Why I Wore Lipstick...

...To My MS Diagnosis.

It's official. Sarah Ellis - Mom, Military Wife, Business Owner, and MS'er.

No surprise here however the fam didn't take it as well. I had already commited to the fact that I had MS, as was clearly shown in one of my past posts. The Hubs has been wonderful and even wrote a little something that I would like to share with you.

"It's been a long process, but today we got confirmation that Sarah has Multiple Sclerosis. So I'm writing this for her, for me, for them and for you. But most importantly for Us. Because, in the end, it is the 'Us' and the 'We' who makes this journey through the ups and downs of life easier on 'you' and 'I'. Today marks a turning point in our lives but not a stopping point nor a resting point. In fact, it is Sarah's quiet strength, determination and courage (not to mention stubborness) in the face of a debilitating disease that has given me the ability to cope with the possibilities of the future. So, today We decide to persevere and not give in...We decided to rejoice in life and not focus on the suffering...We decide to laugh and smile more than we will cry...We decide to support each other when we are the weakest. But most importantly, We will continue to be Us."

So now you know why I love this man. :) I think he pretty much said it all.

I'm handling everything pretty well. I'm telling myself I'm fine but this headache that I've had for 3 days now is telling me I'm stressing. It'll go away soon, I know. No tears. Those were shed months ago, ok maybe weeks ago, when all of this was really hitting me.

Results of my Spinal MRI, EEG and VEP:

My Spinal MRI showed one more lesion. So three in my noggin and one on my spine. My EEG came back normal so my ex-neuro was wrong when she diagnosed seizures. My VEP results weren't back yet but he said the results wouldn't make a difference either way.

The diagnosis was delivered and now it's time to get down to business. As I told a fellow MS'er, "I think I'm waiting for the words to come out of the neuros mouth and then something inside of me will say "GO!" and I'll be on my way to healthy living." I'm sticking to that but first, I've got some reading to do...

These are 4 binders, each containing information about a different drug said to slow the progression of MS (I have RRMS by the way). When the Doc said he was going to give us "information packets" on each, I think Sean and I were just expecting a pamphlet. Nope! We both said, "Holy Shit!" (ok, maybe it was just me) when we saw the nurse walk up with these monsters.

At first I was not willing to consider a drug, but after conversing with my neuro and reading up on my options I think I'm going to go for it. I'm not looking forward to injecting myself everyday and yesterday I thought, "I am 27. 27! 27! TWENTY SEVEN! And now my refrigerater is constantly going to be stocked with a months worth of mommy's drugs. Ah well, what can ya do?

So the plan is set! Diet. Exercise. Drugs.

Oh My!

2 More Days...

till diagnosis day.

The way I look at it, I'll either get the definite diagnosis, or he'll request a Lumbar Puncture.

Ouch!

I'm banking on the diagnosis. Especially since I've been paying more attention to my symptoms and one symptom has been around constantly for weeks. At the very least.

It's my understanding that in order to diagnosis MS the doctor needs to see...

- Symptoms and signs indicating disease of the brain or spinal cord - Check
- Evidence of two or more lesions upon examination by MRI scan - Check
- Objective evidence of disease of the brain or spinal cord on doctor's examination - Check
- Two or more episodes lasting at least 24 hours and occurring at least one month apart - Read Below
- No other explanation for the symptoms - We'll See

Ok, I cheated. I copied that from WebMD. But I already knew all that stuff.

I'll list all my symptoms at another time but there are now 2 episodes where my symptoms have lasted longer then 24 hours. The first one was in May, which started all this MS crap, when I went in to see my GP for vertigo. It ended up lasting about 30 hours and at that appointment my GP referred me to my now ex-crappy neuro. That's one.

Number two. It's still going on and I just started paying attention to it after my last appointment with my new, wonderful neuro. 24 hours a day, everyday, for at least the last 3 weeks, I have been experiencing ringing/humming in my ears.

The best way I can describe it is if you turn on your TV, mute the audio, and then stand by the TV and listen to the sound it makes just because it's on, that's what I'm hearing. 24-7. At first I only noticed it at night, when all was quiet in our home. After I noticed it for a few nights I started 'listening' for it during the day and sure enough, it was still there.

It's not very loud or very annoying unless I concentrate on it. And when I concentrate on it, it gives me a headache. So I've paid attention long enough to know it's happening all the time and now I'm just ignoring it. Or trying to.

UPDATES:

1. I've painted my nails blue. Just because I can and in the spirit of Halloween. The hubs looked at me crazy but Bean and D loved it.

2. Operation "Courteous Driver" is underway, and I think my whole city knows it. Yesterday I was cutoff by a very kind driver (biting my tongue), and this morning some jerk off guy was inches away from rear ending me.

3. Working on smoozing my husband into buying me a treadmill. Operation "Get Fit & Healthy" will begin Monday. With or without the treadmill. I think I'm going to start off with my normal diet and then work in (or out) some of the things that are/aren't recommended for those with (maybe) MS. Until then, I'll be hitting all my favorite crap food places.