Today, 9/8/11, is my MS Birthday - exactly one year ago, the doctor diagnosed me with MS and changed my life. It is crazy to think that a year has come and gone; at the same time it is crazy to think that it has only been a year. It was April 2010 when I first began noticing MS symptoms and the search for a diagnosis started. It was April or May 2010 when MS was first mentioned to me as a possibility. So in a way, it feels like it has been longer than a year. However, even though everything began in April 2010, I was not diagnosed until 9/8/10 and it wasn't until October 2010 when I first started taking medication for MS. It certainly does not feel as though it has been a year since I heard those fateful words from the neurologist, but alas, it has been one whole year.
In the last year I have gone from numbness in my feet and legs to numbness in my left hand, to no numbness; from L'Hermittes constantly bothering me to only bothering me when my core temperature goes up to not bothering me at all; from tingling when my core temperature rises to no tingling at all and back to tingling when my core temperature rises; from pain in my right eye (probably optic neuritis) to no pain to intermittent pain recently (usually at night); from fatigue to severe fatigue and back again (fatigue never really seems to go away, but I am never sure if it is solely caused by MS or a combination of MS, stress, lack of sleep, etc.). I am sure I could list other "ailments," but those are the main ones. Overall, I am feeling pretty good lately; generally, the only reminder of my MS I have is my daily shot (which I must say really does get old - I just want a break from it sometimes, but I forge on).
While I certainly am not celebrating a year with MS, I do celebrate the fact that I am doing well overall. I am celebrating the continuing research that is being done and the hopes of someday having a cure!
Funny that you have an "MS Birthday" =) my mom and I call mine "MS Day" we always laugh how ironic it is to say "Happy?? MS Day" on the card she gives me every year. September 24th will be 7 years! I 100% understand the feeling fine and having to do a daily shot to remind you that you have a disease. Keep strong, glad to hear you are forging on. About a year ago I struggled with that issue a great deal, I actually quit injecting for a couple months. I ended up suffering fairly intense nerve pain in my face and my Dr. ordered an MRI. I had FOURTEEN lesions trying to form!! Thank God we caught them before they developed fully. I will never know if it was just the natural progression of my MS and it couldn't have been stopped anyways, or if it was due to my own negligence. Either way I was guilt struck that I didn't do all that I could to stay healthy for not only me, but my family. It was a harsh, but much needed wake up call. I switched drugs and now I am on Copaxone (which I assume you are on as well since you said "daily" shot). Just got an MRI last month (been a year since the medication switch) and the results were great. No progression =)=)! Feel free to contact me if you need someone to talk to!
ReplyDelete-Jess
Jess, Thanks for the comment! It is always nice to know people who share the same or similiar experiences! Makes it all a little more bearable.
ReplyDeleteCSA
I enjoy reading your posts. My son in law was recently diagnosed (end of July, 2011) and I have read and reread so many articles on MS, all the research that is going on, treatment updates...just about everything I could get my hands on. I pray that with all the new findings and collaboration that a cure will be found within the next five years. Until then, I pray that the symptoms will be mild. God bless you.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment and thanks for reading! So sorry to hear about your son-in-law; I hope everything progresses very slowly and that he can fin some relief in the available therapies. Thank you for your thoughts/prayers!
ReplyDelete-CSA
I celebrate my day every year... although I don't have a name for it... I simply say I am celebrating another year of "taking back my health". I was diagnosed Nov. 16, 2008. A week after my 32nd birthday. It is a little harder this year as my anniversary date approaches in November. With no insurance and not eligible for assistance, I haven't been able to take Copaxone for more than a year and a half and it has taken its toll. So as the disease rears its head, I don't feel like I am taking anything back... haha... but I know that this will pass and so I stay optimistic and struggle to control those things I can... vitamins... diet, etc. When it gets frustrating, it is so good for me to see someone speaking about their ups and downs.
ReplyDeleteI had started a blog not long after I was diagnosed and got as far as the title. After laying dormant for 2+ years, I think I may actually start posting to it. Thanks for being a motivation :)