Recurring/Remitting Symptoms: My Story

[JohnDerigoldsyKurt]

Sound familiar to anyone? Sure does to me. My recurring/remitting symptoms began in 1993. It is now 2008 and I still twitch a bit from time to time...and I have had some rough bouts that lasted 3 to 5 months, separated by quiet periods lasting 12 to 36 months...but it is not *** and not MS and I am ok today.I'd be very interested in hearing anyone's thoughts on the NY Times article.Joe

 

[Gelianna]

My pig brain spray bottle is in the trash.Seriously, though, did you work in a pork processing plant?

 

[JohnDerigoldsyKurt]

No, I did not work in a processing plant. I had an extreme flu (swine flu?) in January, 1993. By May, 1993 I was beginning to have tingling in my left hand and foot. In July, 1993 I had a sudden, acute spinal inflammation episode that knocked me down in the street and left me with basically the exact symptoms and condition described in the NY Times article I linked to.As in the article, my neurologists/rheumatologists could find no cause and thus gave me no treatment. I discovered, on my own, that very high doses of Advil (Ibuprofen) would take the edge off the symptoms. After approx. 18 months I was able to resume normal physical activity but at a somewhat reduced intensity. To this day, I still have daily twitching and recurring, multi-month long bouts of generalized weakness and exhaustion etc. as described in the NY Times article.Joe

 

[JohnDerigoldsyKurt]

Viral? Probably.That's why the NY Times article caught my attention...they are taking these people's symptoms seriously even though they do not know the immediate cause...this is rare. Obviously, the authorities are concerned because this condition seems related to the commercial food chain. I will be keeping a close eye out for any further information or discoveries regarding the patients in the article.I posted it because I wondered if anyone else on this board recognized the symptoms and the implied auto-immune cause.Here's the link again for convenience:Joe

 

[juliacristina]

I have a lot of the symptoms mentioned in the article. I work in an office and my diet does not include pork. In fact, it's been over 20 years since I've had red meat of any kind. I only eat chicken, turkey and very limited seafood, but even with that I mostly prefer vegetables.

 

[JohnDerigoldsyKurt]

I think the Times article made it clear that this has nothing to do with *eating* pork...or anything else for that matter. It also seems clear that these workers are coming in contact with some pathogen in the pig brains, probably via respiration, that is causing their symptoms. My symptom history resembles that of these processing plant workers. You state that your symptoms resemble some of their symptoms. I know that a very bad 'flu-like' illness preceded the onset of my symptoms by about 6 months. How about you? Or anyone else on this board? I'd sure like to know what they uncover about the cause of the symptoms these workers are having. I'd sure like to know if anyone else on this board can point to having a 'flu-like' illness in the months before their BFS symptoms appeared. I know that this is not uncommon in other neurological disorders. The 'jackpot' for me would be if they discover that the cause of the worker's symptoms is a pathogen that closely resembles the flu of 1993. Get the connection I'm trying to discover?Joe