Audrey Update Part II
Audrey has been undergoing more tests throughout the week. The doctors still don't know very much, but it seem to be more of a process of elimination than anything else. And they are certainly doing that.
This is the latest update from Audrey, as of about 7PM this evening:
The spinal tap has exhausted me and I feel nauseated but very little headache. It was scary but not as bad as it could have been.
The initial test results ruled out infection and viruses but not any of the other diseases or illnesses. That will take several days to culture.
Regardless of those results, I start IV steroid therapy tomorrow. I will have high doses for 5 days in a row. That should reduce the inflammation in my spine. Hopefully that will bring back feeling to my extremities.
So, we know a little more than yesterday and hopefully as the weekend goes on, the steroids will do their job and Audrey will start feeling a little better. Even if there is no diagnosis, I'm sure just feeling more in control of her limbs would be a very welcome thing.
Please continue to keep Audrey in your thoughts and prayers. I know she appreciates your concern for her while she is incapacitated.
~~Joan
An Audrey Update
For all of you who have emailed, called, or wondered about Audrey's absence here, I'm going to try and fill in a few of the blanks for you.
Audrey has been experiencing numbness from the waist down for the last two weeks. It began as just an irritation, but over the weekend it progressed into something more serious when the numbness proceeded up her torso and arms as well.
The past two days, Audrey has been subjected to numerous and varied tests by her neurologist, including a spinal tap, to MRI's, to electro-shock. As I write this, she is undergoing a brain scan. And as such, she has been worn out to the point of exhaustion. However, she asked me to post and let everyone know what is going on as she is having difficulty returning calls and emails at this time.
So, I am just going to copy and paste part of the email she managed to type out for her coworkers:
"I have extreme numbness and decreased sensation in my entire bodyfrom my rib cage down and including my hands and arms up to theshoulders. Because of the numbness in my hands, my fine motor skillsand grip strength are severely lacking. Everything takes a lot ofconcentration to force my muscles to work properly. Yesterday, theneurologist ran a battery of tests including lab work, electro-shockand an MRI.
The MRI found that there is a solitary 6-7mm lesion in the whitematter of my spinal cord between the C4 and C5 vertebrae. It's not alarge lesion, but apparently they believe it to be rather deep. I havea brain scan scheduled for 1:45 today to find the extent of thelesion and hopefully to determine that it is benign. We don't know anydetails about the lesion itself, as of yet."
I've been in constant contact with Audrey during this process (and for those of you who know the both of us, you're probably laughing right now as the constant contact thing is a bit of an understatement), and she is doing well. Her spirits are high and she is remaining optimistic that the tests today will reveal the cause of the lesion and that it will prove to be something that is easily cured.
I'll keep all of you posted as to her condition as I receive more information from Audrey. Please understand that because of the difficulty she's having with her fine motor skills, it might be a few days or so before you hear from her personally. Until then, feel free to contact me by email or through my blog if there is anything with which I can be of assistance.
Audrey wanted to thank all of you for keeping her in your thoughts and prayers and ask that you continue to do so.
Joan (Also Known As...MOH)
