Hello, My name is Michelle Weisenborn and I was diagnosed with MS (Multiply Scelerosis)in 1986. I was 20 years old at that time and very well, when you consider how ill a person can become upon having this disease.
When they named this disease "Multiple" Scelecosis, thats excatly what it is. There are so many symptoms it would take thousand's of words to tell them all. So to keep this at a miminum I will try my best to describe them in brief in further paragraphs.
To begin you need to determine that one has such a disease. This was very hard to do during the time thatI was trying to find out what was causing my problem. Because it had not been studied very extensively. As it has these days. I went thru about ten doctors and five years of testing before they finally found out that this is what I have. Needless to say it was a very trying time for me and my family! Till this day I still have my up's and down's with the MS. But now I think that I have finally found the right combination of medicine and diet that keeps me feeling really well!!!! I give my thanks to god, my doctor (neurologist), and family for there support!
In the following text I will try my best to elaborate on what MS is and what it does to the humane body. These are some of my own experiences and some of the things that I have learned over the last fifteen years through research.
MS is a disease of the central nervous system. Thus meaning that it affects the entire nervous system. The disease randomly attacks the protective coating (medically known as Mylen sheathing) that surrounds the nerves. In return causing lesions. This disease normally is found attacking the centeral nervous system. Causing it to short circuit. The severity of the symptom depends on the level of the disease damage.
The mild symptoms I have experienced in my years of having MS consist of mild to extreme tingling of all extremities. Hands, arms, face, legs, feet and actually all parts of the body. This can also feel like a numb feeling. At different times it will jump from one place to another. One minute I will feel like I am getting better then it will start somewhere else. Also at times my arms and/or legs feel weak. Thus causing trouble walking and/or lifting things with my arms and hands. This also include mild to severe muscle spasums in the extrimities. Mild to sever back pain with neck pain also. Control of bladder and bowels is also a problem at times. Today I am dealing with facial seizures and head aches. Deperision has become a big part of it all too. After three years of trying different medications I think that I have finally got it right to control these problems.
On to the Extreme symptoms. I have expericenced loss of sight in one eye. I woke up one day in January of 1989 and couldn't feel nothing from my breast down, I went to get up out of bed and couldn't stand. Oh how scared I was that day! I also lost control of my hands. Of course this caused me not be able to do anything that involved using my hands or legs. I also was experiencing the loss of sight in one eye. My family made me go to my neuroliogist and he of course put me in the hospital. He wanted to keep me for a month but I wanted to go home. So I went home with a visiting nurse. He put me on a steriode called ACTH. This was for a thirty day therapy. I expericened every side affect that was known for this drug. I was awake for 33 days. He also had me on sleeping pills and about ten other drugs. This went on for about a year. I will say that I came out ahead in the long run. I have been very well sense. This was the worst bout with MS I have ever had.
I have found that it is all trial and error when using these different medications. One has to try all kinds of different methods of therypies to find out what works for them. There has been so much research done sense my worst bout with MS. I have found that the drugs are just a temporary fix. We all need to realize that exersize and diet are the key to being well!
I have found that reading, writing and talking about this has helped me alot! I have also realized that the state of mind that one keeps can effect the way you will feel! So please don't keep looking back at what has happeded to you or your loved ones, only if you are using the memories to improve on the furture. Look ahead at what is happening today and try to make it the best you can!! We all make our lives what they are. We can control the out come of what they will be!
I will tell you what has kept my MS under control. The perscription vitiman B called Berocca. I am not sure on the spell of this so please ask your doctor. Also I have used generic prenatal vitimans. I have also been on predisone for thirty day therapies when anything flares up.
I find that the most effective treatment that I can use or even reccomend is a vegitarian diet and plenty of exercise as in generally walikng and playing with my four year old son alot. I would also like to add that alot of learning about this desease has helped me drastically!
I can only hope for you and yours that the information that I have given can help! Here is a few of the sites that I reccomend that you should reasearch to get a better understanding of MS. Keep looking up! We only have one chance at this life! Lets make the best of it!
