“I need you to hang up and call 911 right now, will you do that?”
My MS Story
by Brian Hart
Not really the response I was expecting from the nurse hotline through my insurance. I had been experiencing a constant tingling numbness in my right foot for two days at this point. At the encouragement of my wife, I called the nurse hotline to ask for advice. Her reaction immediately put me on high alert and I went to my local ER for evaluation.
The thought was there was a blood clot somewhere and it could be serious. Hours later, no blood clot but some swelling from days of installing new floors in our home. The doctor said it’s probably just a residual issue from the swelling and should go away soon. Cool, no problem.
The next day, the tingling “sleepy” feeling had worked its way up to my thigh. As I got in my car to leave work for the night, I slid in and realized I could feel the cold seat on the left side of my back, but not the right. Not good. When I got home I grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and slapped it on my back. Only sensation on my left side, but not the right. At my wife’s urging (she’s the smart one), I head back to the ER where they perform a CT scan. Inconclusive. Next day MRIs. Later that same day, while sitting in my office at work my phone rings and it’s my primary care physician.
“Brian, I usually like to do this in person but I noticed a tumor or lesion on your spinal cord. I am referring you to OHSU Spine Unit. They will be contacting you for follow-up. Good luck.”
Panic set in at that point. What does this mean? Am I dying? Will I need surgery? How do we fix this?
Fast forward a couple of months, more MRIs, a referral from Spine Unit to Neurology, a lumbar puncture and finally the diagnosis: Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. I’d heard of it. I had a very limited elementary understanding of what it was but I had absolutely no clue how much those four words would impact my life.
Being positive isn’t always easy. It takes a conscious effort sometimes to look forward with hope, excitement and belief that you won’t be stopped. With encouragement from my wife and daughter, I have adopted the mindset that I have two choices in this matter: I can either live with MS or I can suffer from MS. I choose living over suffering every single day.
“I need you to hang up and call 911 right now, will you do that?”
Not really the response I was expecting from the nurse hotline through my insurance. I had been experiencing a constant tingling numbness in my right foot for two days at this point. At the encouragement of my wife, I called the nurse hotline to ask for advice. Her reaction immediately put me on high alert and I went to my local ER for evaluation.
The thought was there was a blood clot somewhere and it could be serious. Hours later, no blood clot but some swelling from days of installing new floors in our home. The doctor said it’s probably just a residual issue from the swelling and should go away soon. Cool, no problem.
The next day, the tingling “sleepy” feeling had worked its way up to my thigh. As I got in my car to leave work for the night, I slid in and realized I could feel the cold seat on the left side of my back, but not the right. Not good. When I got home I grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and slapped it on my back. Only sensation on my left side, but not the right. At my wife’s urging (she’s the smart one), I head back to the ER where they perform a CT scan. Inconclusive. Next day MRIs. Later that same day, while sitting in my office at work my phone rings and it’s my primary care physician.
“Brian, I usually like to do this in person but I noticed a tumor or lesion on your spinal cord. I am referring you to OHSU Spine Unit. They will be contacting you for follow-up. Good luck.”
Panic set in at that point. What does this mean? Am I dying? Will I need surgery? How do we fix this?
Fast forward a couple of months, more MRIs, a referral from Spine Unit to Neurology, a lumbar puncture and finally the diagnosis: Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. I’d heard of it. I had a very limited elementary understanding of what it was but I had absolutely no clue how much those four words would impact my life.
Being positive isn’t always easy. It takes a conscious effort sometimes to look forward with hope, excitement and belief that you won’t be stopped. With encouragement from my wife and daughter, I have adopted the mindset that I have two choices in this matter: I can either live with MS or I can suffer from MS. I choose living over suffering every single day.
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