Monday, August 6, 2012

How I Defeated Multiple Sclerosis

I have been told numerous occasions I need to tell my story because people need to know the truth about how to this fight and defeat disease. I am living proof that a cure does exist! I once believed, that at my current age of 33, I'd be in a wheelchair, a nursing home, respite care or dead because the multiple sclerosis was crippling and destroying my mind and body. Instead, I'm thriving, full of life, attending college, making art and attending the gym almost daily.

I'm sure you must be wondering how this is possible? When considering that multiple sclerosis is a debilitating neurological disease which becomes progressive over time. Multiple sclerosis is a terminal illness, with a prognosis of pain, paralysis and eventually death.

Not to mention my disease was on a rapidly progressive course which was beginning to cripple me and the preventative treatments and medications showed no effect. I was on 14 different daily medications to help treat my different symptoms and manage the pain. I felt lost, hopeless and was considering placing my children in foster care because I was hospitalized every 2-6 weeks for an exacerbation.

I felt lost, scared and alone...

I was getting worse and the prescriptions I was taking was numbing my mind and not helping.

Yet I still continued to go to the doctors and complain about my symptoms and the pain. The only thing they would do was offer more drugs and the side effects had left me incapacitated.

I was scared of not taking the prescriptions I was on because I couldn't imagine what my pain would be like if I was off of them.

I finally found the courage to stop every prescription I was taking, including the multiple sclerosis drug modifying therapy, which is suppose to be the only option to help stop this horrifying disease from progressing. Here's a link as to why the MS drugs don't slow disability.

I felt as though nothing was working and I had to change what I was doing.

Stopping the morphine was frightening and painful....but I thought if I could stop taking an addictive narcotic, I could stop taking everything else.

It wasn't easy dealing with, the withdrawal....and all of the pain....

But I did.

After that, I began to stop the medications...one by one...weaning off of them....

It was strange....after I stopped the taking tegretol (which is an anti-seizure drug used to treat pain)....

I woke up!!!

It was like I had been sleeping for many years. I could think more clearly, my thoughts sped up and I began to regain my energy and range of emotions.

I then began to take short brisk walks around my neighborhood everyday.

Then I joined my local YMCA and started doing cardio five days a week. Two weeks later I added strength training.

I could literally feel the neuropathy leave my body and my brain fog disappeared!

The numbness which was once in my legs, went to feet, then to my toes...until I felt completely normal.

My incontinence went away!

My limp was gone!

I started to get my life back!

I could go grocery shopping and carry the bags, do my laundry, cook dinner, play ball with my son, go visit friends and family....and RUN! The sun never felt so warm on face, the air never tasted so crisp, my heart never beat so hard, I could jump, and skip and live life everyday.

I don't fear tomorrow as I once did...I used to be scared of going to sleep and waking to temporary paralysis, blindness or pain.

I am not claiming there are magic pills you can take to feel better. I work on being healthy daily through diet and exercise...and its not easy to maintain...but its possible. Here's another link to someone else who was cured through diet and exercise.

Today, I can't wait for tomorrow....and I will begin at the gym...running and weight lifting....using the legs I once thought I would lose.

A must read post of mine titled, Latest Scientific Reasearch Has "Cured" Mice from Multiple Sclerosis.

Here's a link to a previous post of mine, How Exercise Fights Multiple Sclerosis

Another link of mine, A Secret to Defeating Multiple Sclerosis

A post of mine titled, How to Defeat Multiple Sclerosis Without Disease Modifying Drugs

There are numerous of other posts in my blog which describes which vitamins to take, how to cook quick healthy meals and foods to avoid.


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7 comments:

  1. I also believe that lifestyle can improve symptoms with MS, or any chronic disease. How we move, think, and eat does indeed impact our ability to heal and can reduce pain.

    Thank you for sharing your story.

    Thriving With MS
    Dr. Crystal Frazee, PT, RYT
    http://www.facebook.com/ThrivingWithMS

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    1. Thank you for reading Crystal :) And yes, I can't agree with you more. The health benefits, regardless of your condition, will improve with a healthy lifestyle.

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  2. Unfortunately, the site where I found your story is A MS Society site and they only seem to promote drugs. Here is something you might be interested in:
    http://www.sciencewa.net.au/topics/health-a-medicine/item/1605-lifestyle-changes-give-hope-to-ms-sufferers

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    1. Thank you very much :) I will look into that.

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  3. Very inspirational, thank you for sharing your story
    I posted a link on FB Athletes Fighting Multiple Sclerosis. I was wondering, you mention a stem cell transplant. I havent read all of your posts, but did the stem call transplant have much of an affect and do you think it played a role in your recovery. Thanks, Jim Connor

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    1. Hi Jim:) Thank you for reading...in response to your question; When I had the Stem Cell Transplant, I was given 5 large doses of chemotherapy (cytoxin) which temporarily alleviated some of my symptoms. A couple of months later, I felt as I had before the Stem Cell Transplant (the symptoms and pain returned), and I felt severely depressed (this was a side effect of the chemo). I also found that my trigeminal neuralgia was worse than ever. I could barely move because the pain was unbearable. So I decided to get Gamma Knife for the trigeminal neuralgia. I had to get an MRI prior, to the operation, which showed no improvement in in my MS. This MRI was almost 2 years after I had the Stem Cell Transplant. A few weeks after this surgery, I began to exercise, eat nutritiously and live an extremely healthy lifestyle. It wasn't until I was doing this did I feel my symptoms leave my body. I haven't had an MRI since because I don't want further exposure to anything toxic which can harm my body. I hope this explains your question, if you have any other questions feel free to ask :)

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  4. I don't think i knew this about you, i read the re-post by Matt. Reading your post was very inspiring to me and got me choked up a little...all of what you went through hit very close to home for me, because my mother had MS when I was a teenager. Not having the knowledge of the disease during the 80's & 90's made for a tougher time for my mom, although she had me taking care of her, a sister and a house. I guess if there is a positive i can take from that experience is that I am a better person because of it. I am glad you are doing well and wish you continued good health. :-)

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