We miss you, Yorkieville!

[Momzilla]

Hi, Sheila~

I know you've been having a rough time, and I've just been giving you space.  But I can't take it anymore!  Where ARE you?

Is Dr. K. helping at all?  Are you in that much pain?  I'm worried about you.  You're not seeing other forums behind our backs, are you?  I know you got your diagnosis, and you really should be with the CIPDs, but we need you here, to know you're OK.

Come back!

Love and hugs,

Zilla*

[Momzilla]

I'm SO glad to hear from you.  Although Craig has been messaging me and doing a great job of it in your absence!  We two have been so worried about you...

I'm blown away.  Does this mean that my shrinking cerebellum is a sign of a lesion?  I guess you need to say it again!  My little  teeny brain can't understand.  I'll be talking to my endo tomorrow.  And I see my WMA Neuro next week.  I want tests.  I want answers.  Dagnabbit.  I'd be excited if my poor brain was bigger.  I swear, it was so pitiful, Quix, I could cry.  Do you think the degeneration can be stopped?

I did look on the NINDs site, and it said that Cerebellar Degeneration CAN be caused by endocrine disorders caused by pituitary and (another gland) dysfunction.  But it was further down on the page underneath a list of more common causes like MS or congenital ataxias.  I'm confused, but I have to rule out MS.  

Yep, I'm a shortie.  5' 2 and a half" with my shoes off.  But I FEEL taller.  I FEEL 5'4".  (Just not tonight...)

Zilla*

[Quixotic1]

Oy!!!  Don't you guys know that we don't CARE about the size of your organ???

One of the most common areas of MS lesions is the cerebellum, and cerebellar atrophy is well associated with advanced MS.  The symptoms are the "ataxic" wide-spaced gait and difficulties with fine motor skills.  Problems with past-pointing and rapidly alternating hand movements.  I cannot see the connection between pituitary problems and cerebellar atrophy.

Atrophy is considered a "lesion" on the MRI.  Let me repeat that "Atrophy is considered a "lesion" on the MRI."  A lesion is an abnormality in the normal structure.  Atrophy was Lynn's first visible "lesion."

I did a little searching on the normal range of the pituitary gland in adults.  It was hard to find.  Females have larger organs (neener neener!).  It is measured by it's height and not it's width, becasue the width is limited by the bony sella (the bowl it sits in).  It also changes size in women along with their menstrual cycles.  The average 20 year old woman would have a pit about 9mm.  It then progressively shrinks to as little as 6mm in the elderly woman.  Remember that is average!!  Also the pituitary height is directly proportional to a person's overall height.  A shorter woman will have a smaller, (shorter) pituitary gland.

It's not clear, 'Zilla, that 6mm is all that small.  Aren't you short or are you an Amazon?  I can never remember.

Quix

[monotreme]

Zil, my curiousity couldn't take it anymore.  I looked up sizes of pituitary gland.  Seems like for men it is anywhere from 4 to 9mm but some places said it should not exceed 7.7 mm.

For women, many places said it varies with pregnancy, being post partum, and age.  it can be anywhere from 3mm to 9mm, but  the 9mm was for post partum women.  it shrinks after the post partum phase.

No where did it say that the size affects the function.

Craig

[monotreme]

Zil, this is getting amazing.  if you have a small pituitary, mine is smaller!!!  I just got out one of my many brain MRI's and my pituitary is 5mm.   It is funny that the super docs as they are called...the neuro-endocrinologists at UCLA and  Seattle never commented on the size.  In fact the one at UCLA who told me to not go on growth hormone again because my IGF-1 is now ok, didn't even consider the size of the gland.  I really do wonder though of the connection between pituitary disease and MS.

Craig

[Momzilla]

Hey~

We have a friend who's a physical therapist, and he's given me some things to do.  I'm really not nearly so weak as I was last summer.  I couldn't place my legs on either knee then, either.  Not only couldn't I lift my legs, my bottom leg couldn't take the weight of my other leg resting on it.  I'm sorry you're so weak.  Prayers back.

I haven't seen the report, but I think I'll ask for it.  I only know what my doc told me.  I saw my pit was 6 mm.  I don't know how big they're supposed to be.  I don't know what the report said about my cerebellum.  Only that my doc blurted out that it was small.  Then I did the comparison shopping online....

I will ask for some kind of testing to rule out MS.  I guess evoked potentials would make sense, and an LP for MS protocol.  It's what my psychiatrist has wanted all along.  From the start.  He thought the first neuro was negligent not to have done all that.  

I just remembered -- I have a back-up plan!  I have an appointment in January with an MS specialist!  He treats mostly MS patients.  I made the app't long ago.  Just in case Dr. Wonderful didn't work out.  I guess I'll hang on to that appointment!

If my endo and neuro don't do the tests I ask for, I'm sure someone with a fresh look will, don't you think?

Makes me feel relieved to have remembered that.  

Hang in there, too, Craig.  When do you see Morrow?

Z*

[monotreme]

Hang in there Zil, we are all here for you.  On the MRI report it usually says what Tesla the machine was.  If it does not, call the place you had the MRI at and ask them if it is a 1.5 or a 3 Tesla.  the MRI technicians know.  I have had to do that once when it was not on a report, but every other report I have has the Tesla on it.  usually in the first paragraph of the report.  

Maybe you could ask for evoked potentials?  
Prayers are on the way for you.
I can only walk about 50 yards and can no longer lift my right leg onto my left knee or my left leg onto my right knee, I do have some exercises the physical therapist gave me at NIH.  Do you want to know what they are??  I know you are stronger than me, but I can give them to you if you want them.

Craig