New to MS & looking for support!

[superwoman7]

Hey there. My name is Ashley, I just turned 24 and I'm 7 months from dx with rrMS after 2 years of symptoms and fighting for someone to listen to me! I'm also about 30 weeks pregnant and expecting my first baby (a little girl) on Christmas. I've read just about every book on MS I can get my hands on and the people who are about me are supportive but...none of us knows what's going on. I'm still learning how to cope and I've joined here in the hopes I could find people who understand! MS hasn't been easy (before or after dx) but I'm facing and fighting this thing with all I got, looking for advice and sometimes a kind word.

Thanks for being available, simply by being on this site. It means a lot to me.

[jimmylegs]

welcome to the forum if you are interested in the nutrition side of things, i can point you in the direction of lots of great resources

[superwoman7]

Information on nutrition would be great! I've have people send me articles on everything from raw food diets to gluten free diets and I have no idea what actually works in general...

[want2bike]

Have you seen anything on the China Study. Diet is everything when it comes to our health.

[jimmylegs]

hi again, i have a bunch of info and links to resources typed out here:
http://www.thisisms.com/forum/regimens- ... c2489.html

[jimmylegs]

ps in my non-professional opinion, look at your zinc levels first. ms + pregnancy = a double whammy in the zinc department. low end zinc levels have specific consequences and can also hamper your ability to utilize other key nutrients for ms patients, such as vits b12 and d3.
link to gluten free diet: research has shown that going gluten free can allow serum zinc levels to rise.
options: analyze gluten intake, adjust downward if excessive, increase zinc-rich foods, consider a zinc supplement (balanced w/ copper)
i have a co-worker who had some physical complaints, low zinc diet due to vegetarianism, i suggested bread restrictions and boosts to zinc-rich foods (plus a couple other suggestions re general nutrient density), those changes alone have made all the difference he needed in his physical condition. turned out he was a virtual bread addict so the adjustments were significant for him, but worth it.

[Cilantro]

Hi there, Superwoman7!

You are not alone, and I know that MS seems like a really scary thing, but it doesn't have to be. When I had my first symptom about 6 years ago (optic neuritis), I kind of went into the denial and grief phase simultaneously...not pretty. Then I snapped myself out of it and I decided that if anyone could conquer this thing, it was me. I haven't given up since, and it's been through my determination and persistance that I've managed to put my MS in remission without the use of drugs.

I've posted this before, so excuse the broken-record, but I completely believe that autoimune disorders are our bodies' way of telling us that there is a problem we need to fix. The challenge is figuring out what that problem is, because it's different for everyone. I think that some of the more common problems are diet and stress. At least, this is what my issues seemed to be.

I went gluten/dairy/legume (soy) free shortly after the first symptom (but after experiencing L'Hermitte's sign and having my toes go numb. Making this dietary change made a huge difference, because afterward i developed very few new symptoms, and the ones I did develop were mild. However, after one of my entire arms went numb, I realized there was still something wrong that I needed to fix. At the time, I didn't realize what it was, but now in hindsight, I can see that my issue was that I felt stagnant and trapped in an unhappy long term relationship, working a stressful job, and living in a city I didn't like. I upturned my life and changed all of those things, and ever since (that was a few years ago) I have not had one single MS episode, nor any new lesions on my MRI.

For food info, there is a ton. I started out on the Swank diet, which is something worth looking into, but I realized that this diet actually has some pretty significant problems and isn't a healthy way to eat. I next went to the Best Bet Diet, which is a better version of the Swank diet, but eliminates gluten, dairy, legumes. I then read the 'Paleo Diet' by Loren Cordain and got really into the paleo diet, I highly recommend any videos by Loren Cordain - he has one specifically addressing MS (you can find it on youtube). However, I was eating too low carb, and this gave me some other health issues that I've been improving by adding more safe starches to my diet, so effectively what I've doing now is called 'The Perfect Health Diet' and for me, this is where my body seems to be the happiest. It's a journey to find out what your body needs to thrive, but as long as you don't give up, you will figure it out.

Here are some links to sites about nutritional that I personally used and have found to be very helpful:

http://www.nutrisclerosis.com/

http://www.direct-ms.org/bestbet.html

http://robbwolf.com/what-is-the-paleo-diet/

http://perfecthealthdiet.com/

[caneidoit]

Hi! I'm not much into talking about the scientific aspect of MS and all I don't spend a lot of time reading articles because my eyes are not good and it's depressing. Not to say that's not important. I just try to deal with what the day gives me and keep rollin as best as I can. I am very glad to hear you have a good support group! And congratulations on your pregnancy! What a Christmas gift! MS is very tricky because of the unpredictability. I have tried doing the non drug way and ended up walking with a cane, optic neuritis, and a neurogenic bladder. I have been a vegetarian, tried cutting out dairy and doing Pilates (which I loved) Now I have moved into the Primary Progressive category and am going to start Tysabri. I guess what I'm saying is your MS is your MS. Take advice, read, and act on what works for you. Best of luck to ya!

[jimmylegs]

vegetarian athlete, c? if you were into the science i could fire you info on the nutritional commonalities between vegetarians, athletes, and ms patients... (ex-vegan myself). say the word if you want some links. you could get someone else to read the info ;)