Copied from email to my family:

The appointment went great. The neuro is sooo cool! He tells it like it is, cuts to the chase, even gave me a copy of the report on my MRI. I see him again next week and he's hoping to have the films to show me. Here's some of the report:

Multifocal T2 signal abnormality seen in the cerebral white matter and left middle cerebeller peduncle consistant with demyelinating disease such as multiple sclerosis. No associated enhancing lesions were seen.

Enhancement in the right optic nerve suspicious for right optic neuritis. However, no definite associated T2 signal abnormalities seen.

Findings: negative for midline shift, mass effect, or abnormal extraaxial fluid collections.

So it's not a tumor hahhaa. I don't know what all that means, but it's cool to have. He gave me an overview of the disease and said if he had seen me back when I was having all those issues with numbess that I saw the cardiologist for before, that he would have dx'd me with MS even without an MRI. He said it sounds like they were treating me for anxiety and that often happens before MS can be dx'd.

He's giving me a week to mull over treatment options. The two that he highly recommends are interferon treatments, I'd do injections at home. He's not partial to either one of them, it's just that one is cheaper, and it's injections every other day, the other is more expensive and it's injections M, W, F so you get weekends off. I think I'll go the less expensive route. I asked him if he knew with one AHCCCS will cover and he's not sure, but he'll make sure I get the treatment no matter what. I have a phone interview tomorrow to get the AHCCCS rolling.

He checked my reflexes and had me walk and said it all looks good. He said I still have another 2 months before he'll be concerned that the vision won't return.

I cannot tell you how much I love this doctor. He tells it to me straight and wants me to be involved in everything from treatment to even looking at the scans. He said he likes a smart patient. When I told him I'm a recovering alcoholic he laughed and said he had to tell me what he thinks about alcoholics. I was like uh oh.....then he said the most loyal and trustworthy people are recovering alcoholics and their families!

He thinks the pain in my arm is not MS. He said aches and pains in MS patients are associated mostly with depression. Which I definetly have been. Muscles get really tight and then sleeping on it wrong can cause injury. He said his MS patients are the glummest lot around. I don't want to fall into that class. I already feel better after seeing him. I told him I have a friend who's a massage therapist and he thinks she can fix me. So I'm meeting with her tomorrow before she goes to work. Free of charge. He said being healthy physically and mentally are the best things for MS aside from treatment. He said most patients have a rough go for a few months after DX, learning to cope etc, starting treatment and stuff, and then most of them join the work force again and are good to go until the next flair up.

So...I feel much better. I only waited maybe 5 minutes in the lobby, and then he was right in after vitals. Here's what his card says, Harvey W. "Bill" Buchsbaum, M.D. Clinical Professor of Neurology. He's freakin awesome. Next appt is next Thurs at 12:45pm.

Oh he said to go ahead and stay on the Mylan that doc prescribed. He said it's good for pain and mild depression.

Back to the land of living I hope to go soon!