Tuesday, June 07, 2005
The neurologist's verdict....
Ended up being a really long appointment because I was snuck in at the last minute and hadn't gotten a chance to fill out the normal pre-appointment paperwork about my medical history. I did bring a summary of my neurological problems and a list of all meds and supplements, which did help. It still took about an hour to go through everything, but I didn't see that as a bad thing because it meant he was being thorough.
The neurologist is not 100 percent sure I have periodic limb movement disorder because it began as a side effect of a medication and doesn't respond to the usual remedies. He said that a med like Klonopin probably wouldn't produce the desired reults either. He was amazed how many meds I've tried and have had reactions to, especially all the psychiatric meds that made me so sick.
After he got my history, decided to do a routine neuro exam since I have known neuropathy and motor skill trouble. He seemed suprised by my unsteadiness, odd coordination, weakness in some areas and stiffness in others....it doesn't really follow a recognizable pattern common to any one illness. He did the dreaded poking with the safety pin....found out I have altered sensation in one of my calves.
He decided I may benefit more from trying to prevent the daytime fatigue than from trying to stop the twitches. So I'm going to try Provigil for a month. And I'll switch from Ambien to Lunesta to see if I can sleep a lttle more deeply.
My targeted return to work date is July 5, so I'm hoping I'll know by then if these meds will help me enough for me to go back to my job. I was warned not to expect miracles because fibro and Sjogren's are pretty formidable foes, but I'll give it one last go. I am, however, prepared to file with Social Security if for some reason I can't tolerate the Provigil or if it doesn't help enough with the fatigue.
I figure at best, I'll be able to gain a few more years of employment. At worst, at least I can say I gave it my best shot.
The neurologist is not 100 percent sure I have periodic limb movement disorder because it began as a side effect of a medication and doesn't respond to the usual remedies. He said that a med like Klonopin probably wouldn't produce the desired reults either. He was amazed how many meds I've tried and have had reactions to, especially all the psychiatric meds that made me so sick.
After he got my history, decided to do a routine neuro exam since I have known neuropathy and motor skill trouble. He seemed suprised by my unsteadiness, odd coordination, weakness in some areas and stiffness in others....it doesn't really follow a recognizable pattern common to any one illness. He did the dreaded poking with the safety pin....found out I have altered sensation in one of my calves.
He decided I may benefit more from trying to prevent the daytime fatigue than from trying to stop the twitches. So I'm going to try Provigil for a month. And I'll switch from Ambien to Lunesta to see if I can sleep a lttle more deeply.
My targeted return to work date is July 5, so I'm hoping I'll know by then if these meds will help me enough for me to go back to my job. I was warned not to expect miracles because fibro and Sjogren's are pretty formidable foes, but I'll give it one last go. I am, however, prepared to file with Social Security if for some reason I can't tolerate the Provigil or if it doesn't help enough with the fatigue.
I figure at best, I'll be able to gain a few more years of employment. At worst, at least I can say I gave it my best shot.
Comments:
Post a Comment
