Catching Up

Well, well, how the mighty [daily] blogger has fallen behind.

I don't know what happened! Forgot. Busy. Oh, well.

Friday was a big day for neuropathic pain.

Saturday was fine in the morning. Went to shrink--good session. Then went to grocery store, which wore me out, came home and collapsed for a couple of hours. Came back to life, went to friend's house for dinner and felt half alive. Then fully alive--practically normal energy for a couple of hours.

Sunday was good for a while, but late afternoon and evening were tough--high fatigue.

Monday was a pretty good day.

Mornings have been rough in general. Probably worse with the time change.

Yesterday started off rough (morning, natch), but then I ended up having a good day.

Today was also rough then good.

I finally read that neuropsych report. I did well, although I know that I would have done better before MS. She did make the comment that environmental distractions are probably influencing my memory lapses, and that the real world is not a distraction-free, quiet environment like the testing environment. More and more, I am noticing that she is right: distractions often cause me to lose track of my thoughts or what I was planning to do. That is not all there is to it, but it is a bigger factor than I thought.

Sensory:

-Pins and needles: 0
-Tingles: 0
-Dysesthetic pain: 6, was 9 on the fronts of my thighs/hips early this morning, 3:00-6:00 am
-Paresthesias: 3, electricity in my lower limbs

-Numbness: 2
-Vision: 0, it has been fine. Just blurry when hot or tired.
-Nerve pain: 2
-Hearing: 1, noticing periodic worsening during the day, as well as the constant buzz that is mostly noticeable when it is quiet

Motor:
-Walking: 1
-Sore muscles: 8, I seem to have pulled a muscle in my left mid/low back. Maybe I slept on it wrong.

-Spasticity: 1
-Weak muscles: 5, having trouble opening doors in public buildings

-Endurance: 4

-Fine motor: 0

Cognitive:
-Processing: 0
-Memory: 1
-Attention: 1
-Confusion: 1

General:
-Fatigue: 2
-Balance: 1

-Vertigo: 0

-Sleep: 7, about 6 hours, not all together. I was awake for quiet a few hours, slept a little, up again, sleep a little more. Too warm in the room.

-Bladder: 1, just medication effects, I think
-Proprioception: 1
-Swallowing: 0
-A: 2 bc gm yesterday due to B7
-B: 0

Emotions: Fine. Maybe a bit irritable because my back has been bugging me all day.

Whatever

Struggling with weakness today!

I spoke with a friend about my neuropsych results. She was not very surprised; she said that I was so high that even with some decline I am still above average. But she acknowledged that it is too bad they do not give patient narratives much weight--forgetting conversations is not normal.

Sensory:

-Pins and needles: 1
-Tingles: 0
-Dysesthetic pain: 3
-Paresthesias: 2

-Numbness: 2
-Vision: 0
-Nerve pain: 5
-Hearing: 1

Motor:
-Walking: 4
-Sore muscles: 1

-Spasticity: 1
-Weak muscles: 5

-Endurance: 5

-Fine motor: 2

Cognitive:
-Processing: 0
-Memory: 0
-Attention: 0
-Confusion: 0

General:
-Fatigue: 5
-Balance: 0

-Vertigo: 0

-Sleep: 2

-Bladder: 1, one moment of incontinence--little trickle
-Proprioception: 1
-Swallowing: 1
-A: 0
-B: 0

Emotions: OK, just a little discouraged about getting weaker.

Neuropsych Results

I am fine! Yes, I passed the tests with flying colors--the tests I have given to people numerous times. Amazing that I could score "way above average" on a test I practically memorized years before I had MS.

So that means I am fine, hm? Forgetting conversations that happened moments before... expected for a young person, I guess. Oh, and having "what was I about to do?" moments 100 times in a day (then be normal the next day or a few weeks later). Saying the wrong words for what I mean. At least now I know that this is all normal. Just because none of it happened until the last nine months is not a big deal. I am probably just tired.

The neuropsychologist did admit that having given all of the tests in the past might have influenced my scores. You think? Besides the fact that I am brilliant, which she does not know. She thinks she has a baseline now. I have slipped from astoundingly brilliant to amazingly brilliant; this is not my baseline.

Today I had a stabbing pain in my upper right back, between my shoulder blades.

Later I had a moment of stress incontinence. That has not happened in at least a month. Darn.

