? Neurological condition and pregnancy

[EmnM]

I was wondering if anyone had/has a neurological condition and has been through pregnancy/birth?

I was to book in for a MRI the day I found out I was pregnant (after 2yrs of trying this was awesome news but interesting timing!)

Prior to pregnancy I had funny symptoms like the left side of my body was numb/tingling and some episodes of muscle weakness. After two weeks of this the symptoms had started to resolve then when implantation occured they got worse - blurred vision/dizzyness, worse sensory and muscle weakness.

By 10wks into the pregnancy the symptoms started settling. I have some residual sensory issues on my left side, and the muscle weakness comes and goes. My vision feels almost back to normal. ATM I just take things day by day and try not to get too frustrated at the lack of exercise I am doing (I was a gym junkie!!!) and just trying to stretch regularly, eat healthily and keep up with day to day activities.

I'm not starting this thread to contemplate what I may or may not have - the Dr's will work that out after I have the baby and my GP is very reassuring.

I am wondering if I was to 'hypothetically' have a neurological condition, how that may affect the birthing process and how I may feel afterwards.

I will d/c with my obstetrician this week and see what he says as well. any comments would be helpful,

Thanks,

Mich

[HotI]

Hi Michelle

This is a hard question to answer in relation to neurological conditions when a specific cause of the condition is known, and even more so when the condition doesn't have a name yet.

For example, some women with young onset parkinson's disease (this is just an example i know about) feel better during their pregnancy (almost like a remission) whilst others have greater symptoms and fatigue. Following the birth, same thing, some women feel healthier whilst others take longer to adjust.

I know this probably isn't very helpful, but what you have to do is listen to your body. Get as much rest as you need. Work on your muscle strength when you can. Think about what your body has to do during the birth. Prepare for that a bit earlier than usual, so that you and your body are ready for the birth. Also prepare for after the birth, cooking meals and freezing them etc, so that if you need time to allow your body to recover you don't have to worry about extra things.

take care,

kate

[EmnM]

Thanks Kate,

Any advice is appreciated.

Mich

[HotI]

Hi Michelle

I found this article on MS and pregnancy. Some of the questions & answers may apply.

https://www.bellybelly.com.au/concep...iple-sclerosis

cheers,

kate

[ezymay]

Hi Michelle,
Your post could totally be mine except I have it on the right hand side and it hasn't resloved yet has been about a week. I had an mri today and they found areas of inflammation and demyelination in my brain and they are going to do more tests in a months time to look for progression and MS. The doc says MS has to be diagnosed after two episodes in separte parts of the body. I am feeling fuzzy in the head and am concerned I might actually be pregnant. I'm a few days late and when they asked the question might you be pregnant, I said no but actually thinking about it now I'm not sure. If I am I hope I haven't done damage but I figure for me it's important to get my brain sorted first. I lost my brother to an annueruism when he was 26 so brain things scare me, I'm sure its a worry for you too.
Good Luck!

[emmysmum]

Hi there MichelleW.
I am in my 2nd pregnancy (unplanned) and I have epilepsy.
I had a terrible first pregnancy as i was unable to be on medication and so all throughout the pregnancy I had seizures which was really scary - but luckily i don't get convulsion seizures.
Labor for me was extremely bad also, as i was in and out of consciousness with seizures and so forth.
I am medicated now for this pregnancy and so far all is going well.
Don't let this scare you though....
All the best with your MRI and pregnancy.

[EmnM]

Gosh Eej, I bet your scared (re your mood). I'm not sure if it's MS (for me) - all my symptoms also happen to fit with hypothyroidism which runs in our family - I am obviously hoping for the latter but what will be will be (would suck if it was both!). Are you pregnant? You havea bfp under your ticker? If so congratulations!

Emmysmum - thanks for popping in and telling me about your labour - sounds much better that you are medicated this time around.

Kate - I talked to my ob yesterday re MS - he said he would still treat my pregancy as 'normal' but has urged me to go see an neurologist and d/c possiblity of differential diagnosis of hypothyroidism because my muscle weakness doesn't classically fit with MS because it is generalised. He said a MRI would be fine, about week 28 if I wanted to. I will get a 2nd opinion because the neurosurgeon I saw didn't want me to have one.

Gosh, I would love to be just pregnant. It took a long time to conceive this baby and I wish I didn't have this black cloud hanging over me.

Mich

[ezymay]

Hi Michelle,
It seems I am pg. I have done 3 hpts over the last 2 days with 2 diff brand and they have all been positive. I'm only about 4 weeks, I'm terrified, because I have had a ct scan and an mri and have heard you aren't meant to whilst pg. We weren't really expecting this. It wasn't planned this way especially with all this brain stuff going on. I had wanted a bit of time to get my body ready and my dh has only been off his chemo 3 months so I'm not sure if he was ok. IYKWIM
I haven't seen my gp or the nuerolgist to tell them yet. My gp is on hols for 2 weeks!
I really hope that things go well for you. How far along are you?

