i had a lumbar puncture yesterday to test for ms after lesions were found in my brain after i developed problems walking. incredibly tortuous, the tech hit nerves several times. my blood sugar dropped and i nearly lost control of my bowels and puked. they was one time when i was screaming from the pain, it was so bad. god i hope i never have another one…
What a surprise to see this thread at the top again! But since it’s here, I’ll update - it took a couple months to recover from the first flare, including a couple of days of IV steroids, but I haven’t had another one since. My neurologist has cleared me to have MRIs every other year, instead of every year. I still don’t have an official MS diagnosis - I’m categorized as “clinically isolated syndrome” or something like that.
I had a baby in 2008, which involved a couple months of bed rest in the hospital, but I didn’t have any flares before, during, or after.
ooh sorry didnt realize it was 4 years old when i posted lol 
anyway, i am in the midst of my first flare up now, trying to nail down the final diagnosis in order to start treatment. if its not MS, what could it be to cause lesions in my corpus callosum?
this started about august 2, i woke up and my right quadriceps (thigh muscle) was numb, like asleep. i started to have a hard time walking, getting worse every day. now, i can not walk more than a couple steps without a walker or something to help keep my balance, and my entire right side from right below my nipple down is numb, tingling, and very sensitive all at the same time. i had a brain mri to rule out stroke, and got the surprise of my life when the radiologist said its mild to moderate ms. i figured i had a slipped disc since i had fallen and sprained my ankle and broke my right arm at the end of june (causing damage to the ulnar nerve). well anyway like i said, i’m still not even being treated for this yet, aside from painkillers and neurotonin. i can no longer drive and am having incontinence problems due to not being able to either get up or just make it to the restroom quick enough. i am getting by with help from my sister though…
Unfortunately, as far as I know, the only treatment for a flare is a few days of IV steroids - and they don’t always work. But you will probably be put on one of the drugs that slows progression. I am on Copaxone, which has the advantage of being the only one that does not cause flu-like symptoms, but the disadvantage of being a daily injection, instead of 1-3 times/week. I’ve gotten so I don’t really mind the injection part - I was already doing a ton of self-injections when I started, so it’s not a big deal. (I had infertility, so all the injectables associated with an IVF cycle, then daily heparin for MTHFR while I was pregnant, and later also daily insulin for gestational diabetes. I started the Copaxone soon after my son was born, so it was just one more injection, and now the only one I need to do. And it was nice not to be dealing with the flu symptoms while caring for a newborn.)
Do follow the links that AHunter provided above, because you will find useful information there. Good luck!
thanks for the reply. my big problem is that i live alone and can’t do things for myslef anymore, even so far as getting to appointments. i am anxious to find out if this is really ms, whatever it is i am getting down about this because i’m getting worse every day…
You might want to check and see if there are any services that can help someone who is temporarily disabled in your area. You may qualify for transportation to and from your doctors, for instance. Or if you can afford it, look into getting a home health care aide occasionally. You may not need it for long, but it could be a big help to have someone to help you with bathing, get food ready so you can prepare and eat it easily, etc. You might want to consider getting a bedside commode, too - a little icky, but better than changing the sheets every day.
Do you have a neurologist appointment? When? Do you have a plan yet for how to get there?
my story is complicated. i have been unemployed since 2009, so i have no incom,e other than unemployment, and no insurance curentkly (applied for achss 3x now).
i also moved in wuith my parents late last year after my dad was diagnosed wih an aortic aneurysm. he was the caregiver for mny mom, who is an invalid, but he was no longer able to lift her or do strenuous work due to the aneurysm, so the family decision was that i move in to help out.
this was going on nicely until i took a fall in late june, spraining my ankle and causing nerve damage to my right arm.
i was going to physical therapy for the arm and ankle for a couple weeks, then one day i woke up and my right thigh muscle was numb, like asleep. it has been that way since, and every day it got harder to walk. i spent many hours on the floor, a couple times in the bathroom with assorted mess, after bending down to grab something and not being able to get back up.
i cant drive anymore as i can barely lift my right leg at all, and my entire right side is numb and tingling from about my nipple region down.
i have a couple family members that are helping me get from apt to appt, but i can no longer get to phys therapy. i have inquired about dial a ride and a program called cash for cabs, but i need an certification from the ada in order to qualify.
i have a neuro appt tomorrow for an emg of my lower body, which i’m not looking forward to, and dont event hink is relevant because its pretty obvious i have the problem. i had an emg on my upper extremities and it was very painful in my right affected arm. hopefully i will get my results back regarding the lumbar puncture then. i’m trying to get a ride from my brother…
sorry for bad typing my right hand is numb!
augh the drs office says the lumbar puncture results could take 4 weeks???
Urg. Sorry, can’t help you there - I’ve never had one.
well i had my emg today. the neuro doc said i have some diabetic neuropathy, also said my mri showed lesions on my cervical spinal cord consistent with ms. my right leg is a little more mobile, i can lift it about 6 inches when i’m rested, as opposed to about 2 inches last week. my left leg is now tingling and numb, still having problems with urinary incontinence, just when i feel i have to go i cant barely wait to get to toilet.
well my lumbar puncture test results = nail in coffin. i have MS. now the hard part is trying to get an appt with barrow neurological’ ms clinic for treatment. taking forever, i have to call all my dr’s every day to try to get them to fax over my records.
health wise, hasn’t changed much. if i’m very well rested, i can lift my right leg about 6 inches, but if i walk 20 feet, it tires me out too much to lift it more than an inch or 2. the numbness and tingling in my entire right side has changed to extreme sensitivity, so any sort of touch is painful. im having terrible headaches, am taking oxycodone and gabapentin, which cause me to sleep practically all day. my right hip is having lots of pain too, must be from how im walking…
I’m sorry that you’re still having symptoms, but glad that you at least have a clear diagnosis. Good luck with getting into the neuro clinic!
thanks, hopefully the diagnosis will help me get treated soon 
ive just been told that it may be another month before i get an appt. i asked if i couldnt start the meds before being seen but they said no. i fear i may never walk normally again!