Demyelination? & Lupus HELP!

bluedove1982 · Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 6:04 pm Post subject: Demyelination? & Lupus HELP!

Well, I recently had an MRI and the results prompted my primary to send me to a specialist in Boston. I had to pick up a copy of my MRI to bring with me and it states things like "White spots" and "Demyelination"?? I'm having so many issues that I don't know whats going on. My legs are not listening to me sometimes, I feel popping in my head with pressure, I get dizzy, numb fingertips, loss of time and some memory issues. I find myself sitting on the floor? It's happening more...I have no pain, but I feel like I"m going crazy.
Any help would be appreciated!!

MARYCAIN · King of the Jungle Joined: 03 Aug 2006 Posts: 1576

I'm a little worried about mentioning this - please remember we are NOT doctors and there may be many causes for a particular finding on an MRI. But demyelination means the loss of myelin, the substance that insulates the sheaths of the nerves in the body. It is not a typical finding with lupus, although it can occur in patients with CNS lupus. It is more commonly associated with neurological diseases, including multiple sclerosis, transverse myelitis, or inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. I am not saying that you have any of those conditions, just that they are sometimes associated with demyelination.

Loss of the myelin sheath of the nerves disrupts the signals that the nerves carry between the brain and the body. So it can cause a variety of symptoms - including blurred or double vision, pain with eye movement, odd sensations in the body, numbness, tingling or weakness in the arms or legs, speech impairment, memory loss, heat sensitivity (getting hot makes you feel worse), fatigue, and loss of coordination. So if you are having any of these symptoms, you are not crazy - there is a real medical cause. The important thing is to find out what is causing the demyelination so that the doctors can start you out on treatment as soon as possible. Please try not to worry too much until you get some definite answers - but you definitely are not crazy!

Missy · Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 4:38 pm Post subject:

I hope your appointment in Boston goes well and brings you some answers.

Take Care,
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Missy