Diagnosed

Your date of diagnosis:   Jan 2007
Type of MS:  RRMS
The med, if any you are on:  None...chose not to take anything for now
Time for first symptoms to diagnosis: Two weeks
How many neuros before diagnosis: 1st one diagnosed me in emergency room but I saw more doctors to get 2nd and 3rd opinions...Spinal Tap Test confirmed it.

[doni54]

Hi Ausp,

Welcome to the MS forum!!  Wow, you were dx really quickly!!  We have a few members here who had a quick dx, also.  Shelly (sllowe) and Laura (LGK54) are two of those.

How are you doing now?  What are some of your symptoms?  We like to get to know our members and the best way is for you tell us your story, would you mind?

Maybe we can learn new things from you, cause as you will find out, most of us here are seeking knowledge.  Many of us are undx, I am one of them, and many are dx with MS and even some are dx with one of the mimics, but stay around here cause we won't let them leave!!

We all do our best to support each other and answer questions as best we can.  I look forward to getting to know you better and to hear your story.

Take care,
doni  

[Lulu54]

Hi auspiciousme,
Welcome to the forum - this is a great place to be with your questions and emotions and everything else that comes with MS.  If you get a minute would you mind sharing with us why you chose to take no DMD?  That's a decision i keep trying to understand - I work with a woman who doesn't take anything for her MS either.

Be well, Lulu/Laura

[Auspiciousme]

Hello everyone.  I'll be happy to tell you my story.  Jan 1, 2007 I ended up in emergency room because I had a yeast infection that wouldn't go away.  I had been taking antiboitics which was changed on me twice because it wasn't doing anything.  I even had fever and a whole lot of pain.  But on the 1st, I woke up and couldn't urinate.  I felt like I had to go so bad but I couldn't.  I had no control over it.  That went on for a week and I had to use a cathater (i am sorry, i don't know how to spell it) on myself which was really awful.  Then I insted on MRIs and finally I got an MRI and they found 9 lesions in my brain & non on my brain.  The nuerologist at the ER said that he suspects MS (this was two weeks after my first vist to ER).  At that time I started to feel numbness in my legs and it got to be hard to walk.  A couple of weeks later I did the spinal tap test and that confirmed that I had MS.  My legs got worse and the doctors gave me the steroid treatment for a week.  By March I was starting to feel better bur I was tired and depressed all the time.  I signed up at a gym and started to take the pool classes and I met this lady at the gym who also had MS.  She would bring her wheelchair and use it to walk slowly..she would work out and then when she was tired, she would sit in her wheelchair and leave.  She told me she was competely on wheelchair and couldn't walk at all up to two years before that and she met a Certified Nutritional Consultant & Naturopath and she has been under her care for two years and on a very strict diet and she could now walk.  She said she was a god sent and referred me to go see her & I did.  That was right before I was supposed to start Avanox.  I went to her and she put me on this amazingly healthy diet and I continued to excersie and keep a positive attitude and I was completely better and really thin in two months!  I swear!  I am off the diet now because it was just too strict and I now live with my husband and our 4 kids and it's hard for me to keep that diet while cooking for 5 other people.  I have had very very minimal symptoms.  I do get tired still and I have to rest during the day but the only other symptoms I feel are leg pains & numbness and skin pain (it feels like my skin has been burned with hot steam ...so an area of my skin get painful and extreemly sensitive.) but I get this once every few months for a few days and only when I get really stressed or really tired.  Otherwise I feel great.  I have almost no symptoms.  I did another MRI Jan 2008 and my lesions have doubled but my symptoms have been reduced even more.
I do worry about my choice of not taking medication and what would future bring but for now I still won't take any medications.  I read about the medications available and they all seem to destroy your liver and kidneys and they "MAY" slow down the process of MS.  That's not good enough for me!  I am not totally against medications and I know people that take them.  Someday I may too but at the moment, my symptoms are so little that I don't feel like I should take heavy duty chemicals for them.  & my doctor supports my decision.
By the way..the Certified Nutritional Consultant's name is Ann Boroch and her website is www.annboroch.com.  She has had MS for years but she has completely cured herself and she look as healthy as anyone.  She used to be on wheelchair as well and now she walk more normal than anyone I know!  She has a great book on MS (see her website) and she was also on Montel Williams Show.  She is in Burbank California and she is super nice and upbeat.  Her visit charge is pretty expensive but I think she is worth it.  What she says is that you body is able to cure itself and if you eat right and excercise and take vitamins, you can reverse a lot of the damage.  Commen sense.   I am sure many doctors don't believe in her..but what she says is all natural and it definately won't hurt.  I tired it and I think it helped me.  I want to go back on her diet but I don't have the self control!  I did when I was sick but it was fear that pushed me.  Now that I feel healthy, I don't have that fear to push me anymore.  I try to stay from sugar (as much as I can...I LOVE sugar!) and eat more fish and walk and do yoga.  I do rest during the day even if it's 30 minutes.  I try to not get stressed out and I try deep breathing and of course the love of my husband, my family and friends helps.  And my son's cheeks and his sparkly eyes are the best medicine for any pain I have!
Please ask me anything you would like and I'll be happy to help.  Best wishes to everyone.

