Friday, October 5, 2007

My intro to MS

It was 1995, and I had been dating my future wife for a while. Our relationship to this point had been active and fun, and I would have never suspected that she had a life altering disease. Everything seemed normal. We would walk together, roller blade together and spend countless hours together without there ever being a sign of the monster known as MS, or so I thought. Yeah, she couldn't keep her balance very well, and she rested a lot. She also had a weird diet, but I never thought too much about it. She was vibrant and full of life, and I knew that I was falling in love with her. It was quite a few weeks into our relationship when she decided it was time to tell me. We had been out on a date and I was dropping her off at her apartment when she became very serious. She began to explain to me that what she was going to tell me was going to very hard for her and that many of her past relationships broke up over it. Of course I had no idea what she was about to tell me. She went on to explain that she had a disease called Multiple Sclerosis and that it affected her in a lot of different ways. She told me that she had been blind a couple of times and that parts of her body had been numb before, along with many other symptoms. She also had been home bound for about 9 months when the disease really kicked in. Apparently I had met her right after she had gotten back on her feet from this last big attack. I honestly had no idea what MS was or what it could do, and I knew that I loved her so I said what any love struck guy would say, "No problem". I'm a research fanatic, so I asked her if she had any books or websites or anything on the disease, and she seemed a little surprised. You see, she had never had a guy want to know more about the disease and have a desire to try to help. That night has changed my life and I continue to learn to this day what this horrible disease can do. We don't have all of the answers, but I think we have started to put the pieces of the puzzle together. I will be sharing what we have learned from doctors, experiences and our own research through this blog. So, eleven plus years into our marriage, we are happily married, have one daughter and two rambunctious dachsunds. Every day is still a struggle and battle, but I would have it no other way. I have read and heard about spouses that bailed out of their marriages due to MS, and I could never imagine doing that. I married my wife, not in spite of the disease, but because I loved the woman she was and is. So, this blog is a raw look at our daily lives as we struggle to be spouses, parents and productive individuals in our careers. I hope this blog will give you some hope, whether you have just been diagnosed with MS or have had the disease for many years. Enjoy!

5 comments:

Unknown said...

I know this is an old post but I came across your blog and want to read from the beginning. I am on the path to being diagnosed with MS and my husband has been an amazing caretaker. I am going to share this blog with him as I am sure it will help him feel better about what he is going through. Thank you for sharing your journey.

Dawn McNaught said...

I have been diagnosed with MS 5 months ago, I'm just experiencing what you are describing in your later posts... Thank you for sharing. It's hard to figure out what is "Normal" and this is so different for all of us.

My Prayers to you and your wife.

Dawn McNaught said...

Thank you for sharing. I'm recently diagnosed and trying to figure this out. Your perspective as a husband is inspiring. This is not a disease to be "ignored" by those you live with and love. It has challenges.

You have shown me that a thoughtful man can deal with this and live with it.

My prayers to you both. Answers are not easily found.

Swankish Cuisine said...

Hi Cory, I just found your blog while searching about leg pain and MS and wanted to comment on a few posts. I thought I should start right from your first post though before commenting on anything that been discussed earlier. I was following a more strict version of the Swank Diet before Christmas, and now I am trying to follow a stricter version of the Paleo diet (mine excludes nightshades, beef, pork and eggs, and perhaps includes a little more chocolate, honey and maple syrup than it should). I was trying to blog about that at swankishcusine.blogspot.com but haven't in a little while. You've inspired me to get back at it though! I, too, am drug-free and even avoided steroids for ON as I am breastfeeding. My husband is a DC and my very good friend is a ND, so I am interested to know what your SC and ND are doing for your wife. Finally, we also have two dachshunds! They have their own set of health issues so I am busy trying to keep us all healthy through diet and lifestyle. It certainly can be a challenge! Thanks for sharing your lives. I look forward to catching up on all your posts.

Unknown said...

Hi Swankish Cuisine, sorry it has taken me so long to post. We've been very busy, but I wanted to make sure and answer your questions. We haven't seen an ND in some time now, but see our DC regularly. You can read our recent posts about both of those, but the main thing is we found that Pro Adjuster Chiropractic works best for my wife. Let me know if you have any specific questions, and I hope this post finds you well.