Sensory:

-Pins and needles: 1
-Tingles: 1
-Dysesthetic pain: 1
-Paresthesias: 3, a few sharp pains in my left hand, as well as the odd feeling in my back, some electricity in my left leg

-Numbness: 2
-Vision: 0
-Nerve pain: 4
-Hearing: 1

Motor:
-Walking: 2 in the morning, but it became worse as the day went on, and right now I would rate it a 7
-Sore muscles: 2

-Spasticity: 1
-Weak muscles: 2 am, 6 evening

-Endurance: 6

-Fine motor: 2

Cognitive:
-Processing: 0
-Memory: 0
-Attention: 0
-Confusion: 0

General:
-Fatigue: 3 am, 7 pm
-Balance: 1

-Vertigo: 0

-Sleep: 3, 7.5 hours

-Bladder: 1
-Proprioception: 1
-Swallowing: 1
-A: 0
-B: 6

Emotions: Annoyed, frustrated, paranoid, and irritable. Not all day, but now that I am thinking about that neuropsych call, I am again.

Feeling Poorly

I had a super rough morning, "almost napped" for a while, and then felt better. Later I was dealing with pain and some weakness but generally was much better than the morning. I was able to take turns interpreting for a meeting.

I got calls from both my psychologist and neuropsychologist today. I spoke with my shrink when I got up from my almost nap. She called to say that she was thinking of me and just wanted to make sure I was ok. Thoughtful. I told her that the neuropsych visit had been on my mind, that I had had some nervousness about whether those general screenings would capture any of my issues. And how an article I read yesterday really bothered me. It was about people exactly my age, newly diagnosed, studying the amount of brain area they lost over the first five years. And they lost brain area. In the first five years! A measurable amount!

Unfortunately the neuropsych's call came in while I was at a movie with my sisters. Then I went straight to the meeting, which ended at 9:00. And I have a meeting tomorrow, 10:00-12:00. So I probably will not be able to speak with her until after noon. She did not say much, of course, since it was a voice message. She gave me her home number and said I could reach her there this weekend, and she gave me her office number for if I called during the week. Is this good or bad? Keep in mind that we have not met, so she might just have a question about something. Or maybe I failed one of the screenings and she wants more testing. Whatever the reason, I am glad that she is spending time on my case and not just doing the bare minimum and getting me off her caseload.

Sensory:

-Pins and needles: 1
-Tingles: 1
-Dysesthetic pain: 6 :(
-Paresthesias: 1, a few weird, sharp pains and needle pricks in my left hand, as well as the odd feeling in my back (after the shower, when it nearly always happens)

-Numbness: 2
-Vision: 0
-Nerve pain: 4
-Hearing: 1, had a few rather loud, temporary episodes of tinnitus in my left ear, as well as the usual, constant, low-level noise

Motor:
-Walking: 1
-Sore muscles: 0 except after interpreting 10-15 minutes, then more like 7

-Spasticity: 1
-Weak muscles: 2

-Endurance: 3

-Fine motor: 2

Cognitive:
-Processing: 1
-Memory: 1
-Attention: 0
-Confusion: 0

General:
-Fatigue: 6 am, 3 pm
-Balance: 0

-Vertigo: 1, bad when I woke up, but it went away within 15 minutes

-Sleep: 3

-Bladder: 1
-Proprioception: 1
-Swallowing: 1
-A: 0
-B: 7

Emotions: Stressed about the neuropsych visit, discouraged about the article, happy during the afternoon, and a tiny bit nervous but mostly relieved to hear from the neuropsychologist.

Neuropsychological Testing

I had neuropsychological testing. It was brief and conducted by an underling. I wonder if it got at my issues--I did not feel like it did. It felt like screening rather than testing. I should have the results in a couple of weeks.

And it has been a rather painful day. Even my shot hurt.

Sensory:

-Pins and needles: 0
-Tingles: 1
-Dysesthetic pain: 6, the usual areas, especially the front of my thighs. The skin, not deep.
-Paresthesias: 1

-Numbness: 3
-Vision: 0-1
-Nerve pain: 6 
-Hearing: 1

Motor:
-Walking: 2
-Sore muscles: 3

-Spasticity: 2
-Weak muscles: 4

-Endurance: 5

-Fine motor: 2

Cognitive:
-Processing: 2
-Memory: 0, figures--on a day when I am being evaluated
-Attention: 0
-Confusion: 0

General:
-Fatigue: 4
-Balance: 0

-Vertigo: 0

-Sleep: 2

-Bladder: 1
-Proprioception: 1
-Swallowing: 1
-A: 0
-B: 0

Emotions: Nervous about the neuropsych visit, until I realized that some flunky was giving the tests. Then I was fine. I did get a little anxious later, worried that my issues would not be noted. I sometimes struggle with dysfluency from word-finding issues, and I regularly get frustrated with my memory.