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An update on my condition
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Autumnsprings
Autumnsprings
Con Artist

Jul-28-2016 21:20

Hi everyone.

I realize not everyone knows of cares about what's going on with me (and that's fine! 😉)

But for those who do, it's easier for me to do this than send individual PMs.

To sum up, on Saturday, the 16th, I noticed I was losing my peripheral vision in my left eye. This terrified me. I told Justin (jroepel, my fianće) after he got home from work.

By Sunday, I was essentially blind in that eye. We went to the ER. They did a head CT and some blood work. The bloods were fine. The CT showed something called an arachnoid cyst. Apparently they're common, benign and don't usually cause symptoms. So it wasn't the problem. The ER doc referred me to an ophthalmologist.

On Monday I rested because I was exhausted.

Tuesday I called the opth and got an appointment that afternoon. He said my eyes were identical. No obvious problems. The loss of vision was probably because of inflammation of the optic nerve. He wanted to see my eyes without dilation, so I went back Wed morning.

Wednesday he looked again and there was no change. Retina had no tears or anything like that. He ordered an MRI. I got that done that afternoon.

Thursday morning he called to tell me the MRI showed inflammation of the optic nerve. It also showed I have Multiple Sclerosis. He ordered a 5 day course of steroid infusions and referred me to a neurologist.

I went to the hospital everyday so they could pump massive amounts of steroids into my system.

I was lucky, blessed, whatever, that the neurologist could see me on Tuesday, the 26th. Appointments usually take months to get. I got seen within a week.

On Tuesday, I finished the steroids and saw the neuro. He was great.

He showed me the MRI so I could see the lesions on my brain. There are about a dozen, which he indicated was a small amount. The lesions were fairly small. The two biggest ones were in my vision and balance centers. Surprisingly the one in the vision center was not causing the problems with my vision.
Cont.

Replies

Vulkie3
Vulkie3
Haynes

Jul-29-2016 11:47

^ not sure how that helps with sleeping - imo, that's more of a nightmare and makes me want to wake up asap :P



Autumnsprings
Autumnsprings
Con Artist

Jul-29-2016 11:49

i agree with vulkie! that would amp my heart rate up through the roof!! i'll just imagine ive had the easiest villain hunt ever and the prince wants to give me everything!



Keira Ann
Keira Ann
Bloodhound

Jul-29-2016 15:52

Thanks for the update. I echo what Breit said. Listen to your body and know your limits.



luc pfeiffer
luc pfeiffer
Red-Nosed

Jul-31-2016 02:22

hi Autumn -- Breit / Anne is a wise soul about all of this; I find that her advice is often sage, if not necessarily easy to implement in one's life. Please let us know if there is something we can help you with. Privately, I would advise that inflicting bald spots on Lucky Kitties' Tummies is an admirable goal. I only got to put one or two on Missy / Molly, but i'm doing much better with my 22 pounds of purring love. Also, if you like it, a cup of herb tea is a wonderful occasion to stop what one is doing and reflect. My best to you and Justin. L / Not Breit for those who remember that moniker.

Autumnsprings
Autumnsprings
Con Artist

Jul-31-2016 03:31

Luc,

Thank you so much. I have a feeling I'm going to be forced to become much more Zen than I currently am.

I am focusing on getting lots of fruits and veggies, taking my vitamin D (and may be adding calcium, although I've had problems with calcium doodlebug before. - That should read "supplements" but doodlebug was just too funny), trying to let go of stress, and learning to listen to my body.

I don't listen very well. Breit and Sultry de Mon can both attest to that, as can jroepel. I don't like to acknowledge the limits my body places on me. I feel it should be my tool, not my boss.

Resting is very hard as well. Which is weird, given how utterly exhausted I am. Sometimes the pain is too much, sometimes my mind won't shut off.

I adore tea, both herbal and the real stuff so maybe I will have to develop a bedtime "ritual" to help my mind get ready for bed. It would obviously include tortures and inflicting bald spots on the nearest fuzzy tummy.

If there is something you so can do for me, I will absolutely let you know.

For now, prayers, positive thoughts and encouragement are welcomed wholeheartedly.

Lady Jas
Lady Jas
The Chosen One

Jul-31-2016 09:38

Autumn, my dear friend. Thank you for keeping me upadated on everything. I may get busy with both jobs, but know that I never forget you in my daily Prayers and I"m always here if you need to talk/need a shoulder to cry on.

We've been friends for a long time now, and I'll support you in any way you need.

BIG BIG HUGS and KISSES from me and little Jasper!

We love you and JR dearly!

luc pfeiffer
luc pfeiffer
Red-Nosed

Aug-5-2016 23:07

Hi Autumn! are the new medications kicking in yet? Good luck with the veggies! i personally recommend the purple potato and white pizza with spinach. oh, and guacamole! Hope you ARE getting lots of sleep (with or without balding purring feline tummies on your pillow)! Hope you are feeling better and a CHEER out to J.R.!!! Caregivers and other halves don't get nearly the amount of kudos that they deserve. L

Autumnsprings
Autumnsprings
Con Artist

Aug-7-2016 03:09

Thank you everyone!

Jas, thank you for the prayers and encouragement. And his and kisses to you and little happier as well.

Luc, you're right. I think it's harder to watch a loved one go though something hard or painful than it is to be the one going through it. Justin has been wonderful. Even when I've begged him to leave me so he doesn't have to go through this.

I gave myself my first injection on Friday. My next one will be on Monday, and a nurse is coming to help me learn about the auto injector (I just used the syringe) and tips and tricks.


A few days ago, I called my neuro because in the 3 days prior to that I *may* have gotten about 10 hours of sleep. So he changed how I take my medication for sleeping and twitching. It seems to have made a difference. I've actually been sleeping so deeply Justin has had trouble waking me up! I think that's just because I'm so sleep deprived at this point.

My eyesight is slowly returning. In fact, I can now read with both eyes open! Today is the first day I've been able to do that since this all started, which I guess was almost a month ago! I've had to close my left eye in order to read.


I can't read for long because it gets tired easily, and it starts to hurt after a while, but I can use it! And I'm sure that's just because it's been so long since it's been used.

Overall, I'm improving I think. Sleeping better, eye improving, started my "disease modifying medication" and taking my vitamin d. I still haven't decided if I'm going to add calcium yet. It makes sense to but the doctor didn't mention it so I'm not sure.

Anyway, back to catching Olaf the Weasel!

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