Guest guest Posted February 9, 2004 Report Share Posted February 9, 2004 Hello, I wanted to give everyone here an update as to my progress with MS. I was officially diagnosed with RRMS in 8/03 after having had off and on symptoms for quite some time (10 years or so), and started on LDN in early October '03 after learning about it initially from remedyfind.com. I have been taking LDN @ 4.5 mg every day since then. From a symptoms point of view I have seen some improvements since starting LDN. Specifically, the numbness I've been having in my hands is much better, the Lhermitte's is far reduced, from " struck by lightening " down to " vibration " . And, I no longer get the Lhermitte's at all in my legs and feet. Now, its only in my hands. In the past I have had optic neuritis twice, both times in my left eye, and presently my vision seems to be as good as I can ever recall. Fortunately I have never had any muscle weakness or co-ordination problems, bladder issues, etc. So, my MS may well be fairly mild compared to what some of you suffer with. Before I go any further, its important to note that LDN is only part of my overall regimen for my MS. I am also taking LOTS of vitamins including fish and borage oils, B12 (sublingual methylcobalimin), alpha-lipoic acid, CO-Q-10, lecithin, and some general multi-vitamins. And, I take lexapro 10mg, partly to help with my mood facing MS and also because I read one article that SSRIs may help with MS. In addition to all of this, I follow the Swank diet as closely as I can. And, I'm doing accupuncture and seeing a chiropractor who has experience in treating inflammation associated with MS. I am NOT doing any of the ABCR drugs. I have talked about this with my neurologist as well as a DO here in town. They are both supportive of my decision to not " go there " just yet. But, the agreement I have in place with my neurologist is that if I cannot control my MS with my present regimen we will have to re-evaluate. His attitude towards LDN (and all the other things I'm doing) was positive; he said that as long as these things " do no harm " and don't intefere with any other treatments its OK with him if I wanted to try it. The caveat is: he wants me to do " frequent " MRIs to monitor progress. Now, on to results: The really good news is that I went for a brain MRI last Thursday and got the results Friday. This MRI was being compared against a prior one which was done in 10/03 (the same week I started LDN). That previous MRI was being compared with one done in 2/03. I have not seen my neuro yet to discuss the results, but here is the relevant info from the MRI report the hospital gave me. Note the last 2 sentences, which deserve the key emphasis, since I think they are highly relevant to my progress: MRI of Feb 5, 2004: " The study is compared to 09 October 2003. Cerebral spinal fluid spaces remain normal. Multiple small foci of abnormal signal are again identified within the white matter of both cerebral hemispheres. Many of these are periventricular in location, and the pattern is compatible with demyelinating disease. There has been no significant interval change in the number, sizes, or locations of the white matter lesions. The post-gadolinium images reveal no abnormal enhancement of the white matter lesions or other portions of the brain. " Now, for comparison here is the MRI report from 10/09/03: MRI of October 9, 2003: " The study is compared to the previous brain MRI from <NAME OF LAB> dated February 17, 2003. There has been mild interval increase in the number and visibility of the lesions within the periventricular white matter. These lesions remain compatible with demyelinating disease. The largest lesion, located in the right centrum semiovale, measures approximately 6-7mm in diameter. It has increased in size compared to the previous exam, and now demonstrates mild enhancement with gadolinium, suggesting that it is active. No cerebellar or brainstem lesions are identified. " So, that's the news. Sorry for the long post. One thing I would like to ask is - have the folks who run this site (or the low dose naltrexone site) ever considered setting up a separate section just for people like me to post MRI results such as the above??? I think that this would provide more compelling anecdotal evidence necessary to have LDN looked at more closely by the medical community. Granted, I am doing so many things to try and help my MS that I can't say for sure it was the LDN that is helping. But I can say the following: I feel a lot better (for example, the Lhermitte's is the best its been in years) and the MRI is showing that there was no progression in the last few months, nor do I have any active lesions. I understand the scepticism about LDN. MS is a weird disease. For all I know I could have gotten these results doing nothing at all; that's just the nature of the monster we're all fighting. But, I don't think so. I really believe LDN, along with everything else I'm doing, is helping. Thanks for listening! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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