This past weekend we ventured to Colorado to the Rocky Mountain MS Center to see Dr. Allen Bowling. I had been researching Dr. Bowling for awhile, but we weren't sure he would fit what we wanted in a doctor. We have had issues finding a doctor that wouldn't push all of the MS drugs on us, and we were hesitant to see a new neurologist. Dr. Bowling was very pleasant and was open to listening to what we had done to help with my wife's MS, and wasn't pushy about following a typical MS protocol. We found out that Dr. Bowling had met with Dr. Swank a few years back so that he could make a professional decision on Swank's research and diet. The diet that Dr. Bowling recommended was very similar to Swank's MS diet in that it limits saturated fats, but it is not nearly as restrictive. He performed a physical exam and my wife passed with flying colors. I think he was surprised she was doing as well as she is since she was diagnosed over 18 years ago.
We also found out about some new research that shows that if you have had mild symptoms for the first ten years of your disease, you will have a 90% chance of the disease not progressing. That was interesting and was a relief since there has been very little on the progression of the disease. Dr. Bowling suggested we go ahead and get another head MRI done, so we are looking into what the costs will be. My wife is very hesistant about having another MRI done since she feels like it will only make her more paranoid about how the disease is affecting her. She had 3 MRIs done during the first few years of the disease, but she hasn't had another one done since. I think she realizes it would be good to go ahead and see how the disease has progressed, but I also know that she worries that there will be very bad news and that the results will only stress her out more. Neither one of us are crazy about what the doctors would recommend if she does have a lot of plaque on her brain, but we also realize we need to know if the disease is progressing without visible symptoms.
So, I guess we are happy with the visit. Dr. Bowling seemed happy with her current physical condition and was very optimistic about her future. We will probably go ahead and have the MRI done, and we will probably set another appointment to see Dr. Bowling. Only time will tell what all this visit will accomplish, but I know that we both would like to find a neurologist that is open to treatments outside of the typical MS drugs. We did accomplish one thing, and that was to get a baseline to start working from so that we could see how the disease is progressing. We are really unsure of whether the disease has caused any permanent issues since we are both so close to the situation. Her symptoms have been pretty small lately, and we are happy to say that moving back to San Angelo has truly helped her MS. It is amazing that the air and water quality can have so much to do with how her MS affects her. You can find more information about the Rocky Mountain MS Center at http://www.mscenter.org/index.php/.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
4 comments:
Cory does your wife take any drugs for MS? I'm just curious. I hate medications and tend to be very sensitive to most of them. So I try very hard to not take them unless needed. Again, I've not been diagnosed with MS yet (waiting to see the specialist) but my brother gets a weekly shot of Avonex and it has done wonders for his MS and he is now in remission. Thanks again for sharing your wife's story from your loving perspective.
Hi Angie, thanks for the comment. No, my wife doesn't take any MS meds, and hasn't since she was first diagnosed over 20 years ago. We have chose the natural route for treatment and after trying quite a few different things and learning to listen to her body, she has figured out what works for her. Now, we both feel confident we can stop an attack and she lives a normal life without any side effects from meds. Hope this helps, and let me know if you have any other questions.
Cory, how do you guys stop an attack. I am 25 and I was diagnosed at age 21. They put me on Rebif, and now I am on Tysabri but am thinking through getting off all meds and doing more natural ways. Thank you so much for your wonderful insight.
Hi Katie, sorry it took me a few days to get back to you. Your question about stopping an attack has been something that took us years to figure out for my wife. Now, when she has any symptoms we immediately get her in to see our Pro Adjuster Chiropractor. I can't express how much this has helped and changed my wife's health. Before we did this, she would just rest a lot and wait it out. Now, we feel more in control because every time she's had an attack the adjustment stops it and most of the time reverses it very quickly. This would be the one biggest thing I would suggest anyone try that has MS. Make sure it is a Pro Adjuster if you can find one. There are a lot of differences in Chiropractic and this is the method that has worked best for my wife. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Post a Comment