Leg Issues in the Cold with MS

For the last year or so my wife's MS has caused her Right Leg to stiffen during Cold Weather.  She can literally walk outside and if it's cold enough, her leg will go stiff and she almost has to swing it to walk.  She's only had this issue in the last year, and we think we finally figured out why.  We lived in Colorado for a short time last year and she fell twice.  Both times she fell flat on her tail bone and come to find out she cracked her tail bone.  Since that time she's woke up almost daily with her hands or feet tingling and then had her Leg stiffen and other minor Tingling in her body.  It finally hit us this last week at the Chiropractor that we hadn't really addressed that issue so we talked to our Chiropractor about it.

Well, the Chiropractor started doing some testing and not only were her hips twisted but her tail bone was off so the Chiropractor adjusted all of it.  When she was adjusted it initially shot pain through her and she was worried that it may do more harm than good.  But, after she was adjusted and left the Chiropractors office she began to notice some major differences.  For the first time in almost a year her hands and feet were almost completely back to normal, and her back felt much, much better.  I encouraged her to go back multiple times last week to keep everything in alignment so she went back 3 times and was going to go back a 4th today but she overslept.

It still amazes me that MS can mess with her body so much, and from a fall over a year ago she is still having issues.  Now that we've figured out what caused the issue, it will be easier to fix.  My wife had literally bought different pillows and tried other things because she thought one of those was the culprit.  I guess I say all of this to say that you never know how a fall or injury or other trauma might affect your Multiple Sclerosis.  My wife's MS has been badgering her for over 24 years now, and we are still learning.  Oh, if your legs stiffen in the cold you may try thermals because that's what my wife's been doing the last few weeks.  Once she had the thermals on her leg didn't stiffen up as bad and she could still walk OK.

I guess the question I would ask any MS patient is, have you had any Injuries in the past that could be causing some of your problems?  Have you had a bad fall, car wreck, skiing accident or some other injury?  I know that my wife is extremely sensitive to any changes in her body and her MS lets us know quickly if anything is wrong by exacerbating.  Leg issues seem to be common in MS, but I really think there are ways to combat the problem without Meds.  She's been MS Drug free from the beginning and for the most part I think my wife does amazing.  She's definitely stronger than I think I would ever be having to deal with MS daily.  We are still determined to get her health better and better, and have a Ski trip we want to go on in 2015 and already have a Cruise planned that I know she will need to be in great shape for.  What are you doing in 2015 to fight back against this crazy disease?

My Wife Has MS Busted 400,000 Pageviews Today!

Seven years ago I started writing about my wife's MS and our journey as a family.  My wife was diagnosed with MS in 1990, and we have tried to share our experiences with anyone interested so that they might gain some insight into this crazy disease.  Today we passed over 400,000 page views thanks to YOU!  Over the years I've received emails and notes from MS patients and spouses that live all over the World.  Multiple Sclerosis has bonded us through the joys and pains of trying to live a sane life with an insane disease.

Our Journey is about to take a new turn as we grow our Businesses and start the Wahl Protocol.  We are also starting a new Yoga program that is being specifically designed for my wife and the issues she is having.  We are extremely excited about how the Wahl Protocol and the new Yoga program will take my wife's health to a whole new level.  My desire is to update the Blog regularly and share our new Journey, and hopefully our crazy life will help a few people along with way.  Thank you so much for your input, your amazing emails and notes, and your support for the last seven years!

My Wife Just Quit Her Job Because of This

Seven months ago my wife and I moved our family back to Texas to start a new Business.  After spending over 7 years working in Children's Homes we were ready to take a break and start working towards building a Business so we could live life more on our terms.  Since my wife has MS, we really didn't want her to have to work but she started working as a Bookkeeper so we would have some additional cashflow while our Business grew.  To speed up the process I started looking for a way to market my new Business better online and found a couple of Marketers that were making a large amount of monthly income from working exclusively with Local Businesses.  I joined their Mentoring/Coaching program and the rest is History.

