Friday, January 20, 2017

Welcome To A New Year

Hey all!

I am sorry for my continued absence; turns out, raising a baby when you have MS is very difficult!  I find myself getting really exhausted really quickly, I can't stay up past 10 PM most nights, and whenever I get a free moment, I want to play with my daughter, so that leaves little time for blogging.  Or reading.  Or eating.  Or cleaning.  I pretty much have no time for anything!

My MS has remained very stable since she was born, though.  My right eye is still mostly useless (went dark in December 2015).  I am grateful for every day that I don't have a bad symptom.  A few months back, I had an honest-to-goodness MS Hug that almost floored me.  I really thought I was having a heart attack.  The "Hug" (still want to clock whoever came up with that name) began in the middle of my back and spread to my sides.  It was painful, as if my muscles were being squeezed, which made it hard to breathe.  Lying down made it worse.  I called the ER to make sure, you know, I wasn't actually having a heart attack, and they told me that they couldn't really help me.

Which was then topped off by having to explain to several nurses that, yes, MS can cause pain, that it could be the cause of my current predicament, and no, not all people with MS just slowly lose control of their bodies until they can't walk.  How nice.

My advice for the new year is thus: focus on the positive.  I think my MS is better because I am reducing stress around me as much as possible.  Remember that MS is triggered by stress - positive AND  negative alike - so don't forget to breathe during the day.  You'll get through it!

Love all,
MSloan