My name is Aileen
I've had 4 definite flares with MS since 81 but wasn't dxed till Nov. 2001. The 1st episode was terrific fatigue and numb feet for several wks that eventually eased up over several mths then optic neuritis in 83 in both eyes. Then in 88 vertigo from hell with flipping vision, it was horrible. Then in 2001 I was under a terrific amount of stress. Well actually the entire decade had been stressful. Both parents had died from cancer, got married again, had 2 more children, personal troubles, etc. & kids were telling me I seemed to be sleep walking. Then 1 early morning I had a grand mal seizure & was taken to emerg. CT scan shows possible stroke but they want to send me for an MRI. Later that day neuro walks in to tell me it's not a stroke but I do have MS. I always suspected I had MS & even said MS at the same time he did. So now it's confirmed. We set up an office visit which reveiled all that sleep walking was in fact seizures. No wonder I felt out of it! I probably had a spot on the cortal ribbon causing the seizures. Sometimes with MS seizures will go away after 3 yrs but for me that wasn't the case. So I'm still on antiseizure meds but at least I'm not on tegretol anymore. When I finally got off that stuff & realized just how much of a fog I was in - OMG! But I also realize how it helped with the tingling & the nerve pain. But I put on so much wght with it. With topomax I've taken off all that wght and I feel so much better! I'm in pretty good shape really. I have coordination difficulties at times, double vision at times, trip up the stairs, fatigue all the time & this & that - usually when I've over done something but that's not too often...lol I always try to remember there is someone out there with way worse difficulties than me, some little baby just starting life and sick with cancer somewhere so I cannot say why me or whine too much. I've been married twice, divorced once, separated from 2nd hubby but we're still seeing each other & it's working for us & our kids. I have 5 kids, 4 boys 29, 25, 19 & 11, 1 daughter 13 and 2 grandaughters 3 & 2 and 3 stepgrandkids, 2 girls 12 & 8 & 1 boy 11 who was in a horrible car accident & well he almost died but he's doing ok, tg!