[rufalina]

Mich - When I first read your symptoms I thought of Multiple Sclerosis (being a sufferer myself) but didn't want to jump to any conclusions for you. I have had the numbness and vision problems.... but there are plenty of other things that these could have been from, but with me it was definitely MS. I have been through a lot of info with my Neuro on pregnancy... so please PM me if you want to talk through anything..... Thinking of you hun and hope you can come up with an answer.

EEJ - I was diagnosed after two episodes. It is a hard thing to deal with. I have had a flair up during my pregnancy. Please let me know if you want to talk. My msn addy is in my profile.

I believe MRI is safe in pregnancy, the only risk being a raised body temp during the procedure, but EEJ, you are so early I doubt it would have effected you. But If you are pg... make sure you ring your Drs and let them know.

[EmnM]

Hi Ruf,

I was hoping you would turn up in here!!! Thanks for the hug, I need it atm. I seem to have overnight gotten better - does that happen to you? I have just had another round of blood tests and will d/c resuts next thurs with gp, probably then onto a neurologist finally - even if they don't do a mri I will feel better talking to an expert IYKWIM - just to get some clarity. Also did your vision go blurry or something different? How long do your episodes/flair ups last?

My one thing that is stopping me finding out is if I was to have to take any meds that would stop me breastfeeding. I don't know if you know anything about that re ms. Kind of seems silly finally writing down my biggest fear re a diagnosis but that is it. My DD and I had such a special breastfeeding relationship that I know I would be an emotional wreck if I couldn't do that again.

another big fear I have is getting an epidural (hence my veiled q's in your blog). I feel like the disc bulge in my neck and possibly the pregnancy may have been like triggers for my symptoms and I am terrified that an epidural could do the same - be a trigger that is as it is an injection into the spinal cord. I will d/c this with my ob but right now I am hoping for a quick labour -with no time to contemplate one. My first labour was quick so fingers crossed for this time.

EEJ,
Have you talked to your neuro yet? (I gather your Gp is still on hols). I am not sure about the answers to your questions re scans and bubs. How many weeks ago did you get the scans. If I were you I would get reassurance as soon as possible - 'extra' worry is something you don't need.

All I know about MRI is that it raises your body temp (as does ultrasound) and I don't think any/many women have had them in the 1st trimester to actually know if there is an effect IYKWIM - thats what the neurosurgeon I saw said.

How are your symptoms going? I am 17wks and a bit pregnant .

Hugs,

Mich

[ezymay]

Hi Michelle,

I don't go back to the neuro till 4th feb and yep my gp is away til 21st jan, so I'm in no mans land. I went to a medical centre today just to get a blood test to confirm the pg and didn't think much of the doc so didn't want to go into it all with him. Rather my own gp iykwim.
I've been doing a lot of reading about the scans and because the ct scan was done so early and the radiation beam was just at my head it shold be ok. The mri basically they don't know much about the effects cause they are fairly new anyway. most writing says it should be ok becuase it is a big magnet no radiation but i'll just have to wait and see I guess. wished i'd hadn't had either of them tho.
Symptoms ok just a bit of cramping, sore boobs and a headache and very tired!
Re medication my neuro talked about prednisone a steriod as a drug I might have to take but he didn't go into it. My dh was on a lot of it as part of his chemo treatment for the leukaemia. Thry made him cranky and puffy, glad he's off them!

[cateblu]

hi
i'm ttc number two and also have epilepsy. luckily it seems pretty easily controlled, but i do have major tonic clonic seizures occasionally when off meds. DS was unplanned and i was off meds throughout pg until he was 5 mths old.this time we have decided to stay on med even tho i've been seizure free for 2 years as it is less stressful for my DH and family to know the epilepsy is under control. we had lots of discussions about the possible affects of med on baby during pg and breastfeeding with specialist and i am lucky in that i only require a low dose to be effective. i take high dose folate to help with the slightly higher chance of neural tube defects. the best advice i was given was to find a dr you trust and make a plan so you feel that you are making the right decisions for your circumstances. the net and some other health professionals who may not be specialised in this area tend to give worst case senarios. my chemist always asks why i need high dose folate, and then wants to give me lots of information about the risks of pg on my med, i smile and thank them but reassure them i am being well looked after by my specialist. i did have a troublefree pg and labour first time around so am hoping for the same again.
i hope you get some answers soon and can enjoy the rest of your pg without so much stress

[HotI]

Hi Michelle

If you are interested in finding out whether medications will affect breatfeeding etc, and your neuro can't provide that info try a genetic counselling service. Not sure what state you are in, but in Victoria, the VCGS (Victorian Clinical Genetics Service) at the RCH (Royal Children's Hospital) have people who can offer advise on medications and pregnancy/breastfeeding.