[Auspiciousme]

I am surprised that no one asked anything about the lady I mentioned above!  I don't get anything out of this!  I just want to help.  Please check out her web-site.  She maybe able to help some people...maybe not everyone..but I know healthy eating will not hurt anyone.  You don't even have to go to her.  Her book is very good too & very helpful.  

Anyway, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to everyone.   :)

[Auspiciousme]

Just out of curiosity, did anyone even check out her website?  
My doctors tole me that they don't believe eating habits have anything to do with MS.  What do you think?  Is that possible that what we eat has no effect on our body?!!  
I also want to know if you know anyone with MS that didn't have any symptoms for years and then got really bad again?  Is it normal that I don't have much symptoms?  No complaints but I worry this is the quite before the storm.  Please give me some comments...?

[Mand125]

Hi Ausp

Whether or not to take DMDs is a completely personal choice. I must admit I wish I had had had the chence to start betaseron a couple of years ago instead of just a few of months - who knows how much better I would be now than I am?

I know there can be side effects but having your liver destroy would I imagine be extremely rare. The neuro or MS nurse would be monitoring you closeley for any signs of liver problems. Sorry I realise you probably know all this. Also I think that for any of us even though these drugs MAY help the MS we will happily give them a go for this chance.

You mentioned a diet, I must admit I don't have a lot of willpower but I am willing to give anything a go (within reason :) ). I'm sure a lot of us would be really grateful if you were able to share it with us, I realise that it would be a lot to type in but if you wouldn't mind.

I don't think the forum rules would be against this, maybe one of the admins would shout up if so.

Take care and stay well
Mand

[sllowe]

Hi there,

I'm sorry I missed your post.  

I'm so glad that you have found something that is managing your symptoms and that your therapist has too.  I'm sorry to hear about your lesion load though.  I respect your decision to not take the DMDs, it really is a personal choice and one that has to be made individually.  If you don't feel confidnent and comfortable taking them, then you'll likely not stay the course with them.

I had my doubts about them too at first until I read the studies. I do believe in them, but again feel it's a personal choice.  I also feel that proper diet and exercise greatly enhances quality of life no matter what, and that we should all strive to put in foods that make our bodies function and feel better. It's not easy in the world we live in though w/the fast food and goods. OMG and w/the kids, I can relate - it's totally the same for me, and I tend to not want to throw away left overs!

The thing with MS though is that there is not a cure right now.  No matter what, or we would know about it. There are people that have not progress beyond their 1st attack and it's a true blessing.  There are others that advance from very start. Some are bad and then improve, etc.  There are many of us here that are very symtomatic and some of that has to do with lesion location and other factors. Some of us have improved over time too.

A lot of things have to occur to get a breach in the blood brain barrier for the damage from MS to happen in the 1st place.  I do know for certain that it's nothing I ate, or did to cause this. For those who have felt this way, I tell them the same thing because I don't want them to think they "did" this to themselves somehow.

I take Rebif, I eat healthy for the most part and have many MS symptoms and my liver and white and red blood cells are monitored.  I hope this stops my course.  I have had my fare share of worry over the meds that is for sure, anyone here can tell you that.  I also doubted my dx for a long time too..... just to give you an idea where I'm coming from.

Anywho, how are you feeling lately? Hope to see you around!
-Shelly