After giving myself Glatopa injections for almost two years, it had become routine. An annoyance that I did not look forward to, like taking out the trash, but routine. I'd figured out the best way to minimize the injection site pain and reactions. I still had injection reactions including pain, welts, and sores, but heat… Continue reading My Glatopa Reaction
Category: MS Treatment
Privilege & MS
My MS started when I was 40. I had an established career, a comfortable income, savings, and excellent benefits. I was able to quickly and effectively get medical treatment, a diagnosis, and fight MS. If this had happened in my early 20's, when I was broke and uninsured, I would have been screwed. If it had happened in my 30's, when I was self-employed, I don't know how I would have survived. If it had happened even a few years ago, when I was living paycheck to paycheck, digging out of a post-divorce financial hole, and paying for full-time child care, it would have devastated me financially. In my 40's, I was able to fight MS.
Medication Resistance
I don't like taking medications. It's not that I'm an anti-vaxxer. I believe in science and medicine. I'm up to date on all my vaccines. I get the flu shot. And, I got my COVID vaccine as soon as I was eligible. I always have Advil and Excedrin Migraine on hand, but I rarely take… Continue reading Medication Resistance
Exercise & MS
I've had an on and off love affair with exercise. I've spent months, sometimes years, religiously going to the gym three times a week. And, I've gone a year or longer without stepping inside a gym. I've done yoga daily, and then abandoned it for years. Leading up to my 40th birthday, in 2019, I… Continue reading Exercise & MS
Is There an MS Diet?
As soon as I knew I might have MS, I wanted to do something. I had to wait for a diagnosis and medication, but what could I do on my own? I read a lot about MS and treatment, and one of the first things I did was research if diet could impact MS. The… Continue reading Is There an MS Diet?
Injections
I was anxious, but excited, to start the injections. I left work around lunchtime for injection training with a nurse. I drove to the doctor's office, parked, checked in, and was called back quickly. She asked if I had the injection with me. Um...no. No one told me to bring them. I guess that seems… Continue reading Injections
Should I Start Treatment?
I did not meet diagnostic criteria for an MS diagnosis, but I had optic neuritis, brain lesions, and Oligoclonal bands in my spinal fluid, all of which are consistent with MS. And, everything else had been ruled out. For women my age with optic neuritis and brain lesions, there is a 72% chance of developing… Continue reading Should I Start Treatment?
Steroids
When I left the eye doctor, I was in tears. I couldn't see out of my right eye. I knew it was neurological, but I didn't know what was wrong with me. The eye doctor told me to go to urgent care for a neurological exam, steroids, and an MRI. I was panicking, imagining the… Continue reading Steroids
Eating Lemons 