There is also the Drug Info Centre (not sure where they are located) which is a free service. Ph number is (03) 95942361 mon-fri 9am-5pm. If you are not in Victoria, i'm sure they could help anyway or give you details for a place in your area. I spoke to a lovely man, who said that he was quite non-conservative (i can't think of proper word) in terms of drugs and breastfeeding. Some times the manufacturers of drugs say not to breastfeed, just to cover themselves when they have no reason that the drug is getting through or could affect baby. I can give you e-mail details and his name, if you are interested.

Take care,

Kate

[rufalina]

Mich.
Sorry I have taken a few days to get back to you.

Symptoms - Yes they can come and go at the drop of a hat. It feels like one day you just wake up and they are gone. With my vision I went blind in one eye. it started slowly, and over a week it went for spots in the eye to only having peripheral vision. It is called Optic Neuritis, and I had Retro Bulba Neuritis. Goggle and you will find lots of info. People without MS can get it too. I saw an opthamologist and my Neuro to diagnose.

Drugs - IF (and I say IF desperately hoping that you don't) you were suspected of having MS they would not encourage you to start on any drug therapies straight away. Usually the protocol to get a confirmed diagnosis is to have two separate different confirmed episodes. Then, they will consider starting drug treatment. For me, I have not used any yet (my first ep was in 2004), but due to my recent relapse my Neuro wants me to start on them (Interferons). I will consider starting these after I have weaned my baby. My Neuro is mindful of the breast feeing factors, and in consultation we will make a decision when to start. For you, I would think you don't need to worry too much about that yet.

How did it start / epidural - I would not think your disc bulge. They say that there is no real trigger for MS. I have been lead to believe epidural is totally safe, and the decision for me to have a c-sect is totally mine. C-Sect is not necessary for MS sufferers, you can labour naturally.

If you need good reliable info on MS there is a great forum site i use from time to time with some good info. - Home

Good luck with your DR this week and please let me know how you get on.



EEJ - With the steroids they use for MS it is a huge dose given IV over three days. that is it. You get a few side effects from it, but nothing compared to long term use. It will help kick you body into healing itself, but will not ultimately effect the outcome of your recovery from an episode. It would be your choice to proceed with that treatment if and when your neuro decides to do it. I decided not to have the steroid treatment during my last episode, and have come out OK, it just took longer then if I had had the treatment. HTH.

xo

[ttlise]

Hi Michellew!
I don`t know where to contact you so I just write it here and I hope you will find and read it. I am a 20 years old woman from Norway with endo. November 2006 my gyno did a laproscopy on me and he found out that I had endometriosis. Since I didn`t respond very well on contraception pills he presented the zoladex treatment for me. Stupid me didn`t know better so I said it was ok and I wanted to try the zoladex injections. Desember 2007 i got the first injection. In the middle of january I had hot flushes every ten minutes and I couldnt sleep or concentrate. I went back to my gyno and he gave me medication to calm down the hot flushes. In March 2007 I got my second and last zoladex injection. Then I started to count the months and looking forward to be normal again. In september 2007 I got a little bit anxious because I still had heavy hot flushes and my period wouldn`t return. So I went back to my gyno, but she said that I just had to wait a little bit longer before I would get back to normal. Now it is january 2008 and I still have the same problems with flushes and no returning period. It is ten months since i got the last injection with zoladex. My gyno have never experienced that a patient havent got back her period after so long time before so she don`t know what to do to get my cycle back. Somewhere on bellybelly.com I read something you had written. You had written something like that top gynos in Sydneyd didn`t use zoladex anymore because there were som cases were women got a permanent menopause using zoladex. I got very worried when I read this so I hope you can tell me more about this and hopefully you have a link were I can read more about it and show it to my gyno here in Norway. I am worried big time because my biggest wish in the world is to get pregnant. I hope you read this and I would be very happy if you will write me back. My emailadress is: tt_lise@hotmail.com
Thanks!

[EmnM]

Hi all,

thought i would update as I saw a neurologist finally a few days ago. Very interesting, despite the visual disturbances they are not thinking MS because of the 'type' of visual problems I am having do not suggest optic nerve inflammation - the main marker for a inflammation/demyelination disorder.

My neuro exam was normal as was my eye exam, the optic nerve is healthy. The neurologist described my condition as most likely at this stage a 'non serious neurological condition'. The two possibilities he has given are 1. demyelination disorder (just not MS) and/or 2. spondylitis - this is to do with the bulging disc in my neck being more serious than the CT scan suggested.

At least the latter can be fixed with surgery if it gets worse .

I can only at this stage pray for a miracle - and that I am doing.

The neurologist said there is no rush for a MRI,to have it when I feel ready so I have booked one for December, but , to come back if symptoms get worse and re-evaluate things.

Re the vision: I read in another forum about a lady on clomid who got terrible visual side effects and loss of pain sensation being on clomid. I was on clomid when all this started so it might also be worth mentioning this to my GP/ob at next visit.

EEj, how are you faring? thinking of you

Mich