Please forgive me if my ramblings seem incomplete or even incoherent. I'm still adjusting to the meds I'm on. Below is the blog/journal entry that I have written for my myspace page and to hand out to my family so that they know what I am going through. I apologize ahead of time incase any of my information is inaccurate, please notify me if it is incorrect. Also, any suggestions on it are appreciated. I'm not going to send this out until tomorrow evening. Thanks. :)
My Story.....
Most people walk, stride, and occasionally run down the path of life. For some of us that road is smooth and easy going. For others it is full of bumps, potholes, and seemingly insurmountable obstacles that bring us to our knees. I've definitely had my share of the bumps and potholes, and I thought I was now able to stride along with my head held high down a smooth and easy going road. Foolish me. Enter seemingly insurmountable obstacle ...... Multiple Sclerosis.
I'm in the process of having the diagnosis confirmed by a neurologist, but according to my Dr., whom I trust very much, there is no doubt about it. I have MS. It's a chronic illness that will never leave me. It will be a part of me until the day I die. The good news is that day is still a very long time away. MS is not terminal. It just requires a little more vigilance in living and a little bit of accommodating to handle the relapses.
I'm already starting to adjust to it and accept it, and in a weird way it is actually a relief to have something I can put a name to. I was starting to feel like I was losing my mind, and the only person I could speak freely about it to was my husband. In fact, until my Dr. told me MS after he reviewed the MRI results, I thought for sure I was going to be told to go see a shrink. What a relief it is to know that I'm only losing my myelin and not my mind. (Inside joke. :P )
First I will begin with a brief definition of what Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is. Multiple Sclerosis is thought to be an Autoimmune disease. The immune system begins to attack the nervous system by destroying the myelin (fatty substance) which surrounds and protects the axions (nerve fibers) in the central nervous system. The nerves themselves can also be damaged. The damaged myelin forms scar tissue which shows up as white spots on an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan. The scar tissue is also called Sclerosis, which is why this disease is called Multiple Sclerosis. When the myelin and/or axion is damaged and/or destroyed the nerve impulses are interrupted or distorted, causing the wide range of symptoms that can occur.
For me the first thing that occurred happened back in June of this year. I was shaving my legs in the shower and realized that I couldn't feel the razor on my lower left leg. I mean absolutely no sensation whatsoever. Here I was shaving my leg, obviously it was working because the hairs were disappearing, and I couldn't feel a thing. It was an unusual thing to occur, but seeing as how I was slightly more than 7 months pregnant at the time, I dismissed it as a pregnancy related issue. Since then I still have not regained any sensation there and the numbness has spread upwards to just below my arm pit. Also there is now a tingling sensation (almost electric) on that side as well.
Jackie,
Thank you so much for sharing your story. Each person's story is unique while being so very similar. Everything you've described sounds typical MS.
It's great that you are in to see the neurologist tomorrow morning. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he/she wants to have you do a round of Intravenous Solumedrol (steroids) to shut down the inflammation and speed up the resolution of this relapse. That treatment is pretty intense, done over 3-5 days, and has some pretty nasty side-effects as well. But you may begin to feel much better more quickly. It's like the Prednisone, but at much higher doses.
It sounds like you are getting excellent care already and will soon be receiving even more of that. I don't know if you are breast-feeding, but please be aware that if you do start on one of the injectable disease-modifying drugs, that you probably should no longer breast feed. So that may be something to discuss tomorrow.
I found that the first year after the official diagnosis was the toughest for me. There's so much to learn and process. Just know that you are not alone in this and that you will be okay. I hope that you'll let us know how the appointment goes tomorrow and give Grace some cuddles and kisses.
Lisa