This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

Hi my name is Chris, I am new to the forum. I was diagnosed with MS back in may of 2008 however the doctors suspect now that I probably had it as far back as 2002/2003 due to some of the odd incidents that occurred to me back then. They diagnosed me as having RRMS, though the impression I was given by one neuro is leaning alot more towards Progressive. I currently have ON, My legs are very stubborn forcing me to not trust them often, alot of neuropathic pain in my arms and legs, bladder issues that come and go, as well as other dysfunctions i will not mention here. Its very odd how fast this all has come on. I read how with alot of folks it tooks years for things to develop but with me atleast it feels like these symptoms came on fast and the after effects get more and more noticable to me over time. I tryed copaxone for treatment first which left 1 and 1/4 inch gout like welts over my body at the injection sites(i am an ex paramedic and i am very familiar with the importance of proper inject site cleaning and prep) and making me want to skydive out of a window. That was stopped after 2 months and I went on Avonex which thankfully removed my depression but left me feeling like i had the flu for 4 days out of every week for almost 7 months. The doctors then pulled me off of avonex and told me those were my options being a diabetic type 2. I went to a new clinic i had heard good things about and Im now hopefully trying tysabri. My first treatment has left me very weak and filled with extreme bile to the point where I have had to go on short term disability (i hope). I am a 100% service connected disabled veteran through the VA and I have worked an office style job for several years now since getting out of the service for the medical benefits it provides. Unfortunately with the severe problems im having with my legs, and restroom issues (and the fact the closest restroom is literally 1/2 a football field away) which mess up my productivity rating at work severely are causing me to realize i am probably going to have to cease work at this point to try to spend more time focusing on getting the ms treated. So now im trying to puzzle out how I get the VA to help cover some of this and start using my VA health benefits that I know im entitled too as a 100% service connected disabled veteran. If anyone has any advice I would be estactic to hear it. I live in colorado denver area now.

Thanks and god bless

Welcome, Chris. Although I have no connection with military service, I find your situation interesting.I know there have been articles posted here which reported an increase in MS incidence among Gulf War veterans; I think I have read that MS is now occurring often in soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan; it is now recognized and covered as service related if diagnosed within seven years of return to the US. You probably know this better than I do.

After spending more time here, you will learn that we all share some common experiences, but at the same time we are all different -- And many of us hold unique opinions of the disease.

In my case, I believe that excess insulin (hyperinsulinemia) has an important role in MS. For that reason, I was interested to hear that you are a type II diabetic. I am not diabetic, but I have moderately elevated insulin levels.

As I follow a low carb diet, I encourage you to do likewise. I have tried the A (Avonex), B (Betaseron), and C (Copaxone) disease-modifying drugs without any benefit that I can identify. I think any diet that reduces insulin secretion has a better chance of improving my outcome.

I encourage you to start with the Reading Nook forum and read all you can on this disease. Welcome to this site; we are glad you found us.