It is confirmed...

... I went to the neuro-ophthalmologist (Dr. Edward Cohn) this morning and he confirmed that I do have mild case of optic neuritis in my right eye related to MS. I already knew about the neuritis but it looks like there is some new inflammation. I am not on any medication (intravenous steroids or oral steroids) for it because there is not any scientific evidence that the benefits would outweigh the risks in such a mild exacerbation. Mild or not it is just annoying and making feel a little nauseous.

Dr. Cohn gave us his home phone number and email address and told us to call if things get any worse -- he also said to contact him regardless to let him know how things are going. :) He was really smart, very thorough and just a real nice man - I was glad we went to see him.

My first exacerbation ? (incluing some FAQs on MS)

I believe I just may have been having an exacerbation (temporary symptom flare-ups also referred to as relapses or attacks) for the past few days related to my multiple sclerosis. This could be my first one since my diagnosis 5/'07 so I am not a pro. I am not sure how to exactly describe my symptom but my eyes have been acting a little off, perhaps related to my optic neuritis? Fortunately vision changes are temporary. Due to my vision abnormality I did not volunteer today as I don't feel that it would be wise for me to drive.

Not to change the subject but I thought this would be a good time to provide some more information to everyone about multiple sclerosis (MS). I have been asked a few questions pertaining to MS and pregnancy, the cause(s) of MS, if it is genetic, etc. The following link to some FAQs about MS that addressed the above mentioned questions as well as some additional topics:

http://www.msassociation.org/faq/#question-7

I think this set of FAQs does a pretty good job with answering the questions with easy to understand answers. :)

Not much going on

It has been a while since I posted anything, which is a good thing - right?. There hasn't been anything to post on regarding my medical condition; however, there are some miscellaneous things I can tell you about...

Next Thursday, 10/26/07, Casey and I are going to another MS seminar on "Optic Neuritis & MS". If I remember correctly, my neurologist said I had optic neuritis in my right eye. I say 'another' seminar because on 9/25/07 we went to our first MS seminar which was on "Balance Issues". I do not I have any balance issues, but we thought it would be good to get involved with a local MS group. It was interesting. We couldn't help to notice I was the youngest person attending the seminar with MS. Regardless, it was the first time I was able to see others who had some form of MS (I don't know who had what form), both women and men. Of course, there were more women and men in attendance, which is to be expected since the disease is more common in women.

Anyway, I hope the 10/25 seminar is more interesting than the last one. Dr. Luis Mejico, a neuro-opthalmologists from SUNY Upstate Medical Center (yup, where Casey is going to Med School), is the presenter. Casey said he is gave a lecture a few days ago at Upstate and he found him to be an entertaining speaker as well as a pretty down-to-earth nice guy.

What is optic neuritis?

Optic neuritis is the inflammation of the optic nerve, the nerve located in the back of the eye that transmits light and visual images to the brain and is responsible for vision. According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 55% of people with MS will have an episode of optic neuritis. Frequently, it's the first symptom of the disease. Although having optic neuritis is very suggestive of MS, it does not mean that a person has or will get MS.

The symptoms of optic neuritis are the acute onset of any of the following:

• Pain in the eye
• Blurred vision
• Graying of vision
• Blindness in one eye

It's rare that both eyes are affected simultaneously. Loss of vision tends to worsen over the course of a few days before getting better. This usually takes about 4-12 weeks. Treatment may include intravenous and/or oral steroids to control the inflammation.

Source: WebMd.com

• http://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/guide/multiple-sclerosis-faq?page=2

FYI: For additional reading on optic neuritis, click the following link to WebMD's website for a short 'blip' on "Multiple Sclerosis and Vision Problems": http://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/guide/multiple-sclerosis-vision-problems