I will begin with a review, mainly for my own benefits since my memory is degraded so drastically since this has begun.
My ordeal with this disease probably began in 2006. I was experiencing severely crippling back pain. After I had moaned and whined about it for a while, my darling wife, with the most sincerest love and affection, looked at me and said, "We have insurance. Go see a doctor about it, or quit bitching."
I began seeing a neurologist. After a few MRIs, an EEG, and some other tests, my neurologist decided that my problem was from a pinched nerve in my lower thoracic spine. I was constantly told that pain is actually much better than numbness.
I spoke with a former colleague at the time about a good spinal surgeon that she could recommend. I received the name of a very prominent surgeon in my area of Georgia and asked my neurologist to refer me to this surgeon.
On the day of my pre-op appointment, I drove to the surgeon's office and something bizarre happened on my drive. My legs started going numb from the waist down. I could drive but I had to watch that my feet the correct pedal. I did not think anything of it at that time. Just that perhaps I was sitting oddly in the car.
Upon reaching the surgeon's office, I was told that the surgeon was not in today for an emergency surgery, but the pre-op could be set up in the surgery scheduled without her being there in person if that was all right with me. I wanted the pain to stop, so I readily agreed.
As the nurse was going over my history, routinely she asked if I had any new symptoms. I mentioned that this morning my leg started feeling numb. She asked me if she could perform one more test. I agreed.
She told me to lift up my shirt and then close my eyes. Then she poked my stomach with a needle and a tongue depressor. Each time she asked me if I had felt anything. My answer each time was I feel you touching me. Then she had me lower my shirt and open my eyes. At that point she ended the appointment, saying that the surgeon would be in contact with me in the near future.
After a few days, I received a call from the surgeon herself. I can still remember it:
"We don't think you have a pinched nerve. We think you might have MS."
Somewhat shaken, I went to someone that I know who was diagnosed with MS and asked what I should do. She very sincerely and emphatically told me to ask my neurologist to refer me to a specific doctor at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta.
I returned to my neurologist, who was visibly shaken by the surgeons discovery. He was very quick to write me a recommendation to my current MS doctor, Hope only works with MS patients.
From there, his office had to make sure that I actually did have MS, nothing else. After an extensive MRI of my entire nervous system using a much more powerful device that the Shepherd Center uses, and an interview with my current doctor, a clear MS diagnosis was made in 2008. A lot has changed since then.
