Life Goes On With MS

So many emails I receive are from individuals with newly diagnosed MS. They are scared, and have more questions than answers. If they've searched the internet for MS symptoms, just diagnosed with MS, living with MS, etc., they have probably been led to many blogs and websites that give a bleak future for the MS patient. Well, I can only speak from my wife's experiences, but I can tell you that you can have MS and live a very full, active life. The last few months my wife has been working on losing weight, becoming healthier and having more control over her MS. She started with a juice fast a few months ago and has continued to become healthier by losing over 35 lbs, eating better, exercising with care, listening to her body and resting, and being more aware of her stress level and need for chiropractic. Because of this, she has had very limited MS symptoms in months and we have pushed hard with trips, church camps and the heat of summer. This last week alone, she had very little sleep at camp, spent all day working with teens, helped outside in 100 degree heat, and pushed hard from morning till night. She had one morning she experienced a headache and a few times in the heat that she had to step inside and cool off, but outside of that, she did amazing and was able to keep up at a pace with everyone else. I am so proud of her and her efforts the last few months because she has been more consistent and determined than I have seen her in a long time. She looks great, has lots of energy, and is feeling great. She has participated in cycling classes, climbed mountains in New Mexico, kept up with teens at church camp and been more active than I've seen her in a long time. There was a time not too many years ago that we wondered if she was going to be able to walk again, and through a lot of trial and error, we found some very specific ways that she was able to control her MS and overcome any issues she was having. I guess I am writing this today because so many newly diagnosed Multiple Sclerosis patients struggle to have hope for their future, and so many others are fighting for a normal life. Fatigue, headaches, numbness, pain, stomach issues, twitching, loss of movement, leg pain and weakness, MS hug, eyesight issues, cramping, dizziness, memory issues, brain fog and many other symptoms have all been issues my wife has dealt with over the 22+ years she has been diagnosed with MS, but she continues to fight for a better life and has been able to overcome those symptoms. Life can go on, and my wife has worked hard to be healthy not only for herself, but for me and our daughter. Living with MS is not easy, and one thing I have learned from talking with so may different individuals with MS is that not everything that has worked for my wife will work for them the same way. Patience, trial and error and having the hope that there are definitely treatments that will work have kept my wife striving for better health and a better life. Life goes on after diagnosis of MS, and there can be some really rough times, but I know for my wife that she has struggled through those and has continued to become healthier and live a full life. So, please don't let diagnosis or MS attacks stop you from hoping for a better future and a full life. That is one of the main reasons we started this blog, to share our experiences in the hope that it would help someone. We are an open book, so if there are any questions you have please shoot them our way, and don't ever lose hope that there are treatments and ways for you to have more control over MS.

Update on MS Disease

It's been a while since I have posted, and I wanted to give a quick update on how my wife is doing. We have been in Kansas for almost a year, running a Children's Home that is both high stress and little rest. Over the last year she has struggled with minor Multiple Sclerosis symptoms, but has controlled any bigger issues with diet, rest and natural therapies like chiropractic. She isn't having to work full time, but works many hours per week for our Home, along with home schooling our daughter and taking care of our personal home. She is an amazing wife and mom, and this past year has been a year of learning and growing towards more understanding of how diet etc. affects her health. Over the past 4 months she has lost 28 pounds, and is continuing to lose weight utilizing Weight Watchers. She is combining years of information and studying MS diets with counting points in the WW system. This has worked wonderfully for her, and given her a goal to pursue. She participates in cycling class at least once a week right now, and has been working out as her body will allow. She has become much better at listening to her body over the last few years, and is very aware of when and how far she can push her body. She has done fantastic with her desire to become healthier and lose weight, and I couldn't be more proud of her progress. Our summer is going to be crazy with all of the activities and events we are participating in for the Home, and we will have to be careful to make sure my wife's MS doesn't rear it's ugly head while we are enjoying our trips. She will need to get plenty of rest, drink lot's of water, make sure her body is eliminating properly, eat healthy, and make sure she doesn't push her body beyond it's limits. For all of those individuals out there that have been recently diagnosed with MS and wonder if you can have a normal life with MS, my wife is a great example of someone that has not allowed her MS to define her life. You can find healing and with some adjustments in your life, you can thrive. Don't ever give up on learning and finding treatments that work for you, and please let us know if there is anything we can do to help you through your journey.

