undiagnosed husband

[lacling]

Hi,

I have some concerns about my husbands health. He is 47 yrs old who was in good health until about 6 weeks ago.One day while walking down the hall at work his legs became weak and he described himself as walking like he was drunk. His speech became difficult to understand.The symptoms did not resolve, and a few days later I came home from work to find him on the couch unable to lift his right arm. We went to the ER and he was admitted. There an MRI w/o contrast of the brain was done. Two small lesions in the frontal lobe were found.Mri of the c-spine and thoracic spine wre negative.Parasite etiologies were rued out. CSF showed elevated monos and everything else was on the verge of being abnormal by a number or two.He was sent home to follow up with neuro.
SYMPTOMS:
walks with a wide gait
sways when standing still
occasionally falls
occasional garbled speech
memory is VERY bad
loss of sensation in his penis
describes a feeling of balled up muscles in hs legs above the knees
states his legs don't do what he wants them to
headaches
The neurologist he is following with is very evassive and we are very frustrated. He does not answer any of our questions, he just changes the subject.An EMG was done.While the EMG was being preformed there were several times he said, 'You can't feel that?' The EMG was 'essentially normal' and went on to say that the EMG is 'purely subjective.' When we asked about MS or ALS he told us they were on his short list w/o any other info. Thanks for any guidance, we are very lost.
Thanks Li

[keys]

im not a doctor,all those symptoms  though are also  for b1 defeiency , i know someone who had that and it can be crippling and fatal left unchecked  THiamine B1 the disease is called beri beri and it wouldnt hurt to see if the b1 levels are low too, starts out with weakness  usaully and fatigue  muscle soreness and then difficulty getting up, muscle cramping, memory problems . speech difficulty problems walking, then atrophy in the muscles.generally effects the lower extremities ,  muscle pain throughout do to  a lack of  i think they called it tpp output.   anyone at any age or weight can get it a friend of mine was misdiagnosed for an mnd who had it not from this clinic, and it was devasting,,so  i feel like i have to tell everyone about it. more symptoms speech difficulty , burning and tingling in feet extremities, there are different types and all can be fatal left untreated but it responds quickly to treatment. but difficulty walking and talking, and memory problems, muscle cramping  in legs, numbness or burning in feet, its scarey.  are textbook symptoms for it.

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-CS]

Your husbands case is complex, and without examining him and reviewing his records I cannot make a clinical diagnosis. With the history you have provided it does not sound like ALS. As for MS, I cannot exclude this as a possibility. The elevated monos would suggest a possible viral infection. An analysis of the CSF for markers of inflammation and abnormal proteins would be helpful, Other disorders to have checked include a B12 level, thyroid function, and sarcoid. A second opinion at an academic center would be reasonable. Good luck.

[i'm irish]

Not sure if there's any revelance at all, but your husbands symptoms sound similar to those experienced by my daughter (age 33) since March. About the only real difference is that hers came on gradually. The wide stance, imbalance, memory difficulties, speech problems, etc. all sound alike. Nothing serious enough for inpatient admission. After 6 months she was finally referred to a specialist in MS. He put our mind at rest about MS (MRI films over 6 years were checked and compared and while there was something 'suspicious' on the brain MRI, it remained unchanged on all sets of films.) Demyelination was evident and one lesion. Spine MRI was fine. However, he did discover a vitamin B12 deficiency that he said was significant enough that it could have been causing the neurological problems so she now gets B12 injections monthly. For a week or so after the injection, her speech is almost normal, her gait and imbalance problems seem to be improved... Makes me wonder why they can't be a bit more aggressive about the treatment and do the shots weekly. But there are so many neurological things that can happen and have similar symptoms. It's unreal. Good luck to you and your husband. It's a devastating thing to have all these symptoms and no one can discover the cause. Frustrating. My daughter was a nurse. Now she can no longer work and is on long term disability with SS paperwork in the works. At age 33. She's a single mother and it doesn't make for an easy life any way you look at it. Best of luck.  Pat

[S.B.]

It looks like a lite stroke. I'm not a doctor but it seems to me that is not ALS or MS. ALS starting in one place, not in both legs simultaneuosly. Actually, problems with your husband beginning all over his body?! MS must shows up on MRI. I think that your husband is little too old for MS (25-35 are critical years).
Good luck, S.B.