MySpace BLOG HEADLINES: AMY

Hi Stan

I am a 34 year old single female. I work at a local University, go to graduate school full-time, do a lot of volunteering at the Victory Junction Gang Camp, the Ronald McDonald House, and the Central Carolina Chapter of the National MS Society.

I was diagnosed with MS after 13 months of "persistence" on May 17, 2006. I started by having a pain come down from my head into my jaw and the tingling and numbness started in April 2005. I went from my dentist who told me nothing was wrong after xrays (only one cavity in my lifetime) to my neurologist who said "this is not right". I see a local neurologist in GSO (airport code for Greensboro, NC) already for migraine maintenance. I've had migraines for years (since high school). I hadn't had a CT scan in years so he ordered a MRI locally since the numbness and tingling persisted in my face, head, and teeth of all places. When he received my MRI films, he read them himself and saw evidence of white lesions on my brain and called me himself on my way out to lunch one day. I always think it's pretty bad when the doc calls you himself haha. He told me I might have MS and he needed to refer me out to another hospital which he wanted me to go to WFU (Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC). This was in May but I couldn't get into see Dr. Jeffery (Wake Forest).

So, I panicked and got an appointment to see Dr. Barrie Hurwitz at Duke Neurology Clinic (he is supposedly their MS specialist). I went to Duke on May 9th, 2005 and had a bad experience. He blamed my symptoms on my migraines and said that was most likely why the lesions were there. He sent me back to my neurologist in GSO and wanted him to do a spinal tap, evoked potentials (I think) and a spinal MRI. However, my neurologist, Dr. Adelman, thought Duke was going a bit overboard and decided to rule out my migraines as a cause which I didn't think was a bad thing considering I wasn't having problems walking or anything ambulatory with the "MS".

Finally over the course of a few months and a couple of drugs later (Topamax and Atenelol everyday), my migraines are under control. However, in the fall of 2005, my symptoms (numbness and tingling) flared back up which I thought was just not normal and I kept being persistent with Dr. Adelman (local guy).

Anyway, the symptoms continued into 2006 and finally my last appointment with Dr. Adelman was in April 2006. He said I think we need to refer you back out again. I asked him what his professional opinion was even though he was not a specialist. He said I think you have MS or another version of a demyelineating (sp?) disease. He said this time I was definitely going to Wake Forest and to Dr. Jeffery. SO, thus the process began of having all my records faxed over and Dr. Jeffery reviewing them to see if he would accept me as a consult/patient. Finally, I was able to see him on May 17th of this year.

For the first time in my life, I was seen on time at the doctor's office. I spent about 45 minutes with a resident. He did my physical exam and asked a bunch of questions. He found nothing wrong with me physically. So, Dr. Jeffery comes in, the resident gives him the low down on me. I told him how I went to Duke and got treated rudely because the guy thought I was nuts for thinking I had MS. He knew Dr. Hurwitz there. Evidently there had been complaints about Duke to him and to my local neurologist as well. Dr. Jeffery had me stand up with him and look at my MRI (which Duke never showed me that in the same room together). He pointed out all this stuff to me and said "you could have a much worse case of it". "Of what" I said. "MS" he said. "You mean to tell me in less than five minutes you can walk in here and tell me I have it and that moron at Duke let me suffer?" He said "You mean to tell me no one has told you before now that you have MS?" He was mortified. So thus the rest of the appointment went. He did some physical testing himself. He found an extremely slight strength difference in my two legs but nothing that affects my mobility. Started going over the differences in medication, and put me on Betaseron which he says is the best. Ordered an MRI a few days later to see the difference in a year since I hadn't had an MRI in a year. Thus, I was out the door.

I had my MRI and came back to WFU on June 29th. Luckily, nothing had progressed in a year. He said none of my white lesions on my brain had developed into black holes, which evidently indicate disability in the future. I still have no ambulatory problems with my arms and legs. I feel like I am im remission although I am starting to have some slight numbess and tingling in my face and hands and feet again. I have RRMS (Relapsing Remitting MS). I go back to see Dr. Jeffery on October 4th. After that, every 6 months, and an MRI every year. I can't see my local neurologist anymore either. I guess the MS is most important and plus he can treat me for my migraines anyway.

A Betaseron nurse came to my house and showed me how to do the injections which are every other day. I just recently last week got up to the full cc dose. I did the dose titration so I did a .25 step every two weeks. I suffer from overheating and some body aches, but other than that I seem to be handling it much better than most folks I read about on the internet. But in my lifetime, I've had to take a lot of medication due to sinus problems (I've had surgery before), TMJ, and migraines. I seem to have a much higher tolerance for medication so I don't know if that has helped my adjustment to the injections or not. Then again, I may not know what I am talking about.

Friday

AMY