Sunday, August 1, 2010

Summer Of Ups and Downs With MS

This summer we traveled for almost 4 straight weeks. It started with my wife going numb on her right side, from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet. We were in Albuquerque and were able to see our Chiropractor, so we were able to resolve the issue and she had all the feeling back within a few days. It still amazes me that the Chiropractor can stop an MS attack and reverse it. I would have never believed it if I haven't seen it work so many times now. So, we drove thousands of miles, covering around 12 states and staying in hotels all over to arrive back home a few weeks ago. The trip involved a ton of walking, standing, heat, stress and a host of other issues, but my wife did pretty good for starting out numb.

We are still learning about my wife's MS even after her being diagnosed 20 years ago. This trip showed us once more that it is so important to plan rest time and healthy habits to keep my wife's body working properly. There were times on the trip that she had to skip activities because she just couldn't handle the stress. She sat in the suburban with the A/C on while we fished one day, and chose not to go when I had to run the Children's Home booth during some of the events. Her MS slowed her down, but didn't stop her from enjoying the time on the road and all the great things we were able to do. Even when we arrived back at home, she chose to stay instead of going to Church Camp with my daughter and I. That was probably a smart decision since I barely kept up with the lack of sleep, ton of walking and the heat.

There were times this summer when I wondered if my wife would leave the hotel room, and other times when I couldn't keep up with her stride. It still fascinates me that she can have so many issues one day and wake up the next feeling fine. Multiple Sclerosis is such an odd disease. We are still searching for answers and watching the Liberation Treatment with some hope and excitement. Hopefully this year will be a year of discoveries for MS and we can come one step closer to my wife living a more normal life. For now, we face each day with hope and my wife is even taking some college classes in the Fall. She's nervous, but excited to get back to learning and growing. MS may have beat her up some this summer, but it can't hold her back from living life to the fullest!

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