Flare or remission?

[Sailorsong]

I'm not sure if I should classify what has been going on the last few days a flareup or a remission. First off I noticed a few days ago that my vision was better, in fact I could see better without my glasses than wearing them. My current Rx for glasses were made while my vision was messed up a little bit!

Next when I went to knee PT on tuesday they place electrodes on the muscles around my knee to stimulate them. On ast visits I would not feel anything until they reached a level of about 12 and they would settle on a setting of 18 by the time it felt somewhat active to me. Well on Tuesday I started feeling things at about 2 and by the time they got up to 13 it was painful. I am thinking that this shows I have more feeling in that leg right now. I also suspect that because I was not feeling things correctly on the previous sessions that it explains why my knee hurt so much after. This time it didn't hurt afterwords.

Ok this two things make me think that maybe I am starting to go into remission. But the following makes me thing this is not the case.

I have been experiencing a lot of facial pain on the left side. While it could be sinus infection it just does not feel like it because it goes right down into the jaw bones. And I have had a lot of sinus infections in the past.

I also noticed that my right thigh is feeling numb just like it does from my knees on down on both legs.

Any thoughts?

Dennis

[Quixotic1]

I see.  Now I know.  I don't like that statistic, tho.  Let's have you have another diagnosis.

Thanks, Dennis

Q

[Sailorsong]

From what I have read about devics so far is that it eventually does effect the brainstem. Somewhere I read that 100% of pateints that have devics die from respitory failure once it effects the brainstem.

The treatments I have read about envolve basically shuting down a persons immune system to some extent so that the mylin is no longer being attacked. In fact I saw where there is a clinical trail going on for the treatment of NMO in where they are taking stem cells from a person, distroying their immune system, then trying to reboot it again using the stem cells.

Dennis

[Quixotic1]

There have been suggestions that Devic's can rarely involve the brainstem.  this is not the norm and I don't know if this is widely accepted.

I looked it up for myself.

Q

[Quixotic1]

Yes, we talk frequently about Devics (NMO).  I don't see the facial pain/numbness being consistent with it though.  The nerve that handles facial sensation is much higher than the cervical spinal cord.  It is the brainstem.  

Can Devics involve the brainstem?

Q

[Sailorsong]

Forgot to add both the facial pain and numb thigh are new. I've had facial numbness before but this is the first time for pain.

Dennis

[Sailorsong]

Currently I'm un Dx'ed but the latest Neuro I have seen thinks it is Devics Disease because he spoted a section of my spinal cord that narrows to about 1/2 of normal in my neck. He has tested for this but I won't get the results until my neck appt on Nov. 17.

Don't know if you are familiar with this disease but it use to be considered a severe form of MS.

Dennis

[Quixotic1]

Hi, Dennis,

Ole Jelly for Brains here can't remember if you got your diagnosis.

But, if some symptoms are improving and the rest are stable for a while this could be a remission.  If the facial stuff is new and worsening  or if the thigh numbness is new it doesn't really sound like a remissionif we are talking about MS.

I agree that the facial pain extending down into your jaw doesn't sound like sinus pain.  You might look at the fpa-support.org to see if this seems like Trigeminal Neuralgia.  they have a Diagnostic Questionaire which will give you a rough assessment of whether you meet criteria for TN.

http://www.fpa-support.org/aboutfp/index.html

Sorry to waffle so much.  Every person is different.

Quix