PeopleWithMS.com

MY STORY BEGAN AS A CHILD IN GRADE SCHOOL... I HAD A LOT OF UTI's (URINARY TRACT INFECTION) AND HAD SLEEP DISORDERS TOO. I HAD SOME CHILDHOOD TRAUMA AS WELL, BUT THAT'S ANOTHER STORY. AS A RESULT, I WAS PUT INTO FOSTER CARE AT THE AGE 11.

BY THE TIME I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL I WAS ON THE TRACK TEAM AND IN GYMNASTIC SQUAD. I NOTICED I WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY BALANCE. (EVEN THOUGH I WAS INTO SMOKING A LOT OF POT; I STILL DID ALL OF THIS) I ALSO NOTICED A LOSS OF VISION AT TIMES. I WENT COMPLETELY BLIND ONE TIME. (TEMPORARILY)

AS TIME WENT ON, MY FATIGUE LEVEL INCREASED DRAMATICALLY AFTER MY FIRST CHILD WAS BORN. MY HUSBAND AT THE TIME THOUGHT I WAS JUST PLAIN LAZY!! I HAD NO IDEA AT THE TIME WHAT WAS GOING ON. AFTER I LEFT HIM, I STAYED WITH FRIENDS AND THEN MOVED INTO A PLACE OF MY OWN.

I HAD A LOT OF FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES TRYING TO SUPPORT TWO CHILDREN, AND MYSELF SO I ASKED MY HUSBAND IF HE WOULD TAKE THE KIDS FOR A WHILE SO I COULD GET BACK ON MY FEET. HE SAID OK, BUT LITTLE DID I KNOW HE WOULD TAKE THEM OUT OF STATE FOR GOOD!!

I WAS VERY STRESSED BY THIS... WHEN THEY LEFT, I NOTICED MY LEGS WERE TOTALLY NUMB!! AFTER THAT MY FRIEND TALKED ME INTO SEEING A DOCTOR WHEN THE NUMBNESS DIDN'T GO AWAY AND MY BALANCE WAS AFFECTED.

I WENT TO SEE MULTIPLE DOCTORS, I WAS TOLD IN THE HOSPITAL BY A THE NEURO THAT "WE THINK YOU MAY HAVE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS". TALK ABOUT MY JAW DROPPING AND HITTING THE FLOOR! (MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS, AM I GOING TO END UP IN A WHEELCHAIR???) THEN I WAS TOLD THEY WANTED ME TO UNDER GO A IV STEROID TREATMENT FOR FIVE DAYS OR SO. THEN I SPENT NINE DAYS IN THE HOSPITAL. THE DOCTORS TOLD ME TO APPLY FOR DISABILITY. I GOT SSIDI BECAUSE BECAUSE I WASN’T ELIGIBLE FOR SOCIAL SECURITY, AS I WAS ONLY 19YEARS OLD AND DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH WORK QUARTERS IN.

 I HAD MY SSIDI. WHEN I BECAME PREGNANT AGAIN I KNEW I HAD TO GO OUT AND WORK. SO I BECAME A BARTENDER.

ONE EVENING WHEN MY BABYSITTER BACKED OUT ON ME AT THE LAST POSSIBLE MINUTE NO LESS, ANOTHER FRIEND REFERRED ME TO MY NOW MOTHER-IN-LAW. WHO AGREED TO TAKE MY INFANT SON OVER NIGHT. WHILE I WAS THERE, I MET MY HUSBAND NOW.

HE CAME TO WORK WITH ME AND STAYED THERE WITH ME UNTIL I WENT HOME. I INVITED HIM TO MY PLACE AND TOLD HIM ABOUT MY MS. (HIS REACTION: "THAT'S OK MY COUSIN HAS C.P.")

 AFTER A FEW MONTHS WE AGREED TO GET MARRIED. I WAS VERY SCARED. (AFTER MY EXPERIENCE WITH MY FIRST HUSBAND.) WHILE I WAS PLANNING THE WEDDING I GRADUALLY ENDED UP IN A WHEELCHAIR… WE MARRIED ANYWAY!

EVENTUALLY I MANAGED TO FIGHT THE BATTLE AND WAS ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE CHAIR.

 I MANAGED TO STAY OUT OF THE WHEELCHAIR FOR QUITE A WHILE, BUT THEN I WOULD END UP BACK IN IT. MY FLARES THAT SEND ME TO THE CHAIR USUALLY STEM FROM A UTI. LAST TIME I WAS WHEELCHAIR BOUND WAS LAST MARCH. I WENT INTO THE HOSPITAL IN THE BEGINNING OF MARCH AND GOT OUT THE DAY BEFORE EASTER. (A TOTAL OF 16 DAYS)

WHILE I WAS IN; I STARTED PLASMA PHERESIS. (PLASMA EXCHANGE) AFTER A FEW OF THOSE TREATMENTS, I WAS ABLE TO WALK AGAIN!!

THIS MAY NOT WORK FOR SOME PEOPLE WITH MS, BUT IT WORKED WONDERS FOR ME!!

                        Nancy