Back in 1984, I used to get episodes of paresthesia. I was 16 years old and Mom would call the numb burning patches on my arms and legs skin bruises. She said that they were akin to growing pains. I was a naturally dramatic child, so Mom did her best not to play in to my complaints.
In 1991, when I was 23, I went blind in one eye. I remember the pain when I wasn't holding my eyeball. Mom brought me to a neuro-ophthalmologist and I was diagnosed with optic neuritis. Back then they offered me a hospital stay and prednisone injections every four hours for three staright days. They never told me that it would help, but they said it was my only choice. They also never told me they suspected MS. My cousin, a recent doctor of ophthalmology, came in to visit me and made the announcement that it was sure to be MS. He is one of those know-it-all jerks that you typically want beat up in elementary school, so I ignored him.
At 25, I went to the doctor for a foot complaint. The doctor I visited asked me if there was anything else wrong with me because it can get hard to get appointments in a timely manner with her. I told her nothing was wrong except a few skin bruises (refer to Mom's name for paresthesia). This doctor immediately sent me to a neurologist. After a spinal tap, an MRI and a second opinion, I was officially diagnosed with MS in September of 1993. They said I probably had it since I was 16.
My journey with MS started in 1984 where I have been blessed with so many successes, failures, gains, and losses that I've been called to use these experiences to encourage others with Multiple Sclerosis. I began a Facebook group called MS Frontiers to help me and others manage MS through the brilliance of others with MS who share research, experiences, and opinions. I am humbled by the miracles I’ve seen through the people in this group and by those served through God's love in all of us.
