Transverse myelitis, best doctor in chicago area?

[Wise Young]

I just received the following email. I am posting the question and my answer, to see if anybody else can help answer the question:

My Mother's friend thinks she has transverse myelitis.Â* Do you know of any experienced specialists in the Chicago area dealing with diagnosis and treatment?Â* Also a suggested article/literature to learn about syptoms, causes.Â* She has apparently self diagnosed and cna't find anyone with knowledge of it. If not Chicago, best closest doctor, teaching hospital preferred.

I am sorry but I do not personally know any neurologist in the Chicago area who is experienced in transverse myelitis. The best doctor that I know in the area is at Johns Hopkins http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/jhtmc/ and you should contact them. I have also posted this in the Carecure Forum to see if anybody has other recommendations.

Wise.

[Sue Pendleton]

She can call Physician Referrals directlty at
410-955-5464 this is through the Johns Hopkins Center. The nearest I know but do not have a number for is at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and specializes in the acute treatments using steroids, IVIG, Plasma Exchange and Cytoxan. His name is Brian Weinshenker, MD.

I have NO referred physicians in Chicago on my list. But this is NOT something to self-diagnose. Go to the nearest hospital and then call the above to speak to the neurologist on call where you are. Immediate treatment often means the difference between complete recovery, major disability or lifelong pain. If it is NOT TM you are looking at some other conditions that also need quick diagnosis and treatment. There is no checklist that determines TM for the layman. Sorry.

Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow."

[SCI-Nurse]

I would lean towards getting a referral through the acute SCI Center at Northwestern Hospital in Chicago. They are affiliated with Rehab Institute of Chicago (this is their ICU/acute level unit prior to transfer to RIC for rehab). A good SCI rehab physician at RIC is David Chen, MD and I am sure he would know the Chicago experts on TM.

This certainly is not something to self-diagnose. Often cases of TM are found to be other medical problems such as MS, even by experts in this field.

(KLD)