Question Title: 35 yr-old female with long medical history

My wife is a 35 yr-old female. She had her first back surgery in Jan 93.
We have gone through about 6 surgeries on her back, 10 blood patches,
5 implant related surgeries. She has a Neurological Pulse Generator,
and a Morphine Pump attached to the spine. She has experienced pain
down her leg's and lower back since the first surgery. On the 23rd of
August she had the catheter for the morphine pump reattached to the spine.
Since then she has been getting double vision, headaches, dizziness, fallen
twice, nausea, dehydration, weight-loss. These symptons would normally
put her to bed for a couple days, and to the Emegency room three times. This last
Friday she lost the ablity to move or feel her legs, complined of chest pains,
breathing was rapid and shallow, and she lost the ability to speak. When she
reached the Hospital she had a dangerously high BP, till they stablized her.
They preformed two Cat-Scans, a Myolgram, and took all kinds of samples
for blood, urine test that night. She went from one hospital to another
and was admitted to ICU. Now here we are a week later she can talk
has limited movement in her right leg, can twitch the left leg, but no other
improvments. The doctors seem to be at a lost, they want to remove the
implants, they say that the MS test come back both positive and negative.
They say it could be a virus, or something to do with the nerves abilites to
send and recivce information. Can implants cause something like this?
Could all her problems be MS hidden by something, or do I just have to
accept the fact that they will never find this and just the symptons as they
arrive?

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Dear Ron:

Acute weakness of the legs, shortness of breath, and an inability to speak can occur from a disease process of either of the central nervous system (such as acute demyelinating encephalomyelitis, multiple sclerosis, or a compressive or vascular problem of the cord), or of the peripheral nervous system (such as the Guillain-Barre syndrome, or another acute polyradiculopathy or acute polyneuropathy).

There is no clear evidence to suggest that either disease process can occur as a consequence of, or get triggered by a surgical procedure such as an intrathecal catheter revision, or for that matter, any neurosurgical procedure.

Your wife's neurologists should be able to give you a clear explanation of why your wife was weak, what her presumptive diagnosis is, what her prognosis of recovery is, and whether or not she has (or is likely to have) MS.

Additional tests that may be helpful in your wife's case are an EMG examination (if clinically indicated), and spinal fluid examination (which I am sure is done, if a myelogram was done).

In case you think a second opinion is needed, and if it is practical for your wife to come to Cleveland, neurologists at the Cleveland Clinic would be most happy to help. Outpatient appointments, and even a hospital transfer can be can be organized by calling (800)223-2273, and asking for neurology appointments.

Good luck!

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