Hello friends

I decided this is the best way to let those of you who remember me that I am progressing well.  I am 5 weeks post surgery and will go back to Maine in a couple of weeks to begin my chemo at home.  I have been so fortunate to have things turn out as well as they have.  Thanks to you who have written notes and reminded me that this forum is such a haven for support.  

My gift from this experience was all the symptoms that made my neurologist (and me) believe I had MS.  Fatique, numbness and tingling, aches and pains, cramps, weakness, dizzyness, blurred vision....and again FATIGUE.  Those were the gifts that got this ball rolling.  Those and a final MRI of my thoracic spine that showed the shadow in my lung.

My gift to all of you who are in limbo land is:  Be sure you are checked for cancer along with all the other diseases that are being ruled out.  My symptoms were the result of secretions from a tumor in my lung...that's right, lung cancer.  Paraneoplastic Syndrome can mimic neurological problems.  Better be safe.  Your body is telling you something, right?  
Love to all,
Mary Kay

[Rena705]

I am soooo happy to hear that you are coming through this so positively my dear!  It must be such a relief to know that you are soon on your way home and that you have the answers you were so desperately seeking.

I am also very appreciative that you are sharing this with all of us...it only stresses the fact that we can't give up regardless of how difficult this journey can be.  You are an exceptional example of being pro-active in your own care and your situation stresses the fact that there is no room to give up...we know our bodies and we know when something is wrong and if we don't push for further testing and investigation we are seriously letting ourselves down.

Keep up the fight Mary Kay...I feel very proud for you in that you never gave up the fight and you are on your road to recovery!

Lots of Hugs,
Rena

[essdipity]

A huge hello and a hug from here. I've been wondering and wondering how you are. It's so good to hear that things are going well.

You are right that paraneoplastic syndrome is a big MS mimic. I had blood work for that and it took a month for the results to come back. That wasn't a fun month, but still I knew in my bones I ddidn't have cancer.

To those who may not be familiar with this, neurological paraneoplastic syndrome is relatively rare but it does happen. When there is a cancer, the body's defenses go into high gear, manufacturing antibodies that show up in the blood. This is all to the good--we want the body to fight it after all. Blood tests are often used for indications of cancer. But sometimes, particularly with lung cancer and a few other types I can't remember, this process can go off into a strange situation, where the antibodies start to fight the wrong thing, the healthy nervous system. The result can be symptoms very familiar to many of us in the world of MS, and that's why Mary Kay was being worked up for MS when all this happened.

Mary Kay's cancer was found during a routine MRI, that just happened to show something suspicious in her lungs, not from tests that show the strange deviation called a paraneoplasm. That was a fortuitous thing, as otherwise it might have taken much longer to uncover it. I'm so glad, and I know everyone else is too.

I hope I've explained this accurately, and if not, Mary Kay please correct me. It just goes to show though, that rare things like paraneoplasms do occur

Welcome back, Mary Kay! I hope you'll stay as a member and a friend for many years to come.

ess

[Wobbly]

nice to hear from you and know that you are getting better and will be heading back home soon.  

thanks for letting us know here to keep on searching and listen to our bodies...we have so many friends here that are looking for answers and I'm so glad you found your and have gotten treatment and still fighting this horrible fight...

we are here for you...stay strong and keep online with us.. take care

wobbly
undx

[hbananas]

Your words are oh so wise.  I am so happy to hear you're doing well, and hope you will continue to do that.  Best wishes.

[deborah0904]

I've missed you.  I remember you telling your story.  I am so glad you have begun recovery and hope all goes well with you.  Thank you, for giving us an update!  I'm praying for you!.

[Lulu54]

MaryKay,
What good news that you will be heading home soon.  What a joy to you and your family to get to sleep in your own bed again.  Congratulations on being a fighter and survivor.

Thanks too for sharing the cancer information - it helps me to understand why my neuro insisted on all sorts of tests to rule out cancer too when we were figuring out my dx.  

Springtime in Maine should be the best time for you - enjoy!

my best,
Lulu

[GrannyJo6]

Of course I remember you! You had such a compelling story! And I just SO happy for you that things have worked out so well! I hope you breeze through chemotherapy and then can put this all behind you! You are amazing!

[LLWB]

So glad your surgery is over, and you are on your way to recovery.

Hugs & Prayers
Maggie

[mary_kay]

You did a fantastic job of explaining my condition!  You are right about the precarious situation I was in.  If I had not developed those awful symptoms that made me think I had MS, I don't think the outcome would have been very good.  Who knows when I would have found out I had lung cancer?  After all, I quit smoking 4 years ago, and I had absolutely no symptoms that you read about on the sites about lung cancer.  As it turned out, I had 2 separate tumors....yeah, 2 separate cancers, one of which did affect 3 out of 12 lymph nodes, and NO SYMPTOMS.  
Thanks again everyone, you are all so wonderful.  I will check in more often when I get home, as this dial-up makes surfing the net really frustrating.
Love,
Mary Kay