| Current Medications I am taking: -MEDS- (as of April-2007) (Currently (as of April-2007) I am taking the following medications --- Avonex, Effexor) Avonex - (Interferon beta-1a) I get this shot once a week ---This medication (Avonex) helps to slow the progression of MS. Side effects: flu-like symptoms usually start 1-2 hours after shot (shot given Friday afternoon) and last thru Friday night. Saturday mornings - no further side effects, feel great ! "AVONEX is a form of interferon beta. Interferons are proteins naturally produced by the body to help fight viral infections and regulate the immune system. AVONEX is made up of the same arrangement of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, as the interferon beta produced by the body. MS is thought to be a disease in which the body's immune system responds against myelin, the insulation surrounding nerve fiber. |
| "Hope is the Last to Die." -Russian proverb |
| This page has the following information: --- How I found out I had MS - symptoms, etc... --- Current Medications I am taking: -MEDS- |
| How I found out I had MS (Multiple Sclerosis) - symptoms, etc.... 1996- July---Bad skateboarding accident - thought I broke my wrist (I didn't break anything) 1996- July - to present---Tingling/pins & needles (numbness) in left hand/fingers - thought this was from the skateboading accident (above). 1996- to present---very sharp stabbing pain in head (not a headache)--- this would only come & go every 3 to 6 months. 2000- September---Finally go to my family Doctor about the stabbing pains in head. Doctor not certain what it is. Family Doctor refers me to ENT specialist. 2000- October---ENT specialist orders a CAT scan of brain. CAT scan reveals nothing of significance. ENT specialist refers me to a Neurologist. 2000- November---Neurologist asks many questions (i.e. - "Do you ever experience.....?" of which many of my answers were YES, I get that sometimes....). Neurologist orders an MRI of my brain. 2000- December---Neurologist reviews MRI and believes I have MS - MRI does reveal 3 lesions on my brain. Neurologist says that it does look as though this is Multiple Sclerosis. (7-8 days later is Christmas). 2001- January---Neurologist performs Triple evokes test - I did not perform well on these tests. 2001- January---tingling/pins & needles (numbness) feeling in left hand/fingers now is also gone into right hand. 2001- February---Left hand is always cold. Only a warm shower seems to help. 2001- February---I experience vertigo (still to this day I get this every so often) 2001- March---My wife does much investigation into alternatives and learns much about BVT(bee stings). Start on BVT (Bee Venom Therapy - getting stung by bees) 2001- April---continue getting stung by bees (it sure does give me energy-but then it does sting !) 2001- May---continue getting stung by bees. 2001- May---start on AVONEX-(every Friday afternoon-it's a once a week thing) 2001- June---stopped getting stung by bees (last count- I had been stung 400+ times) - the numbness is still in hands & symptoms haven't lessed with the bee stings. 2001- July---Verigo starts acting up bad......... 2001- August---find I need to be careful how I walk, as I seem to walk & bump into things. 2001- September---second MRI of brain - now showing 4 lesions (however, the 3 existing lesions there is no further growth) 2001- October---Vertigo seems to have relaxed, I'm not experiencing this as often. 2002- January--- Stabbing pains in head are more frequent. They used to come and go every few months. Now I experience this stabbing pains at least once a week. 2002- February---seeing bright flash(es) out of left eye - happens once every few days 2002- February---walking sometimes is a challenge - walking straight line becomes difficult 2002- March---tingling/pins & needles feeling (numbness) on left side of face. 2002- March---Neurologist orders another MRI of brain due to more new symptoms. 2002- April---MRI (3'rd MRI) - as stated above - currently awaiting news on what this new MRI reveals. (Results back from this 3'rd MRI reveal - NO CHANGES - I am sooooo excited - this is just fantastic news. I feel like a grade-school kid who just received an 'A' on a test) - I was so afraid of getting the results back as I was sure there would be another lesion, or perhaps more. 2002 - May---Annual MS Walk ~8.6 miles - I raised $1117.02 for this MS Walk. (Last years MS Walk I raised $148.00) 2002- June-July--- Pins & needles feeling on left side of face. More frequent stabbing pains in head. More tremors on left side of body usually in arm, sometimes in back. Diffucilty sleeping at night due to tremors, twitching. Wife & I seperate after 11 years of marriage. I move into small apartment. This seperation is very stressfull. 2002-August---Experiencing fuzziness in left eye. My 6 month Neurologist appointment, Neurologist unable to see anything in my left eye. See Optometrist and he sees that I have a cataract in left eye. (this is good news, as a cataract can be treated/removed. I was worried that I may be going blind from my MS). Also, many of the symptoms that came earlier in June & July seem to have subsided a bit. Life seems less stressful. 2002-October---My employeer went bankrupt (chapter 11) - many of us went without a job afterward - most os us went on unemployment. 2002-October-November---I went on unemployment (talking aboubt feeling like a burder to others)........ Balance/walking becomes a real challenge, perhaps this stress has made things worse. 2002-November---vision in left eye is getting/becoming more blurry, (damn cataract). I must laugh at all that has transpired within the last 5 months, if not, I would give up and life would not be worth living.......there has to be a reason. 2002-December---Symptoms have not been so bad lately. I told myself: "the hell with this MS...." Still have issues with walking & balance. 2003-January---After 14 weeks on unemployment, I have landed a F/T perm. position in the I.T. arena with a major Pharmaceutical Company. My MS symptoms are not getting any worse..... 2003-May---Had Divorce papers served on me.......... (@#$%) 2003-September---- Divorce is final............. I am no longer married (damn) 2003-October---- Cataract Surgury on left eye ----all went well (kinda - I woke up during surgury & I remember saying some nasty 4 letter words) 2003-December---- Cold weather makes my left leg walk slowly, as if I have to drag this left leg.....(no big deal) 2004-February----Cataract surgury --- all went well (I no longer see people as Angels - NO MORE HALOS around anything). The company I work for wants to know why - I so, young..........go figure, somebody told them I HAVE ms.... 2004-March-April-May---Company I work for F/T finds out I have MS. 2004-November---Went on Thanksgiving vacation. Never went back to work. 2004-December- to current date---Currently disabled. (life goes on) 2006-March---now in wheelchair >80% of the time. |
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| In a 'nut-shell' - MS ....and it's aftermath... Dec-2000 --- Diagnosed with MS Jan-2001 --- Wife wants a divorce Mar-2001 ---(next 12 months) till Mar-2002 --- Wife & I constantly argue --- symptoms are bad due to stress Apr-2002 --- Wife threatened to take the kids.& I'll never see them again Jun-2002 --- Wife kicks me out of house Aug-2002 --- Doctor says I have cataracts in both eyes Oct-2002 --- Company I work for goes bankrupt Nov-2002 --- go on unemployment Feb-2003 --- Hired F/T perm position. No more unemployment. (super !) Apr-2003 --- gave away the house to wife. Oct-2003 --- cataract removed from left eye Nov-2003 --- divorce becomes final Feb-2004 --- cataract removed from right eye Mar-2004 --- and so life goes on & I am still able to smile) !! and to all those who turned their backs on me --> "Hey, I'm still here you bastards!" |