Sally Floyd's January 2007 Medical Report - Summary

• Because of some weakness in my right leg and arm, and loss of balance, I spent January 1-3 at Kaiser, with CAT scans and MRIs and the like. The tests showed a small inflammation in my left brain that was causing the weakness. I took steroids to take care of the inflammation and the resulting weakness. The inflammation has been diagnosed as MS. By January 17, I was essentially back to normal. I was in pretty good spirits for this entire experience - there was no pain involved, and it is all pretty interesting. (And it doesn't seem likely to turn into anything truly alarming.)
• The tests also showed two spots of plaque in the right brain, presumably from MS some years ago.

Images

• Images from an MRI on January 2, 2007. Click on an image to see more detail. The white spots in this one show scars from MS.
• Back-to-front images.

History

• December 25, 2006: A Christmas day walk.
  Halfway through an hour's walk on Christmas day with Carole, I developed a slight limp in my right leg, and a sense of loss of balance. We finished the walk. slowly but reasonably comfortably, and I thought it was a muscle problem. However, it did not get better. By the end of the week, my right arm was also somewhat weak, with some clumsiness at the keyboard.
• December 31, 2006: Kaiser office visit.
  I called Kaiser on Saturday, December 30, 2006, and saw Dr. Lazu on Sunday, December 31. Dr. Lazu thought that my weakness was due to localized muscle problems, rather than neurological problems, though he make a neurological appointment for me for January 5.
• January 1, 2007: Admitted to Kaiser.
  My right-side weakness was worse, so I called Kaiser to make an appointment for the next day. Unsent email to my doctor before calling Kaiser. The advice nurse recommended that I go in to the emergency room. Carole took me there at 8PM. I was admitted by Dr. Nelson, and stayed at Kaiser for two days. I was given a CT scan, an MRI, a spinal tap, and blood tests. The diagnosis was an inflammation in my left brain, possibly MS. The treatment was a course of steriods to reduce the inflammation. (prednisolone and then prednisone, in tapering doses over 23 days.)
• January 3, 2007: Home from Kaiser.
• January 16, 2007: Recovery.
  I am taking prednisone until January 24 to reduce the inflammation, and I am essentially back to my old functionality. My right arm and hand and my sense of balance are largely back to normal. I was not sleeping as well as I usually do, which is to be expected from the prednisone. I finish with the prednosone on January 24, so I expect that to be back to normal soon also. (Maybe then I will stop waking up in the middle of the night and cleaning out my closets...) [Update from later: soon after this the prednosone stopped, and yes, I also stopped getting up in the middle of night and cleaning my closets...]
• January 17, 2007: Appointment with my neurologist, Dr. Kwan.
  The "overwhelming likelihood" is that this is MS. I have remitting relapsing MS. One of the tests from the spinal tap, of CSF Oligoclonal Banding, was confirmatory evidence of MS. There is medical treatment for MS (injections) that reduces the number of attacks to 30%, and reduces the amount of plaque in the brain. At the moment, however, I am not taking any medication.
• September 2008: So far, I have not had another attack, and MRIs do not show any new lesions in my brian. I am a little slower in walking than I used to be, but I am able to talk for a few miles (with rests after a mile or so). The MS is also "almost surely" responsible for the the fatigue that I have had on and off for twenty years or so. The fatigue does seem to be getting more common in the last year - often leading to afternoon naps. However, all in all, my health is not bad, and I am enjoying life. This is good.

Information:

• Multiple Sclerosis Articles.