Hi again, One Eye Blind (and all),
I'm glad you found the Swank Foundation website, as it is, I believe, an interesting site for people concerned about MS.
It's interesting that the 'numbness upon waking' strand resonated with you. I believe that there are other reasons that one can get numbness upon waking, including sleeping on a body part, but in people with MS, it is likely related to the MS. (At least that's my thought, and I am no medical expert.) If you are in the 'probable MS' stage of diagnosis, you may not be picking up on symptoms that a good neurologist would catch. (Or that you might catch in retrospect after a clinically definite diagnosis.) For example, I think I told you in my last message to you on this site that I had O.N. and then some tingling/numbness in the months that followed. Then I thought I had nothing for four years until my attack last April, which was quite obvious. What I had noticed a couple of months before the attack and in anticipation of getting a yearly check-up was that my big toes don't bend. They have become concave at the middle "knuckle". Yet, my little toes are normal. I did not know this then, but have since learned that that is a sign of spinal cord damage (and something the neuro will look for if he/she suspects MS). It was a sign that a competent doctor would pick up on, but something I thought might just be aging. I remember thinking, "Gee, that's funny. It must be my body changing because I'm getting old. I'll have to show that to my doctor at my next check-up." Also, in the years right after the O.N. I underwent a long period of job-related stress. I did notice that my spelling, speech and short-term memory were affected at different points through those years. Nothing was glaring, except to me. I thought it was odd and attributed it to the stress, which could have precipitated it. Or, based on my MRI last year, could be coming from small lesions related to MS.
At any rate, I advise you to keep pursuing your health and wellness. Keep a journal of anything that seems a little different or funny. That may help you and your doctor connect the dots.
BTW, did you see on the Swank website the strand that Wall posted re: stressing that the Swank diet isn't just about avoiding saturated fats? He stressed that it is about putting the essential fatty acids in your diet too. Then he posted this link:
http://www.mscrossroads.org/diet.txt
(You may already have been there, but, if not here it is. There may be other readers interested in the site too.)
As you will see from that page, there is information out there about lipids and fats and other dietary/vitamin topics and MS or related conditions. I am all in favor of making my life healthier. If there are changes I can make to wiggle the health margins a little, I will try. Even if the changes I make only affect my general health, it is worth it.
Anyway, take care.
jazzy