Good News & Not So Good News

As part of the MS study I am in, I have to go in every three months for a variety of tests. They test hand-eye coordination, memory, gross motor skills, draw blood, do an EKG, and I have an MRI every six months. It's all very exciting, especially the memory test.

I listen to a CD of a man reading numbers. They come every five seconds in the most bland, monotone voice I have ever heard. It would be a great sleep aid; sometimes I find myself drifting toward unconciousness during the test. Anyway, I have to add together the last two numbers, the voice said. So, when he says, "Eight," and then five seconds later says, "Four," I say "Twelve." The tricky part is that I have to forget the sum I just gave, e.g. 12, because when he says the next number, say "six," I have to add it to the last number he said. So, I would add 6 and 4 to say, "Ten." I remember numbers very easily, so it's typically not a problem. As long as I am in the moment that is. There have been a few times when I find my mind drifting away listening to the monotone voice and I realize I didn't hear what the voice just said. It's almost more of an exercise in mental stamina than memory.

Anyway, my neurologist just called me. He said he had two things to tell me, one not so good and one great. First, my white blood cell count is low. He said it is not uncommon for people taking interferon medications as I am, but that it does need to be monitored. I am not too low, but he wants to keep an eye on it and if it gets lower and stays there, I may have to change medications.

The second piece of news is that my MRI shows marked improvement from the last scan. He told me that he was very pleased and surprised to see such a change. I'm not cured, of course. There is no cure for MS, but it is very exciting news, nonetheless. The drugs I'm on are clearly slowing the progress of the disease and that's great. I hope other people in this study are having similar progress with their condition.