glad they are taking it seriously and getting to the bottom of this.

Kimberly

Unknown said...

Thinking and praying for you, glad you are trying to figure out what is going on.