Last week my wife quit her job because my original Business and our new Local Marketing Business have grown so fast that I needed her help.  Her job was causing her a lot of stress which was affecting her MS, so we are counting our Blessings!  She was happy to quit and now she will be helping me with both Businesses.  One of the great things about my new Marketing Business is she is totally capable of building assets for it too.  We even have our daughter involved so that she can make money for College.  I know there are many of you that either need to quit your job due to MS issues, or those that have had to quit because of MS issues.  Either way, if I could show you how to create a real Business working with Local Businesses in your area that had very little overhead and could produce thousands a month, would you be interested?

I not only am building my own Marketing Business but I've also been hired by the 2 guys that created the Coaching program because of my success.  I'm able to share the Business with others that are looking for a Training Program and Coaching to grow their own Business.  If you are looking for a Real Business that you can do from Home or the Beach or anywhere else as long as you have Internet, then watch the video below.  I made this video a few months ago to explain what I was doing to a few of my friends, and it will give you an idea of the main Business model.  

Please understand that this is a Business and that there is an initial Investment required to join the Training.  I made back my Investment within the first few months, but you also need to be ready to Work.  The nice part about the Work is it's Online, so if you are able to follow Video Instructions and have an Internet Connection, you have the basic tools to build your Business.  Most of the work is done up front, then you are able to enjoy the benefits for months and years to come.  If you're interested in talking more follow the directions on the Video and we can setup a time to talk.  Please only reach out if you are really interested in starting and growing your own Business, and are willing to make an Initial Investment in your Business.  We currently have Business Partners all over the World, and it would be amazing to know that I was able to help MS patients find Financial Freedom so they could take better care of their Health!

Click Here to fill out the Form

Stopped Stomach Issues for My Wife with MS

A few weeks ago my wife was at the Chiropractor and the Doc was sharing with us about Kombucha.  We headed to Whole Foods after the Adjustment and picked up a few different flavors of Synergy Kombucha.  The Chiropractor had explained how Kombucha has been super helpful for her health since it contains Pro Biotics and Antibiotics.  We've used Pro Biotics before and it helped my wife but we were surprised to find out how it would really affect her.

While we were at Whole Foods we also picked up Natural Calm, which is a drink mix we had used before to help my wife destress and relax.  Natural Calm has Calcium and Magnesium in it, and was recommended to us by the a Naturopath we used to see.  So, my wife started with the Natural Calm as soon as we got home.  Within minutes she was feeling relaxed and even commented that her hair felt relaxed.  Not really sure what that means, but I could visibly see the difference in her body.  That night she fell asleep easily and she has continued with the Natural Calm every day since.

She also started the Kombucha a few days later.  Up until this time she has been struggling with Stomach issues off and on for years.  Some days she has no issues, but other days she can eat the same thing she always does and she would immediately get sick.  Just a heads up, not all flavors of the Kombucha are good.  Some of them are really, really bad, but she found a few flavors that she likes and our daughter even likes.  She takes a little everyday in the mornings.  Within a few days she noticed that she wasn't having the stomach issues and had been having regular bowel movements, which has been a problem since I've known her.

She's continued with both the Kombucha and the Natural Calm and hasn't had a single day where she's had Stomach issues.  She's super excited because she can tell a difference in her Stomach and in her body.  She's slept better and feels better, and has been able to eat without worrying about getting sick.  We are going to continue to using these 2 products and my wife is starting to work on her diet again.  Over the next few months I will try to post more often as we live life with MS.

Waking Up With Tingly Toes and Fingers

Does Multiple Sclerosis cause you to wake up with tingly fingers and toes?  That's what has been happening with my wife for a few months now.  Sometimes they are really tingly and other times it only lasts for a few minutes.  Sometimes it's only one foot or hand or even one side of her body instead of both.  Most of the time the feeling comes back within a short time after waking up and she doesn't have any other issues during the daytime.  The frustrating thing about this is that we know why she's having these issues.

