Dave here, new member of this tribe. I’m a single FT parent with no financial help from the ex, little physical help, either. I’ve been on a leave of absence from work for 8 weeks and will be going back to work Monday. I took it because for several months leading up to November, fatigue, pain, memory loss, and numbness had increased to intolerable levels. When I started the leave, I figured that after 8 weeks of total rest, I would be back to normal. It hasn’t happened. My general physician sent me to a neurologist and the neurologist has sent me to UCSF MS Center. My first appointment is January 16th. I’ve had a brain MRI performed (August, 2007), a back MRI, spinal tap, and sleep study performed. I have not been diagnosed with anything yet, save a bad case of Restless Leg Syndrome.
My symptoms include:
~ Whole left side of body is tingly, sometimes numb, sometimes to the point of being painful
~ RLS
~ Sleep disorders
~ Short term memory loss
~ Insomnia
~ Decreasing tolerance of heat
~ Difficulty prioritizing important tasks
~ Geographical disorientation
~ Chronic fatigue
~ Chronic (deep/sharp) aches and pains
~ Depression
I’m not sure what I’ve got, all I know is that I’m in pain and I’m tired, and it doesn’t go away. I have some days that aren’t as bad as others, but overall, I’m scared shitless about going back to work Monday.
The hardest part is the waiting. And reading stories about wheelchairs and diapers. (I was on a nationally ranked athletic team in college.)
I have read stories about working/playing/living through the pain, but I wonder what thresholds I read of. I have extremely sharp and deep pains mostly in my shoulders, getting up out of chairs and beds can be very painful as well. My legs feel like they are on fire, and the left side of my body is tingly and getting worse. I can type and drive, but I don’t know if I can last 8 hours/day, 5 days /week.
Apologies if you see this posted more than once, but I just didn’t know which was the most appropriate tribe.
Dave