During a warm fall, I had gone to visit family for the weekend. This meant I would be sleeping on an air mattress during my time there, not a big deal I had slept on one before and never had issues. After the 7-hour drive to get there, I was tired, no more than I would be after the drive. Isn’t it odd that after sitting for numerous hours on a drive, all you want to do is sit…or maybe that’s just me?
The first night went well, with lots of laughter and drinks and then some sleep for the weary traveler. The next day my family wanted to go golfing, now I’m no golfer I can barely mini golf, but they said the course would be quiet and we could just go and have fun. It was a lot of fun and the weather was perfect, not too hot to walk the holes. By the end of the day, I was tired, understandable considering the exercise during the day. I also felt like a cold was coming on, you know the feeling when you feel that something just isn’t right. I didn’t think much of it and went to bed, assuming it was just the tired settling in.
The next morning, however, my life changed, not that I knew it at the time. When I woke up I still felt off, not really stuffy and my nose wasn’t running, but my right arm was numb…..well part of it was numb. Like I had slept on it funny or something. If anyone has had their teeth numbed at the dentist you are aware of the feeling when the numbing is wearing off, where you can feel the area, but not at the same time. What was what my arm felt like….well the lower half of my right arm. As the day progressed the numbing area expanded, to very local spots…..within about 5 hours of walking up I was numb:
- Lower right arm
- Lower right leg
- Right side of my face
Now years later as I type this out I realize that I probably should have been more considered. Besides the weird numbing, I felt okay. I assumed that through a combination of sleeping on the air mattress and the game of golf, I must have tweaked something in my back, I would see my chiropractor when I got back.
If anyone has ever had a situation like this before, where the lower half of your leg is numb but the upper is fine, you will know how odd it is to walk. Your brain knows the basics of walking but needs an extra second to confirm your foot is actually on the ground before the next step. This made me look like I had a small limp but being the young person that I was, I didn’t think of anything more concerning. I was a 25-year-old who was relatively healthy, what did I have to be concerned about?
A week later I was back home and back at work, the numbing wasn’t leaving. I was telling my adventures to my friends at work and this is when I first heard something concerning:
“It sounds like you had a stroke.” said one of my co-workers.
I believe my actual response to this was “Pfff no way” but the comment sat in my brain and I decided to see my GP.
Now I do need to thank for the process that I went through with her. She told me later that she was pretty sure it was MS, but didn’t say that to me as she didn’t want to worry me without proof. I’ve heard many stories since then about people being told by their doctor that they had MS, without having any of the required testing done.
When I saw her it was now almost 10 days since the symptoms had started, she took some info and said “Hmmmm…..I’m not sure what this might be. I want to send you for a CT scan, would that be okay?”
I said it would and thought, “great I wonder how long I will have to wait for that” since I had hear about how long wait times for things like this were.
2 days later I got a call and had a scan booked a couple day later. I remember thinking “wow that was fast, wonder what everyone is complaining about?” Of course I have come to understand that getting the tests done do rely on how urgent the doctor marks them as, I guess my doctor new these had to be done quickly.
As most of you who have MS will know that the new steps went as follows, CT results came back the “needed a more detailed scan” which of course meant an MRI. One of many MRI’s that I have now had since my diagnosis, which was followed by a meeting with a neurologist to review the scans.
My meeting with the neurologist was 6 months after the original “event” or what I would soon resize was the first actual MS attack. I won’t lie, I was very nervous at this point, and while the numbness had long since left it was still on my mind.
We were reviewing the scans and he explained to me what I was looking at. When we came to the layer that showed the eye sockets I burst out laughing at the site of my eyeballs staring out of the white skull.
Once he was done going though what was found he said the words that made my heart pound, “we found some spots on your scans.” My eyes must have gone wide at that point, cause he very quickly said “not cancerous, but something else.”
“I believe you have something called Multiple Sclerosis, have you ever heard of that?”
I had not and I’m sure he told me lots of good information, but after the diagnosis I don’t remember a lot.
He said I will be referred to the MS clinic and the doctor there will continue the next steps and treatment options.
So I have MS…..what the fuck do I do now?