When I was first diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis I remember my new neurologist opening the conversation with "You aren't going to die." Which for the most part is true. Recently Davy Jones of the Monkees passed away and asked for all donations be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in remberence of his neice who "died of Multiple Sclerosis". I have come across so many people who have told me stories of relatives who have died of MS. Great strides have been made in research and treatment to those diagnosed with MS and many can live their lives with MS "normality".
When you are diagnosed with a disease like Multiple Sclerosis you start to view your entire life differently and think differently, at least I did. The moment I heard that there is a chance I could end up in a wheelchair or suffer physically I decided to appreciate the simplicity of being physically active now. When you hear the words "You might not be able to walk".....YOU WALK! You walk, run, jump, play etc etc etc. When you hear that your sight could be impaired or you could go blind....YOU SEE! I stop myself often during each day and soak up what I see, and thank God that I am able to see with minimal optic damage. My memory has gotten worse and at times I get confused but I make sure to aide myself with a day planner, my iPhone, and constant reminders. I have to inject myself every single day with a medication to help slow/stop symptoms. I don't dwell over the large welts left on my legs, arms, stomach and hips--I can't think that way. That is my medication, it's going to keep me safe. My point is that where as I am not dying or show any physical symptoms of this disease--I am doing everything to fight for a "normal" life. It is a battle. It would be easy to just throw a pity party and give up but that's not the option I was given..no one told me I was going to have a normal life again. Most people's normal does not include needles, pills, MRIs, memory exams, evoked potential eye exams and the list goes on. But mine does. This is my normal...this is my life and I am honestly one of the lucky ones. At the Mellen Center (Cleveland Clinic MS Center) I see far worse and many times I have had to choke back tears in the waiting room. Closer to home I can look at my mother and see that she has trouble walking and that pushes me even harder.
If by some chance I start to get worse then I want to know that I sure as heck didn't go down without a fight.
This year we are participating the Cleveland MS Walk. Please consider donating to our team--the money raised helps those living with Multiple Sclerosis and aides the NMSS.
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/OHAWalkEvents?px=9029218&pg=personal&fr_id=17853
Monday, March 12, 2012
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3 comments:
I was just thinking about writing a post about how living with pain has changed the way I live. When I have bad days I think about you. Swearsies.
I just finished editing and illustrating a book for a well-known food scientist, Woodrow Monte, PhD, in which he reveals in detail his discovery of the cause of Multiple Sclerosis. MS is on the rise, and avoiding it - and in some cases even curing it - is actually very simple. Dr. Monte’s work is sound and his conclusions are undeniable in face of the evidence. He has been working with several MS patients who, based on his findings, are getting their lives back. One who was in very bad shape not long ago is now driving and riding her horse for the first time in six years.
The simple one and only cause of MS is exposure to methanol. It is the methanol in cigarettes that is responsible for the known link between MS and smoking. It is the methanol in Ditto machines that is responsible for the MS cluster in school teachers. And it is the methanol in aspartame, which is heavily consumed in diet sodas, that is responsible for the explosion of MS in the past 30 years since its approval by the FDA for use in diet drinks. Methanol is found in lesser amounts in several common foods as well, but all are easily avoided.
When consumed, it is converted by the enzyme known as Alcohol Dehydrogenase Class 1 (ADH1) into formaldehyde inside the body’s most sensitive tissues. Formaldehyde works as an embalming agent because it is very "sticky" - it is a molecule that grabs onto anything it comes in contact with, and it ties all the cells together, causing a rubberizing effect. Once inside the brain, the formaldehyde quickly attaches to the myelin sheaths, and that change prompts the body's white blood cells to devour the damaged sheaths. The myelin sheath can regenerate if it is not yet entirely destroyed - which is why MS sufferers experience periods of remission and why avoiding methanol in the diet and environment can cure MS if it hasn't gone too far.
More information about Dr. Monte and his work can be found on his website: www.WhileScienceSleeps.com. His diet is here: http://www.whilesciencesleeps.com/monte-diet/
Please do yourself a HUGE favor and get his book - it will give you your life back! It is available for Kindle or in print. If you will email me I will send you a copy of one of the chapters in the book that I believe will convince you. My address is beckymillerartist at yahoo dot com. I won't use your address for anything else and I won't share it with anyone.
You are one amazing woman! Everything you said is soooo true and it is how I live my life everyday as well though under different circumstances. The mind is very powerful and something as simple as changing the way you think can change your whole body! You can "think yourself" healthy as well as sick. You have a great understanding and outlook on life! Continue to heal yourself from the inside out... Mind, Body, and Spirit. God Bless!
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