MS or ADEM

[saurabc]

My friend in India started to have severe headache on the 1st of November,2007 as she was under some job stress. She got herself clinically examined and all the clinical tests were negative. Even the CT scan didn't show anything. The doctors diagonsed the problem as stress and gave her some tranquilizers which would sooth her.

Then she was brought home and she started to suffer more. She could not stand anymore and then she could not sit either. Then she was bed ridden for the next few days and was talking like kids and then she was struggling to speak well. Then on the 9th of Nov, she stopped speaking altogether. She lost vision too. She was diagnosed with MS after the MRI scan. She was given the corticosteroid treatment and she started to respond a bit after 10 days. The CSF test came negative for other brain infections. The Oligoclonal band test also came negative. Nothing was found in the bone marrow test.

Another MRI was done about 15 days later and the previous legions had grown bigger and new lesions had occurred too. As of Nov30th, 2007, she is recovering clinically as she has started to speak, but with broken or incomplete words. She can also eat orally and can distinguish the tastes and gives feedback whether it is sweet/bitter/good/bad. She also tries to respond to questions but most of the time the reply is not discernible. She also tries to bite her right hand quite often.

Status as of 21st December, 2008 - She has regained her senses and talk properly. She has 90% control over her right hand and she has 50% over her left hand, it just lacks in strength. She can sit on a chair, but does not have control over her waist. She also doesnt have any control over her legs and can move her feets about 30 degrees in each direction, but cannot move the legs as a whole. She has sensation all over the body and no part of her body feels numb or dead.

Our only doubt is whether this really is MS or could be something totally different from MS? Could this be ADEM?

[saurabc]

Thanks Quix

We got my friend diagnosed again by a Neurologist. The doctor also got the MRI done again and concluded that it is more likely to be ADEM rather than MS looking at the recovery pattern, lesion disappearance, disease onset etc.

Thanks very much for your opinion.

[Quixotic1]

I'm sory I have not been up to answering your question.  In an adult ADEM is quite rare, but it does occur.  It can look very much like MS, but the rapidly growing lesions and the negative spinal fluid tests suggest more the ADEM.  Beyond that I don't know much.   You also ask if this could be MS.  Yes, it could, but it is a very aggressive course.  I wish I knew more about how the two diseases overlap and mimic each other, but I don't.  I wish your friend the best of luck and hope that this is ADEM, so that it may resolve and not return.

She is lucky to have a friend such as you

Quix

[mokibear]

bumping

[mokibear]

I'm sorry I can't help you there, but I just wanted to let you know that Quix was not feeling well last night and was not on. I do know that she has stressed the fact that you can have more than one thing going on at the same time. I don't know if that is the case here.  I'll try to help you keep this post at the top so when she is feeling better she will see it.

Hopefully someone else will be able to assist you in this as well.

Moki

[saurabc]

Can someone please answer this query if you can.

[essdipity]

Hello and welcome. I am glad you'e doing so much to help your friend. This is an extremely difficult situation and not many of us here have the medical qualifications needed to respond well. One exception is Quixotic1 (Quix), who is a retired doctor who has MS.She helps us here a great deal and also does research on MS-like diseases.

Quix usually posts here in the evenings, US Pacific Coast time, and will be more likely to see your request if it's near the top of the page. If you don't get responses, just write something further in your post and it will go to the top again.

Best wishes,

ess