We know what it is because the problems started when my wife's pillow started breaking down and she ordered a new one.  She tried super expensive Sleep Number Pillows and other pillows that were supposed to be good for your spine and neck like the water filled pillows.  All of these pillows caused the same issues and some were worse than others.  We've found one style of pillow that doesn't cause my wife to have these issues.  Years ago this style of pillow was recommended by one of our Chiropractors and we've both used them ever since.

The style of Pillow is a Contoured Pillow.  I tried to find it online so you would know which one it is but they apparently are only available through a Chiropractors office.  The closest pillow I found you can see by Clicking Here.  When we started using these pillows it took a few days for both of us to get used to them.  It wasn't the most comfortable at first, but after we became used to them we don't leave the house without them.  I take my pillow with me everywhere we go, and so does my wife.  I can't sleep now without it or I get headaches and struggle to sleep. 

For my wife, her pillow provides more than a good night of sleep, it actually helps her to stay in alignment.  It amazes both of us how simple things like her pillow can totally change the way she feels on a daily basis.  My wife recently re-ordered 2 pillows so that we would have a backup for later and she wouldn't have to do without the right one.  After months of tingly fingers and toes, she can't wait to have her favorite pillow so she can have a great night's sleep!  We know for sure after years and years of adjustments and how she has MS issues when she's out of alignment that it is very important for her to be intentional about everything including her pillow.  If you're waking up with tingly body parts, maybe it's time to take a look at your pillow.  If you have any questions please shoot them to us, and as always we really appreciate your comments!

Article on the Vascular System and Multiple Sclerosis

I came across a post today from one of the Facebook pages I follow, and I thought you might be able to get something not only out of the article but also out of ways the article suggests to help with Vascular health.  CCSVI has been a hot topic for a few years now and the link between our Vascular system and Multiple Sclerosis is heating up as more and more Research is done.  There is a lot of information out now about CCSVI and MS, and to be honest I haven't had the time until recently to start really looking at it again but I will try to get more information on here about the newest findings. 

Here is the article about Endothelial Health and MS, and the authors recommendations to have a Healthy Vascular System - http://ccsvi.org/index.php/helping-myself/endothelial-health.  Hope this helps!

Planning Ahead For Heat And MS

Does heat bother your MS?  My wife has gone through times when she can take hot baths and not have any issues, and at other times she overheats very easily.  Now that we are back in Texas we are dealing with hotter and hotter days, and my wife does a few things to make sure she doesn't overheat during the day or night.  If she doesn't plan ahead, things can go south in a hurry so we make sure that we are prepared if she is going to be outside for lengths of time or it's a particularly hot day.

Recently we stopped off at Turner Falls in Oklahoma on our way back from Kansas.  It was a hot day but we wanted to hike some so we could see the Falls and also see the different Camping areas just in case we decided to camp there.  It has become habit now for me to reach out my arm for my wife to either hold my arm or hand while we are walking.  It's pretty normal for her to be walking along and not lift her foot enough to clear something and trip.  Luckily we've been together a long time and I'm always ready to catch her if need be.

So, we did a little hiking that day and she did great.  We took plenty of water and made sure and didn't push too hard.  On that day she didn't have heat issues and was able to handle all the walking and hiking we did.  She didn't even trip, much. ;)  That was a good day without issues, but there have been other days that have not gone so well.  We've been traveling at times when she would just get out of the car after riding for hours and if it was extremely hot outside, she would just wilt.  Those are the times she freezes me out of the car because she has the A/C on high trying to get cooled off. 

If it's hot at night she really struggles to sleep.  It's kinda funny because during the winter she has a heated blanket on all night long, but as soon as it starts warming up she struggles to find a happy medium and sheds the covers fast.  One thing she recently did to help at night was to chill a homemade Heat/Cold bag our daughter made for her.  It's super simple to make, and we even put fresh lavender in it so it would smell great.  She takes the bag and puts it in a ziplock bag and freezes it.  At night she can take it out and use it as a cold bag to cool off.  There are tons of DIY rice bags on Pinterest, and it's a fun project to do with your kids.

