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Posted 4/29/2010 12:39 AM (GMT 0)
I have had 6 mri's.  The mri of the thoracic area showed damaged from t3-t7.  Demylination.  I had iv corisone and for

five months felt great.  It just came back recently.  My legs burn, and tingle or I call it vibrate.  I sometimes have

tingling on my head as well.  After the fifth month,the mri of the damaged area in my back showed resolution.  So I am

confused as to what is happening.  I had a second dose of iv cortisone,but it did not help like it did the first time.  Mri's of

brain are clear.  Lots of blood work and all looks ok.  Had a spinal tap and no bands.  I am sch.for another mri of brain

in June.  I have also sch. a new apt. in July at Johns Hopkins.  Any info is appreciated. :-)

Posted 4/29/2010 2:21 PM (GMT 0)
You may want to ask about evoked potentials.  These are tests that time the responses along  your central nervous system.  They will often test your eyes, hearing and extremities.  If you have damage on t3 and t7 then you may want to ask for an evoked potentials test for your lower extremities.  This was a very telling test for me.  Normal response times would mean that you don't have enough damage to be affecting function.  That would be a good sign that MS could be shelved and you could look in another direction.

Good luck.

Posted 4/29/2010 5:16 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you for your response. What exactly in evoked potentials?
Posted 4/29/2010 5:38 PM (GMT 0)
Gretchen,  I did have a vep that was normal,and also a sser electrical stimulus for legs.  All of that was

normal. :-)

Posted 4/29/2010 11:33 PM (GMT 0)
That is all very good news.  That probably means you don't have MS.  You mentioned that by the 5th month your MRI showed resolution.  Does that mean the damage has healed and is no longer evident?  If that is true, then this may have been an infection of some sort and it has healed?  Obviously I am not a doctor and I am just guessing here.  Lots of health issues can cause demyelination. 

What symptoms are you currently experiencing? Your legs burn, tingle and vibrate? and sometimes your head? 

Posted 4/30/2010 12:54 AM (GMT 0)
Gretchen,

  Yes,mainly it is my legs.  The tingling and burning.  Sometimes it burns so bad,I feel like I need

to put them in ice water to cool.  My neurologist diagnosed me with transverse myelitis.  He said

it is very rare for reccurent transverse myelitis in the same area,that is in the back.  All I know is

that my legs are not normal.  My coordination is normal in rest of body.  When it first happened,

I had a shooting pain from my neck to legs to feet.  Every time I would bend my head down,I would

have awful pain.  Also,my skin would burn when taking a shower.  All that is ok now except my legs,

and sometimes my head.  I will be glad to get my second opinon,but have to wait until July.  What

other illnesses cause transverse myelitis?  Thanks              And they did say the area in my back was resolved. :-)

Posted 4/30/2010 4:25 AM (GMT 0)
Transverse myelitis can cause permanent symptoms.  It an also take years for some symptoms to resolve.  The actue inflammation that was apparent on the MRI is over but you are still stuck with some damage. 

It will be good to get a second opinion.  I don't know much about transverse myelitis.  I know the damage is similar to MS.  It is a really good sign that the area on your back has resolved.  With MS, it is extremely rare to have a "lesion" resolve.  I have never lost any.  My original diagnostic lesions are still present on my MRIs and of course, over the years, I have added to my collection.

Posted 5/2/2010 12:57 AM (GMT 0)
Gretchen, 

        Thank you for the info.  It is nice to talk with someone who has similar problems.  Sometimes it can

be a little scary.  Thanks again :-)

Posted 5/17/2010 2:42 AM (GMT 0)
It might be peripheral neuropthy, or a spinal stenosis or perhapes you may be a diabete if your test don't show any leasions or damage to your myelin cord. Transverse myelitis is one of those weird ones. 2 people both with TM at the same time. One get better in 10 to12 weeks and the other ends up in a wheel chair. As far as your neck i would check this out and see if it fits you ( Lhermitte's sign ). Good luck to you.
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