Bobbi's Diagnosis Story

I was first diagnosed with RRMS (Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis) at the age of 29. This was just one month before I turned 30. I was having trouble seeing out of my left eye, so I figured I just needed some glasses. Oh, was I wrong. I went from the eye doctor to the hospital, and from that hospital to a specialty hospital in Iowa, all within four hours.

Life on the farm

At this time, I had children who were 11, 10, and 7 years old, and a husband who was an over-the-road truck driver. We were living on the family farm of over 200 years in a house that had 14 rooms and 42 windows, with two acres to mow outside. With all this responsibility, and now the possibility that I had MS—or maybe not—I was constantly traveling back and forth to Iowa with no answers.

Finding clarity

Then, my insurance began questioning all these tests with no answers and dropped us. Now I had no insurance, so I had to go to a free clinic in Peoria, Illinois. Thank goodness there was a neurologist volunteering that day. I had brought my MRI, and I asked this neurologist, "Do I have MS?" After looking at the films, his answer was, "Oh, most definitely."

So now, after 31 years, needless to say, I have SPMS (Secondary-Progressive Multiple Sclerosis). But it could always be worse. I could still be looking for answers, and I could still be on Betaseron.