How did you find out you had Multiple Sclerosis?

kyla how did it come about that you learned that you squirrels I had just gotten married and about a week later I started to feel my hands going numb sort of a cross across my fingertips and I consulted a neurologist and there was thought it was Lyme disease there was an inconclusive range of things that could have been I had a number of tests culminating in an MRI and I was about to get on a plane and head to Europe and the neurologist called me to tell me that I had lesions all over my brain and couldn't travel from there I was hospitalized and a few weeks later the positive diagnosis came back for multiple sclerosis so what did you think about that what what did you know about MS when you got that diagnosis you know I'd been trolling around the internet for a couple of weeks wondering what are these symptoms what could it mean and it was this Lyme disease MS Lyme disease MS it sounded like a terrible dreadful thing that was going to make my life unlivable and I was terrified when I found out that that was what it was Bonni when you found out you had MS did you know anything about MS what I knew about MS was very scary wheelchair debilitating disease and that's all I knew it is pretty scary I was terrified when I had symptoms beyond explanation and has have you had good surprises or bad surprises or no surprises in the subsequent years I've had extremely positive surprises I how long ago were you diagnosed actually I have not been diagnosed I had an isolated event so I'm diagnosed as having I believe the proper name is clinical isolated syndrome so that means you had symptoms that probably were the first episode of MS but because you had only had one set of symptoms you couldn't be officially diagnosed yes and that's 11 years ago but you had abnormalities on your MRI scan so you're being treated just as if you have MS because for all intents and purposes you do have MS but I imagine your own medicine and that's helped stem the tide I would hope so and I would encourage anyone to get on medicine and EJ what's happened with you our MSC compared to what you thought about when you first heard the diagnosis when I was first diagnosed about eleven years ago as well I I was in really bad shape I had originally gone to an orthopedic doctor because I was tripping and my leg wasn't working but I think as soon as he started to examine me he knew it was neurological and I was you know quickly diagnosed and from in about two years I went from being a very active person to having to use a cane and using a wheelchair for any kind of long distance and I've been living in a walk-up in New York City and I had to I couldn't handle the stairs anymore so I had to actually move into the first floor of my parents apartment building so they could help and so the first five six seven years were really bad and I progressed that was a pretty terrifying time it was very terrifying and was terrifying to be trying medication after medication I'm not really seeing any results it was but yet you look as if you walked in here today just fine yeah I'm I think I'm siddur myself extremely lucky person that one of the symptom management drugs that I tried got me out of the wheelchair and walking and so my symptoms today are extremely different and I mean I never really thought I would walk again so I think hope and all the new medications that are coming out are just so hopeful for people that have a mask because you never know what's going to work

Channel: Animated Multiple Sclerosis Patient

Views: 38,151

Rating: 4.881041 out of 5

Keywords: Multiple Sclerosis (Disease Or Medical Condition), Understanding, Patient, MS

Id: BuxJE13LUiY

Length: 4min 14sec (254 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 31 2014