![]() ![]() Even in the toughest spells throughout my life due to MS or something else, I forged forward to reach out. Throughout my entire life, I have always been a doer and a helper with some purpose to serve. At first I thought that no awareness was better than misleading awareness, but maybe this commercial will stir up the pot and get people talking more about MS. What a hurtful setback for me and all of the other MS patients that have been trying so hard to get people to understand what MS really is all about. #Real ms iconquer ms tvThey can’t see the pain, the numbness, weakness, the bladder/bowel problems, or the fatigue and emotional issues that I live with daily.Īnd now that the new ridiculous TV commercial about Tecfidera is airing, people are getting the misconception that there is a pill-a cure-that Relapsing/Remitting MSers can take that will give them the ability to be active and normal all day long. Though I use a scooter or wheelchair because I can’t walk anymore, many folks have asked me if I had an accident. When you look at that picture of me, it is a definite portrayal of that old expression that makes all of us with MS cringe: “But you look so good!” You can’t see the osteoporosis, just like you can’t see so many of my MS symptoms. The first of two new adjustments that I have to research and work on. ![]() I had most of the risk factors for it: genetics, years of steroids, being thin, post-menopausal, and little weight-bearing fitness due to being in a wheelchair for fifteen years. The bad news? I have severe osteoporosis in my hips and osteopenia in my spine-the worse she has ever seen. The good news? Out of all her patients that day, I was the healthiest– perfect scores on all my tests: blood pressure, weight, cholesterol, pulse, circulation, Vitamin D, calcium, and all the other things that are measured when blood is checked. Good sleep, regular fitness, healthy diet choices, stress management… Recently at my annual physical, my doctor said to me “I have good news and I have bad news.” I have always practiced health and wellness as a critical component of managing my MS and chose my medications carefully. I’m proud to say I authored a book, Managing MS: Straight-Talk… published in January 2012, and since then learned social media and built a website through which I have interacted within the MS community since. And I was involved as a volunteer and in other roles in the MS community for the past thirty years. In-between, I learned Spanish and tutored high-schoolers for fifteen years. Many of these trips I made in a wheelchair.Īs I journeyed through motherhood, I enjoyed being a soccer mom, wrestling mom, homeroom mother, and a volunteer in my son’s school, church and community. Not only have I been an avid swimmer, crafter, and reader for as long as I can remember, my love of history and nature was satisfied after visiting all fifty States, seven countries in Europe, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. I can honestly say that I have, and will continue to have a fulfilling life with my husband of thirty-seven years and my 32-year old son. But amazingly for me, in the end each difficult decision resulted in a good outcome. It helped that I am a positive person with an “I can do this” attitude.ĭifficult decisions had to be made-giving up my career, having only one child, going on disability, having to move out of my house… It was hard. ![]() It took time, but I learned to manage my MS well. I didn’t have a choice about getting it, but I did have a choice about whether I was going to let it control me or manage my life. Truthfully, I hate MS-it’s interfering, unpredictable, and invisible in so many ways. Adjustments to changes in my life seemed constant, as my MS Blogger Buddy Nicole Lemelle would say, would become “My New Normal.” And I’m currently facing two more… ![]() Life has been good despite the challenges of living with MS while also dealing with other challenges in life that “normal” people endure. But like all newly-diagnosed people with MS, the fear of having the rest of my life ahead of me with a chronic, debilitating, progressive disease with no cure was frightening to say the least.įlash forward to present day, 35 years later. My career was taking off, I was newly married, and my husband and I were active outdoors doing things like skiing and dirt bike riding. I was only 25 in 1980 when my MS symptoms started. ![]()
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