Since my diagnosis over a year ago with MS, I have come to meet a lot of really inspirational people who have been living and coping with this disease.  Andy, who you will meet shortly, is one of them.  Multiple Sclerosis affects more women than men and so we hear more about how this disease affects women.  I feel that the male perspective of living with this disease is under represented.  And so I was most delighted when Andy graciously agreed to share some of his story here with us on MS Health Central.  Andy is a husband, a father, and phenomenal MS blogger. 

I now present to you....Andy

Type of MS you have: Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

Name of Blog:  Jughead's Baltimore Blog

When did you get your diagnosis of MS?

I received my diagnosis of multiple sclerosis on Halloween, 1987, at the age of 25.  I had been having problems for a few years, but I attributed the problems to some of the sports I had played.  The doctors bounced around all types of explanations, optic tumors, brain tumor, nerve damage, and its being psychosomatic.  The technician came in and told me it was indeed multiple sclerosis.  The problem was, I didn't know they were looking for ms, no one had told me.

How did you take hearing of your diagnosis?

I was devastated to find out I had ms.  We had a friend of the family who had ms, so I thought I was aware of what the potential outcome could be.  I realized I in fact knew nothing about it, and immediately  wondered if I was going to die?  I wondered what the impact would be on my family, my wife was expecting our first child, how was I going to tell her?  How was I going to tell my parents?  What was I going to tell them?  It was on the ride home it hit me that this was more than walking with a bit of a limp someday, this could be a life altering event.  That's when I had my first emotional melt down!

Tell me about your symptoms...

My symptoms began with a slight tingling in the tip of my index finger on my right hand, easy enough to deal with.  It was a few months I suppose before it spread to another finger, then another.  Then I noticed that when I put my head down, a dead feeling flowed down both arms to my hands; that was odd.  All of those things I attributed to having played football and lacrosse, but I was wrong.  Next thing that happened was the vision in my right eye would flash in and out when I stood up, very annoying.   I began tripping, and dragging my right leg about 15 years ago, running became impossible about 10, and walking has been difficult for the past 5.  Overall I have numbness in both arms and legs, and everywhere else that does not subside, I have lost the ability to manipulate things like pens, or anything that takes any kind of dexterity.  I walk with a cane, and wear an AFO brace on my right leg.  The fatigue is always with me, and that's about it, as long as I don't get overheated. That's about it.