New Year With Multiple Sclerosis

Well, 2012 is here and with it new joys and challenges. Who knows what kind of discoveries will happen this year with MS treatment and what lives will be restored through those discoveries. With a new year comes new hopes and dreams, which I know my wife has already started working on her goals for 2012. We have already found a new Naturopath we are going to see this year, and I know my wife has her eyes set on running a 5k this year. As we look forward we can't help but look back at 2011.

The end of 2011 brought all kinds of MS issues and new challenges. For the last 8 months we have lived in Kansas, and every time we move it brings with it new challenges and a new learning curve for my wife's MS. Over the last few months she has fell more than any other time in our marriage. We are not sure what is causing her to drag her leg so much, but we have been very concerned because the last time she fell, she fractured a small bone in her hand that is still causing her pain.

In addition to the falling, she has struggled with some other odd symptoms. For over a week she would wake up every morning to an upset stomach. After being sick for a few hours, it would all pass and she would spend the rest of the day with a little queasiness. The other symptom that we have noticed is eye sight issues. We've noticed her eye sight is better some days than others. For instance, last week we painted our daughters room and my wife didn't notice that she was leaving paint runs on the wall because she couldn't see them. This really surprised me because she is very detailed and painting has been a strength for her. I know it frustrates her when she struggles to do things that she has been able to do for years.

So, as we look forward we have to look back and learn from our experiences. We have huge hopes and dreams for this year and we are both committed to doing whatever we need to do to make those dreams come true. Our hope is also for all the readers of this blog to find some hope and healing through our experiences and life. May your 2012 be amazing and you find some peace in the chaos that is MS.

How Many Weird MS Symptoms Can There Be?

Ok, so we've seen a lot of weird stuff through the years of my wife's MS. She has lost control of her throat and couldn't swallow, lost color and complete eyesight, felt weird pains and tingling, been numb all over or just in little spots, felt like her nerves were on fire, and a whole slew of other symptoms. This past week we were introduced to a couple of new ones for us. Now, we have been under a lot of stress lately. Life changes are happening and we are stressing, and hopefully we will have some kind of direction soon.

With all of the stress, I expect my wife to have issues. This time is no different, and she is having some weird stuff going on. The other day she woke up and had a pain shooting from her chest to the middle of her stomach. It was a piercing pain that would let up for awhile, and then come on full force. The pain stopped her in her tracks, and she wasn't able to do anything that day, but try to get in a position to stop the pain. This lasted a full day and even caused her discomfort when she was trying to go to bed. After a full night of sleep, the pain was gone, and there were no signs it had ever happened.

If it would have stopped there, I wouldn't have thought a whole lot about it. A few days later, she began to have severe stomach pain. If she laid completely still, the pain would subside for a bit, but as soon as she moved the pain would hit full blast and she would be bent over in agony. Again, the pain went all day and didn't subside until a full night of rest. The next day, the pain was gone, and her stomach was sore but it wasn't anything major.

On top of those issues, she has had shoulder issues for the past couple of weeks. Her shoulder catches when she raises it and she isn't able to raise her arm fully over her head. I know this, and maybe the other symptoms, are not all MS, but I do know that the stress the MS puts on the body seems to fatigue it to the point where she is more susceptible to other issues. This catch in her shoulder has been going on for awhile, and we are going to see the Chiropractor today to see if he can help.

It seems like through the years of writing this blog, I have repeated the mantra of stress and MS more than I would like. It truly amazes me how stress impacts the body, and how MS just magnifies that. We hope to find out some very important news over the next few days about our future, which should help to alleviate some of the stress, but until then we have to find ways to relax. Tonight we are going on a date, to relax and spend time just enjoying each other. It almost scares me to think of all the weird ways MS affects the body, and I would just as soon not find out. Stress, please go away!