Hi Everyone,
I usually post on the chronic pain board but recently was sent for an MRI to see if MS might be a possible explanation in regard to my ongoing decline since my two back surgeries. It's a really long story but I had my first fusion in March of 2006. I developed Cauda Equina Syndrome after the surgery, which went untreated for 17 months, when I had to have a revision of the first fusion for a failure to fuse, the collapse of L4 onto L5, etc......anyway, to make a long story shorter, I continue to go downhill.
My walking ability has declined so much so that I am using a manual and motorized wheelchair to get around, along with a scooter.
I have numbness in my legs, feet, thighs, buttocks and several other areas.
My bladder does not empty well on it's own, so I have to self cath in order to empty my bladder. I had urgency issues , in that I was having to find a bathroom every 1/2 hour or have an accident. Not sure if this is related to the CES or something else.....but anyway.
My balance is way off, sometimes it seems to get a little better, but never completely recovers. I have a complete left foot drop, also assuming that that stems from surgery.
Anyway, in the last few months, I was sent for an MRI of the brain and of the cervical area to see if there were any signs of MS since my neurosurgeon feels that I have lots of signs of MS, and I should have leveled off as he explained since my revision surgery.
I fall, alot.....with no real rhyme or reason to it. I get hit with muscle spasms, that literally knock my knees out from under me. Sometimes I am able to catch myself but more often than not, I don't lately.
Recently , my fingers and hands go numb. If I am typing on the keyboard, or raise my arms above my head, the numbness intensifies. It never goes away though. It is constant. I am having trouble holding onto things as well. My fingers don't seem to grip things as they should. The MRI of the cervical area showed a disc bulge at C5-6 or C6-7, can't seem to remember which one it was, with foraminal stenosis but it doesn't seem to cause any pain, so I am not sure that the numbness is related to it, although it could be.
The MRI of the brain showed two non enhancing lesions, one in the parietal lobe and another in the frontal lobe, deep white matter in both locations. When I saw the neuro , he said that they were not typical locations for lesions in MS?
One other thing is that an EMG/SSEP showed a demyelination between the brain and my spinal cord. I can't remember what exactly he called it, other than that it was an abnormal SSEP, and he was doing some other testing to rule out GB, and lyme and a few other things, but we never discussed much about it....
Anyway, I am hoping that you guys can either tell me that I need to find someone who specializes in MS or take that off the table.
I am really concerned with the ongoing numbness, and the cause of it, along with the almost steady decline that I am experiencing in my ability to walk, and the falling, bladder problems, bowel issues, etc.....whatever is going on is not right....but I hope that you guys can offer my some suggestions.....
I may be leaving some stuff out, I sometimes forget things or have trouble putting my thoughts together properly.
Thanks,
Sandi