MS to me meant misunderstood.

My MS was Dx in a weird way. I worked full time as a RMA in a busy doctors office in Tampa, FL when I started to have sharp pain in my left hand along with numbness. I didn't pay any attention to it due to I was on the computer 90% of the day. It was very strange that the pain kept coming a little bit stronger as days went by along with the numbness. I had a incident at work that I couldn't walk to one side of the building without having a sensation that I was going to fall and my arm would turn inward towards my body with more pain. I sat with one of the doctors in the office and explained all my symptoms to him, he looked me straight into my eyes and said "Cat, I think you have multiple sclerosis," my mouth just dropped. I was given a prescription for a MRI of the brain, with and without contrast and made a appointment with a neurologist that he recommended to me. That weekend my mom and dad came to visit and see why I was so ill. My mom couldn't stand to see me in so much pain, I couldn't walk not 5 steps when I felt that pain and had to lay on the couch because I was starting to have seizures that lasted 2 - 5 minutes but only on my left side of my body. It was the most painful thing I had ever felt, well except for child birth. Monday morning came around and I had to go get my test done and than i had to see the neurologist for my appointment. The MRI started and within 5 minutes in the machine I started to have seizures, the radiologist on call said that's enough we can't continue with the test, I told him I was going to see a specialist and maybe I could reschedule, now remember I didn't know what I had and I didn't know anything about MS. Off to the specialist's office I went holding my son's hand in one and my mother in the other. I began to fill out the forms for a new patient when all of a sudden I was getting calls from my job asking where was I. I'm at the neurologist's office by the office why, they said my primary saw the AD of my MRI and he wanted the specialist to see it. Within 3 minutes the radiology office brought over the CD of the little bit of picture they got before I had my seizure. The doctor checked me out while tears ran down my face, the pain I couldn't take anymore. The doctor brought her laptop to the examining room and showed me and my mom the pictures, I was speechless, all you saw was white matter all over my brain and that's when those words came out, you have to be admitted to the hospital you have what looks to be MS. I cried so loud of fear but holding my left side due to my body was turning inward, I asked her "my sister is driving up to see me, I'm not going in until she gets here", the doctor said OK but I was to report to the hospital first thing in the morning. On my way home with my mother and son, I was quiet but all you heard where sniffles from nose due to me crying in silence. That night was the most awful thing ever, I had seizures every hour and the pain was unbearable. In the early hours my sister arrived, she squeezed me and said, "I'm sorry sis" I told her don't cry it's no one's fault, God does things in mysterious ways. My husband grabbed my bag and we all went to the ER. There it was just crazy I kept having seizures and my entire left side turned inward into my right and i couldn't control it. There were 3 paramedics trying to hold me down to get a IV in my arm but with the twitching it was so hard, I got mad because one of the gentleman says where going to have to stick her in the neck and I said "come near my neck and your going to loose a finger." Everyone laughed because even thou I was scared I sure know what i didn't want happening to me. Well seven days in the hospital with heavy solumedrol and a lumbar puncture coming back positive I finally had my answer, I had 10 lesions in my head and 3 in my spine. Treatment was for me to inject myself 3 times a week with a medication by the name of Rebif, that medicine made me sicker. I spent my first year hospitalized than seven times, that's when my family moved down south so I could have my family near me and to find another doctor. I did find one and he switched my medication to Tysabri and I've been on it for awhile, I just got my 30th treatment and I've JCV negative since, I get checked every 3 months (blood work). I use a walker at the house but when going out I have a power wheelchair that I use every time. My legs do give out on me a lot, I've fallen in my 4 years since being Dx more than 12 times. I don't work anymore, I was declared disabled and I'm on social security. My world is just gotten crazy everyday a little bit more at a time.

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