Summer is on the horizon...

Its been awhile since my last post - but its been a crazy, busy month. Does that exempt me?

This week I saw Dr. Zabad, a doctor with the MS Clinic at the Foothills Hospital. She was very good - thorough and honest. Unfortunately, her honesty included 'I may not be able to find out what's going on. But it doesn't make it less real.' I appreciated that validation.

Regardless of what we name this, I am unable to walk for at least a few days each month.

She spent an hour and a half with me - extensive history and questions and more questions. A neurological exam, an eye exam and then decisions. In the end, this is the plan:

1. repeat the VEPS - she said they were within normal limits but one eye was much slower than the other; after examining my eyes she felt that I indeed did have an episode of optic neuritis. That will increase my odds of developing MS in the next 10 years to 60%. But does it mean *this* is MS? no.

2. Refer me to an opthamologist. She wants my GP here to do that so that I may get in quicker and it can be closer to where I live. I'm grateful for that because the trips to Calgary are becoming pretty tedious.

3. Thoracic spine MRI. My brain MRIs both showed two lesions and remained unchanged. This makes her feel that the likelihood of this being MS is low. She would like a T-spine MRI in case there is a lesion there that would explain my difficulty walking. It would be so nice to have something make sense - but I won't hold my breath or get my hopes up that this test will provide an explanation.

4. EMGs...which I am not looking forward to as I've heard they are just a modern torture method. It involves needles in your muscles and then a voltage applied. Hmm - sounds like something Kirk tried on me recently. A normal EMG will help rule out something horrible...like ALS.

5. Repeat brain MRI in about six months.
6. Call her immediately if I have an episode of the ataxia. She wants to see it for herself. I have her nurse's direct number and was instructed to call as soon as it was occurring and they would try and accomodate me by having me be seen promptly. At the very least, Kirk is supposed to videotape me walking funny.

7. She is researching a genetic condition called Episodic Ataxia. None of these are great (there are many 'versions' of it) and I truly hope that isn't where the testing leads me. She is not an expert on this so she said she will research it and find out who I would need to see regarding that diagnosis.

8. She was also very interested in my history of high blood pressure and the family history of heart problems. She would like to see my chart from when I saw Dr. Culleton (the hypertension expert who was baffled by me, sure he'd find an answer and then didn't so he very quickly told me he wouldn't want to be my age and on bp meds - and then said good luck and good bye) and I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted to repeat some of the vascular tests though I think that might be a waste of time and money. I appreciate her interest in it though b/c I too find it baffling. It is incredibly strange and doesn't make sense. Something must be happening in me to cause it - but science isn't able to figure it out.

9. Possibility of a Lumbar Puncture in the future - but she has not ordered that. I must say I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard that I had avoided it once again. I laboured without medication or epidural through the two pregnancies where it was available to me not because of my desire for a natural childbirth or my worry of its affect on the baby - but mainly to avoid the needle in my back! Suffice it to say - this needle phobic (yes...I do take blood for a living) would rather not go there.

10. A followup with her when everything is finished. I suspect that will be in the fall as the MRI will be done in about a month to six weeks and the VEPs and EMG will probably take another three months to get an appt for them. The opthamologist - well, I hope I see him before Christmas. I took Mom up there a few months ago to have her cataracts examined and they were booking into October at that point...that was March I think!

So that is where it stands now. More tests, more waiting and I just had an episode of ataxia last week - so give it another month or so and I'll probably be heading up there with my schlump intact. I truly hope she's available to see me b/c sometimes it feels like they just can't believe it - but its real and I just can't describe it.

Well - tomorrow we are having a garage sale and I still have a lot of work in that department to do. I don't know if I have everything I want to clear out of here but I don't have much time left to fiddle around anyway. I think a quick nap is in order and then back into action.

Today we went into the classrooms for a Volunteer Appreciation day. We spent fifteen minutes with the classes and it was time well spent. I can't believe another year is finishing. It slips by so insidiously - and I always get teary at the end of the year. Each of the kids' teachers are moving on to different cities, so we will miss them.

But besides the ending of the school year - I am really excited about summer. I enjoy the lazy days, the relaxed attitude we all have, the fun we manage to find. This summer we are doing an Alberta vacation - celebrating its 100th birthday by visiting interesting places in Alberta that we have never been to. The plan is for everyone to pick one place, research it and then we'll go there. Either day trips or perhaps a few overnighters but we are going to have fun!