I guess the main thing we do to keep my wife from overheating is just being prepared with water, access to A/C and having other things available if possible like the cold rice bags.  Before MS my wife could camp out and stay in the heat outside without any issues, but we know now that she has to have access to A/C if needed so we just adjust as needed.  We choose to make tweaks in our plans that we know will make things easier and less stressful for her and all of us.  She knows her boundaries and we do too, and that helps to alleviate issues before they become major problems.  If you're going to be out in the heat this summer, plan ahead and make sure you have a Plan B.  It makes things so much easier and keeps Multiple Sclerosis from stopping the fun.

Big Things To Come For My Wife Has MS Blog

Well, my wife and I have been talking a lot about our goals and our future.  We are currently building a new Brick and Mortar business but have been building an Online Passive Income for the past few years.  With our Passive Income growing we are excited about a new phase for our My Wife Has MS blog.  Over the years I've told our story and wrote when I could, but I haven't been able to focus on sharing as much as I would like.  So, we are in the beginning phases of something we are both very excited about!

In the near future we will be able to share more about our struggles, joys and life with MS, and my wife will take a bigger role in our new endeavors.  For awhile she wanted to share more about how she feels and what's going through her mind and heart while fighting MS.  With her writing more and sharing more, we feel like you will be able to get a more balanced view of what our lives are like and how we go about treating her MS.  One of our main goals will be to continue to offer a real view of what life is like with MS, and provide Hope for those that are struggling.

So make sure and check back often because we will be announcing new additions to our Blog and will be giving everything a fresh look and feel.  For now, I just want to say THANK YOU to all of you that have followed our Journey and commented on our Blog.  We have laughed with you and cried with you as you've sent us emails and shared your journeys.  Our hope is that our new efforts will help, encourage and provide information for anyone looking for information on MS, and continue to provide a raw look at the ups and downs of Multiple Sclerosis.

Figured Out Why My Wife Was Dragging Her Leg With MS

Over the last few weeks my wife has been dealing with leg issues due to her MS.  Her legs weren't hurting or painful, but they weren't working right and were cold and partially numb.  I wrote a post the other day about finding a new Chiropractor.  If you haven't read the post, you can read it by clicking here.  The first visit to this new Chiropractor I figured out why she had been dragging her leg.  The Dr. was putting her through an initial exam and when she checked her leg length her right leg was literally an inch longer than her left.  No wonder it was dragging!

Our new Chiropractor adjusted her hips and for the first few days she really struggled because her body had been out of alignment for so long.  After a few more visits she is now doing really well and can actually lift her right leg.  For days she couldn't lift her leg high enough to even put her shoe on, but now she is able to raise it almost as high as her left.  Every day she is walking better, moving better and all of the cold issues along with the numbness are now gone.  It still amazes both of us how her alignment affects so many different things in her body, and how easily it can be fixed with an adjustment. 

Over the years we've heard all the advice about how my wife's MS must be progressing and how this is just a part of the natural progression that she would lose functions and have issues.  We will continue to push back against this thought process and not accept that my wife's health is going to become worse, and continue to find ways to help my wife feel better and have more control over her MS.  So far we have found some very specific things that help my wife and we continue to learn more everyday.  I would encourage anyone else that has MS to listen to your body, and look for treatments you feel comfortable with.  That's what we've done, and we've had success.  Most people don't realize my wife even has MS because we've found treatments that work for her.

Found A New Chiropractor For My Wife's MS

If you haven't read my last blog post, you can read it here.  Over the last week my wife was having cold feet, strips of cold from her hip to her feet and was dragging her right leg.  She wasn't having pain really, more of a numb/cold feeling in strips and areas of her legs and feet.  Her left leg seemed to be having more issues than her right leg, but she has been dragging her right leg since she started to have issues.  So, she went Monday to a new Chiropractor that did something similar to what we've done before but she didn't respond as well to the adjustment as she had in the past.  On Wednesday, we decided to try a different Chiropractor.

