Honestly? You mean that's not MS....?

Look at the morning and the magic it brings with it. Only nature can make the sun fall in these symmetrical blocks of light -- with the beautiful birches just waiting for the rays to fall on them.

I pinch myself, this is my back yard!!

Morning magic

Abundance -- fresh squash, garlic and new potatoes, all these just took off after the recent rainfall. This produce makes me feel like I am the richest person on earth!! 

Now for the story I want to tell you.

This happened on Saturday and I still can't get over the way this whole thing unfolded. There is a lesson that goes with this and I know some of you will figure it out quickly.

It was around lunch time on Saturday and I had gotten myself ready to go to my monthly MS meeting which was at about 2PM. David said he wasn't too hungry and neither was I. We were still digesting our late breakfast. So, around 12:30 we sat down to small pickings which included some fresh melon and some cookies I had made the other day. There was coffee left in my coffee pot so we finished that as well. David went off to chop his firewood and I collected myself to take care of some business before I had to leave.

Now it was around 1:15 and I normally leave around 1:30. So, as I always do -- I began my "trek" to the car. You have probably guessed that our grounds are large and I negotiate my walking slowly and carefully. I looked out in front of me and my vision seemed odd. Very odd. I was seeing too many trees, there were two for everything I saw. I just ignored it got in the car and was beginning to realize something wasn't right. I started the car and proceeded down the hill -- thinking I'm not sure what, except that my vision would be fine by the time I hit route 7 at the bottom of the hill.

I pulled along the farm with my heart beating a little too fast. I saw about twenty barn cats and knew there were only about five. Double vision or as it is known in the MS world-- "Diplopia". Oh my goodness, so suddenly double vision? It couldn't be happening. Not to me and not now. I reached for my cell thinking David would solve my problem. He was in the woods, no reception there besides what could he do? I just knew that if I kept driving, I would have to keep my right eye shut to make the vision single. I sat there hoping that there was no road construction going on.

I continued to drive with one eye shut and squinting to give the eye a break. I started shaking, not sure whether it was because I was taking chances or whether I now had this bizarre symptom after twenty years!

The highway was dicey. I kept my eye on the car closest to me to get focused.  In a harrowing twenty minutes I made it to my destination, shaky and upset. I sat down and told people what was happening. Naturally, lots of concern. I couldn't even read the posters in the room! A very logical friend said to me, "what did you do differently?" This may be something else, not MS. I half listened because the "MS fear" had my 110% attention at this point.

About an hour later, I could read the posters in the room.

You guessed it! Blood sugar! Melon and cookies without a trace of protein was my snack -- all sugar. I learned a huge lesson here. Not all symptoms are MS just because you have MS. Hypoglycemia can cause all those symptoms including visual changes and shaking. I thought I was just nervous trying to keep my car on the highway in bright sunlight -- which was true but something else was at play too.

See those beautiful veggies on top? They as well as fruits can have lots of sugar too. Although it's natural sugar I will be checking the glycemic index to find out which produce has how much sugar. I could have had a handful of walnuts with that little disaster snack but frankly, it never occurred to me!

Please be mindful of how you balance what you put in your body -- and no not everything is MS. Other things are happening simultaneously. Also, don't do what I did -- do not drive if you feel at all strange. Remember, there are other people on the road with you.