New MS Tracker and Ask a Doctor MS Forum

[Med Help]

Hi,

We're very pleased to announce two new features for the Multiple Sclerosis community. First, we now have a Multiple Sclerosis tracker that you can add by going to your My MedHelp or directly to http://www.medhelp.org/trackers/list/36. Please send along any feedback on the tracker to your CL's or in the Suggestions forum.

In addition, a new Ask a Doctor Multiple Sclerosis forum is now available at http://www.medhelp.org/forums/show/322. All questions will receive a personal answer from Daniel Kantor, MD from the University of Florida & Shands in Jacksonville Florida.

MedHelp

[Heather3418]

Give the good doctor a head's up....he will be bombarded with questions about MS.  This is an active group, as you know.

Thank you Dr. Kantor for helping those of us with MS, have a better understanding of this disease.  We "Old-timers" of this disease are pretty well-versed at this point in our lives, but I am sure that there will be many questions to come.

Thank you MedHelp.  I am looking forward to reading the questions and responses.

Heather

[Quixotic1]

Welcome to our home, Dr. Kantor.  You'll find us a lively and information hungry bunch.

I, for one, am glad to see a voice of real expertise available to answer questions.  I hope he and I can work to together to give clear (as clear as can be possible with a disease like MS!)  answers and explanations.

Apparently Dr. Kantor will answer one or two questions per day, but is willing to answer more for a $25 fee payable by the member.

I am hoping that he can also put some ideas and explanations down in his blog.

I was hoping we could come up with some ideas for things we would like to hear about.  One thing I would like more info on is:

Gray matter lesions.  What do we know about them?  Do we know if they are affected by use of the DMDs?  What MRI techniques are needed to visualize them, because it is rare that we hear them mentioned in our radiologist reports.

Any other requests for "blog topics?"

Quix

[Heather3418]

I am in total agreement with you Quix.  This is a great idea....

We all welcome the good doctor to our Forum.  Quix, I really think you should let this good doctor know that you are a also a physician.  I think he would be more apt to work with you on these "blogs" as a professional courtesy.

Heather

[Dr. Daniel Kantor, MD]

Thank you for the welcomes -- physician or not, everyone will receive "courtesy."

It turns out that grey matter lesions may be more disabling than white matter.

The grey matter is made up of the cell bodies and a little bit of axons and myelin but the bulk of the myelin (and axons) are in the white matter -- hence the terms grey and white (myelin appears white and cell bodies appear greyish).

There are newer MRI techniques, such as 3D FLAIR (Fluid Attenuated Invesion Recovery) and Double Invesion Recovery (DIR), that are better at picking up the grey matter lesions -- so we are advancing with this, but it has not hit "prime time" yet.

We have little data on whether the DMDs help with the grey matter lesions, but I suspect that they do to a certain extent since even grey matter has a little myelin in it(but this has not been proven yet).

[Erin0313]

  I am so excited to have you joining us - Welcome!  I am too tired and excited to suggest topics right now. I have severe cognitive issues but I know that I will be interested in whatever you decide to talk about as I have only been diagnosed for less then 2 years.
  
Thank you in advance for all of the knowledge that you will be sharing.

Erin

  

[Heather3418]

Thanks for giving us some information on grey matter lesions.  We are all just learning how important these lesions may really be in the course of our disease.

Our resident retired peditrician of our Forum and our Community Leader as well, Quixotic1; does extensive research online to keep us informed about the latest on MS.  I know that you will thoroughly enjoy "speaking" with her.  She's our "Momma Bear," on the Forum.  Our "den mother."

Again, welcome.  We are so glad that you have joined us.  We all look forward to your knowledge and advice about this disease they call Multiple Sclerosis.

Merry Christmas,, to you and your family.

Heather

[sllowe]

Dr. Kantor,

A belated welcome from me.  I'm glad Doc Q brought up grey matter lesions. And, since you mention the sequences used to visualize them, i.e., 3D.  I'm wondering if it's been your experience, or if you know perhaps if the radiologists and/or Drs. are as versed in reading those pics developed from the sequences as the MRI techs are in performing them? Meaning as compared to their reading of the the standard sequences.  

As I type this here I'm thinking it's not necessarily the right spot to ask or mention this, but we tend to try to keep certain topics together for search purposes. And, with my brain, it's best to jot something down when I'm thinking of it, and where I can find it.

Thank you for joining us.  We've been taught well here, and I look forward to learning so much more.  Thank you very much in advance for offereing to share your time, and knowledge with us.

-Shelly

[bergie08]

I was diagnosed with m.s. in 2001 and had many ups and downs.  People think that just because I've had this so long and the fact that i am a nurse that I know everything and that I have control over my disease.  Well, I look for everyone's opinion, advice and encouragment.  I look forward to everything and anything new in research or what he has available in the research of treatment and care of m.s.  Thank you.

Bergie

[sllowe]

Welcome Bergie!

Can you copy what you posted above, and start a new post? I'm afraid you won't meet the lot of us here on this thread.

I'm glad you found us! We've got lots of good info on our forum, and we too always looking for new things to learn, and you can count on many, many new friends.
If you have a problem doing this give us a shout, anyone of us will walk you through it.
Hope to see you around!
Shelly