Alright then...the history

Hi everyone, my name is Alison and I'm starting this blog on the recommendation of friends and family so, I hope you like it and I hope that in addition to helping me vent, it helps someone else someday.  Who knows?  Many of you already know this story but, for those of you wondering, I'll let you know what this is all about.  In 2005 I was in Whistler, BC helping out another hotel property because they were short-staffed and I was staying in a suite there for a couple of weeks.  My sister and friend came up to visit on a weekend and of course, we partook in a little drinking and partying.  I had noticed prior to this that my legs were a bit unstable and I could not walk well for long periods of time but, I kept it to myself and thought it was altitude-related or something like that.  Duh.  I had left my two little monsters (cats) at home in White Rock with my sister to watch and while in Whistler, Montie (big, hairy, grey monster #1) was in a fight with another cat and got a scratched lens on his eye requiring a vet visit and subsequent large vet bill.  This stressed me out a bit and with the stress came less and less function in my legs.  That crazy altitude-sickness! 'Cause being in Whistler is just like being in the Alps right?!  Duh again.  Anyway, so, I woke up one morning shortly after all of this with a kind of paralysis in my left side.  I thought I must have been bitten by a spider and was having an allergic reaction.  After getting ready clumsily and stumbling down the hallway like a drunk, I ended up at work at the Front Desk of the hotel and proceeded to get through the day by tripping around, dropping people's'credit cards out of my gimpy left hand and finishing it all up by bursting into tears in front of the Hotel Manager.  Thank goodness said Manager was a wonderful woman named Kim who steered me straight in the direction of the local medical clinic where I was promptly evaluated and sent back to Vancouver for testing.  Long story already long...I was referred to a neurologist who told me casually "you probably have MS" and sent me on my way to wait for a diagnostic MRI 9 months in the future.  Wonderful health care system we have here; thank god for private!  So, after begging money from Mom (thanks Mom!), I had my private MRI in hand and a diagnosis of...nothing.  No MS.  What?!  What the hell is wrong with me - I must be a crazy hypochondriac...with altitude-sickness...and a bad spider bite.  The neuro sent me off with a 'diagnosis' of Aura Migraines and the semi-paralysis-whateverness eventually went away within 4 stressful months.  Skip ahead nearly 6 years later with a few little episodes of spider-bite-numbness and altitude-sickness-while-at-sea-level falling incidents and clumsiness and the foot numbness begins.  When I found out that my beloved Grandma was ill and would be passing on soon, I immediately got a feeling of both of my feet falling asleep from the soles up.  This feeling persisted for 2 1/2 months through my frantic flight home to be at her bedside on my 34th birthday, her week-long stay in hospice, her funeral, my flight home, an apartment move and xmas.  When I returned back to BC after xmas, to top off a cherry year, I got the flu.  When the flu started going away, all s*it hit the fan.  I rapidly lost the ability to walk and was stumbling all over the place and falling into walls and into my poor colleague and boss (sorry Mark & Sheri-Lynn!).  I started using a cane and I lost bladder control (I have a few bladder control stories that are actually quite funny after the fact and maybe once I'm 100% over the embarrassment I'll post them and you can laugh in a way that makes you feel bad about yourself but are funny nonetheless), I lost the ability to drive, my thoughts became muddled and my short-term memory faded and I got REALLY exhausted and I had this burning, clawing, itching pain through the right side of my torso.  You know, thank god for denial because honestly, during all of this I thought I had a pinched nerve causing all the trouble and began seeing a chiropractor.  I mean, I already knew I didn't have MS so, what else could it be?  Not Aura Migraines!  In hindsight, the visits to the chiropractor were not a total waste because the doctor was really cute and where else can you legally pay a cute doctor to lay their whole body on top of you and "adjust" you.  Nice interlude in a month filled with uncertainty and lack of mobility!  So, moving on...I had to have a prescription renewed and made an appointment with my GP - my wonderful Scottish doctor who has been a testament to how doctors should be throughout this whole ordeal.  As soon as he saw me "walking" in, he was alarmed and fired off a batch of questions while I answered, all the while insisting it was a pinched nerve and I'd be fine.  He begged to differ, informed me that he was nearly 100% certain MS had come back for me and scheduled me for a neurological exam and an MRI again.  Now, I had been working steadily for the past 6 years and could now afford my own private MRI without making an appointment at the Bank of Mom (great interest rates!) and got my diagnosis of MS 2 days later.  SO, I GUESS I HAVE MS NOW.  It's now been 6 weeks and 3 days since I found out and a ton has happened during that time.  I have been off work, been on a 3-day IV course of Prednisone, lost all function and mobility, got most of it back and am now returning to work tomorrow.  I've started an oral medication called Low Dose Naltrexone and it's helping me.  I've been to rock-ass bottom and am climbing my way up again slowly.  I have been diagnosed with Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS) for now, I'm on my way to a remission and am scheduled for another MRI in 9 months.  So, I don't know how much I'll be updating this site but, thanks to all who suggested that I start it because just writing out the above has lifted a little bit off of my shoulders.  Maybe future posts can include information on the magical, nauseous world of Prednisone, perhaps we can discuss the difference in incontinence products or we can talk dosage levels.  I mean, what else is there to worry about in your mid-thirties?! ha ha   Talk soon, Love Ali. xoxo