This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Hi everyone

I am new to this site today, I found it after being told today I have MS. Well, actually my doctor didn't tell me, I received the report of my MRI before he did, so I told him today. Studying veterinary medicine is very similar to human medicine so I could understand and interpret the report, not sure whether that was a good thing or not, it kind of knocked me a little. We have been here two years and I really don't know anyone here other than my husbands friends, so I called my parents at 1.30am and woke them up. I am so glad I found this site, now I don't feel so lonely and isolated.

It all started with my migraines when I lived in England, had them for years, didn't think anything of it, but when we moved here with the military I decided to try and find out what was causing them. I had an MRI of my brain last Monday and the results were highly characteristic of demyelinating disease ie: MS. Also on reading the report, a mild chronic inflammatory disease in the maxillary sinuses and ethmoid air cells, which causes migraines and tooth pain, which is the main issue for me. One cause of this can be linked to an absess, which I had plenty of during the wisdom tooth issues. Anyway, this part may be able to be resolved with certain medications, and those I know all about as we have those on the clinic shelf here at the vets. I just hope being on pet medication I don't start scooting along the floor on my butt.

Back in 2000 I had an accident, severed all the nerves and snapped a disc in my lower back. After the surgery I was still paralysed and my surgeon told me at 30yrs old, I would never walk again. Anyway thanks to my consultant, he told me I would, it was all mind over matter and determination. I owe my strength and success to him. So since my accident, I have damaged nerves still, poor balance and loss of feeling and am not sure whether the MS has played a part in that or whether the symptoms I have had all this time from the surgery are actually symptoms of MS, who knows.

MY husband isn't dealing with it very well, but I keep telling him, be more positive and enthusiastic. His cousin has MS and she is wheelchair bound so it frightens him. I know it may sound odd to some telling him that, maybe not, but for me, if I spend time thinking about it and the symptoms, then that will have an adverse affect on my mindset, instead of being positive and getting on with my life, I would probably wake up every morning and wonder, ok what problems will I have today with my MS. That's not the way for me, I just need to get on with it, it's just another bump in the road and I am far better off than some. I have overcome a lot in my short 39 years, soon to be 40, I can deal with this.

thanks for listening, i definitely feel a little better.

.

Hi there

I called my doctor and then faxed him whilst we were on the phone. He confirmed exactly as I had interpreted the report.

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Mirry
"Just another bump in the road"

welcome to TIMS, mirry.

you may or may not have heard about the latest excitement over a new development in ms research. if you want to learn more check out the CCSVI forum. many ms patients are having the state of their jugular veins scanned, and in cases where a narrowing is found, having a balloon procedure or a stent placed. there are risks and side effects but many who have undergone the procedure are reporting improvement.

it does sound like you have a little more going on than the average ms patient. about that accident, was your neck involved in any way? any whiplash or similar trouble?

as for migraines and such, my understanding is that these can be, in part, due to spasms of the blood vessels. cheerleader, a forum member here at TIMS, cured herself of migraines with a supplement regimen including magnesium, which is anti-spasmodic. you can use the search link above to find posts by cheerleader with the term migraine included. tip: filter results to 'posts' not 'topics'.

i have a co-worker who swears by magnesium for keeping her migraines at bay. i did not know this until she complained of leg cramps (more spasms) while we were working and i asked if she ever took magnesium. she answered that she had run out a couple of weeks ago and that's when i learned she was usually on it regularly for migraine prevention. i asked her if she also took fish oil (because i thought i recalled that that was part of cheerleader's solution) and my co-worker said it did not work for her.

i had another co-worker who suffered migraines and i recommended magnesium to her as well. she said she tried it and got a terrible migraine! i don't know what was going on there.

anyway, if you do try magnesium at all, try to get at least 500mg per day minimum. best to get as much as you can from dark leafy greens ie kale. supplement-wise, magnesium citrate is supposed to be the most absorbable form. don't take it with pop - it totally wrecks absorption.

lastly, i find if i take as much as 750mg per day of mag citrate, in a few days i'll get the runs - just a heads-up

anyway, welcome again, and no you are certainly not alone.

thought i'd add my signature links here also

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my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com