After searching for a Pro Adjuster Chiropractor in the area, we found one not too far from where we live now.  So, we loaded up and went through a consult and some x-rays and then she had her first adjustment at the new Chiropractor.  It was a little unnerving to see the Dr. check her feet length and her right foot was literally an inch longer than her left foot.  The Dr. adjusted her including adjusting her hips, which was causing the issues with her foot length, and she was feeling better immediately after the appointment.  We drove home and she was fine for a few hours until her right leg started hurting. 

She took an Advil and within a few hours the pain went away.  We knew that she would be "feeling" the adjustment since her body was so out of whack.  What's so interesting is watching her fatigue go away and the feeling come back in her body after the adjustments.  Today she was much better.  She can still feel the issues in her hips but isn't dragging her leg and has had much more energy.  She will go back to visit the Dr. on Monday and we will see how far out of whack her body is by that point.  Just another day living with MS! :) 

Cold Toes and Legs With Multiple Sclerosis

OK, so it may sound a little odd but my wife has cold strips down her leg, and certain toes that will go cold from her MS.  The last few days she has had MS leg issues, meaning that they are hurting and she has numbness and a cold feeling.  The cold is a stripe down the side of her leg from her hip to her toes.  It's really strange and when this happens she struggles to stay warm.  She has to either take a hot bath or get under an electric blanket to warm up.

We've also noticed that when these MS attacks happen, she becomes very fatigued and very emotional.  We recently moved back to Texas so we don't have our normal treatments in place, and are currently looking for a Pro Adjuster Chiropractor in the area.  We found a Chiropractor that does something similar but not quite the same, and after being adjusted today she had improvement but not the level of improvement we are used to.  My wife commented earlier that she didn't feel like she normally would after an adjustment. 

We have wondered through the years what a different type of adjustment would do, but we have always found a Pro Adjuster and she has continued to have similar results with each new Chiropractor.  So, after talking with others that haven't had the same results we have had with Chiropractic it has made me wonder how effective different methods of Chiropractic are on MS.  We know what has worked for my wife, and for me and my daughter for other issues, and we will find the right kind of Chiropractor in our area.  My wife has an appt on Wednesday with a Pro Adjuster Chiro to see what she thinks, and we will get things in place for her treatment. 

Moving Back Home

After moving our family to Colorado, we have now moved back home to Texas.  Colorado was a total bust for our jobs and our lives, so we took a big step and moved to Texas to start a business.  We've been working in non-profit work for the last 6 years, but I think we are ready to move on from that career.  So, we've been back in Texas for a little over a month now and have started our new business.  We are continuing with some of our online businesses also, but this new business is a brick and mortar business selling Safety Supplies and Equipment.

The moves have been hard on my wife's MS.  Moving is a stressful activity physically, and it's mentally taxing especially when you are moving to a new area and a new job.  For my wife, it took a few weeks for her to acclimate to Colorado and I don't know that any of our family ever acclimated completely in the 5 months we were there.  After the stress from the job started to increase due to bad management, we knew that we needed to make a change.  We've learned through the years that some things are not worth holding onto, and our jobs were not worth the stress it was placing on our family.

So, we decided to step away from a regular paycheck and start our own business.  This has been stressful in itself, but my wife and I are both working hard to make this work.  We have extremely supportive families which I know has helped my wife's MS, and is helping our new venture.  We are excited about the future and so far my wife has had very few issues with her MS in Texas.  When we first unloaded she was struggling with some dizziness and we immediately found a Chiropractor.  After 2 adjustments she's been doing great.  It still amazes both of us that her body responds so quickly and so efficiently to Chiropractic.

I guess the one thing that we have learned through the last few years is that you have to take control of your life, and sometimes that means moving 7 hours then turning around and moving 12 hours only 5 months later.  It's been tough but it's been a very healthy move for our whole family.  Hopefully this new career will give me more time to write and share as we experience new things in Texas.  Hope everyone is doing great out there, and thanks for taking a moment to read about our lives!