My Story

Cooperstown New York, 2012

                                                                         

To think this beauty exists literally twenty minutes from my house!! I post this because FINALLY I am noticing these beautiful panoramas that are around me all the time.

My MS had made me oblivious of so much of my life. My life is beautiful and it is time to start living -- woohoo! I began my story like so many of you. Emotions, medications, despair, loss etc. etc.  Stop and see where you are or have been -- please! Anyone you talk to, medical professional or even one of us will tell you of this horrible "entity" that continues to rob us of our life. Hey, I am not denying any of this. What I am doing is letting you know how I have managed in my forties to turn things around for myself. Oh god, I have not had some religious awakening or anything like that, I have finally become a little more sensible.

Diagnosed quite young at age 20, I began the rockiest road of my life's journey. Think for a moment, what does anyone do at that age? I'll admit to belonging to the "late bloomers society" and therefore not knowing what life meant at all. My parents were my everything and soon after the medical professionals in my life. They were so kind and understanding, what else could they do?? I didn't even know how to think outside the medical "box" -- what else was there? If Dr. Roy Swank were someone I had even heard of, I probably would not have known what to do. Now I do.

So, I took steroids, I took Lithium, I let them poke and prode and do lumbar punctures on a cold metal table, I lay in hospital beds waiting and waiting to feel better. Truth is, I never felt good. My peers were out planning their lives and here I was -- over medicated and confused. This went on for years. Fast forwarding a little, I was on interferon from 1995-2005. I did reach a point when I thought I could or rather must make some decisions. This would be in my thirties. So, I went to graduate school in 2001, got a master's in occupational therapy, why? So I could work with persons with MS! That was my dream. The interferon medication almost caused me to lose my life. Listened to everyone's reason why that happened -- got out of the ER and sure enough, another episode in 2008. That was it. I had to listen to my neurologist about how I needed to go on Copaxone or something else. Drop foot was in full swing--no pun:(

Then, I began to THINK.

Here's what happened. I discovered Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) -- online, one day by myself. The tears started filling my eyes. I had been using a scooter. My neurologist would not give me or even listen to me about LDN so I moved on to a doctor friend.

That's pretty much it. I have been on LDN (www.lowdosenaltrexone.org) since 2008 and discovered the Roy Swank diet. I am not sure what attracted me to this genius who helped hundreds of people with MS in the 40's. I think it was his philosophy. If you put the Swank philosophy, diet and mind food allergies and recent sugar research, I think you have the current research! Honestly, I could not believe how off track I had gotten with my diet. Everything was wrong. So, I changed all that.

I have remained relapse free since 2008.

There is a minority of us who have started thinking this way because you know what? Medication is NOT working, period. A good diet (Dr. Swank), low dose Naltrexone and a multivitamin for four years has kept me well.

I use a WalkAide to exercise my foot and a much smaller brace to help with walking. I finally have my life back, thank goodness for that.