My MS Story, by Michelle Evans

My Multiple Sclerosis Story

By Michelle Evans

I am an East Coast transplant living in the heart of Oklahoma. I am married to my grade school sweetheart, who is my rock and we have one daughter who is the blessing of our lives. I was a proud Air Force spouse for over 25 years; we traveled and lived all over the world. Family and friends are everything to us and we love keeping in touch with everyone.

Plans? What plans?

We were always an active family who enjoyed experiencing different cultures as we moved around. Nearing my husband’s military retirement we decided to plant ourselves in Oklahoma for a while. The idea of settling down was nice, I could finally have a job maybe longer than 2-3 years! I went back to earn my degree at the young age of 41, after all those years of traveling and great side jobs. I didn’t have a long-term plan and I needed to complete my advanced education to make that happen. I completed my undergrad and immediately began a grad program while beginning an amazing job working for something I am passionate about; ending homelessness. I thought this was all perfect! Everything was finally coming together. Yet, unbeknownst to me, it was unraveling rather quickly.

I immediately noticed extreme fatigue, vision issues, and numbness in my hands. I thought to myself, goodness, maybe going back to school at this age wasn’t such a good idea after all. I figured this was normal. My biggest relapse to date caused by frequent bouts of passing out, relentless vertigo, numbness, massive head pain, blurred vision, and the loss of control over my motor skills. I figured it was my work schedule and being an adult grad student. Things were just catching up to me. Numerous ER visits always ended in frustration. I was given no concrete answers to the alarming frequency of my worsening symptoms that were occurring.

Fast Forward

The day my Multiple Sclerosis journey officially began was on March 22, 2017. My two-year MS anniversary is fast approaching. A week prior to my official diagnosis, I was at work after the holidays when alarming symptoms started. I kept going in and out of consciousness and once again I thought that I was just doing too much. That was until they called an ambulance for me and I couldn’t walk on my own. At the hospital, the first thing they thought was I was having a stroke. I was initially tested for Crohn’s Disease, RA, Lupus, and a plethora of other diseases I could not even pronounce. I had always tested positive for Lupus and RA, now instead of just testing positive, the symptoms were coming to life. Eventually, my nurse suggested that I may have Multiple Sclerosis.

MS? No one in my family or extended family that I knew of had MS. I couldn’t believe I was hearing those words, yet, a week later the tests confirmed I indeed had a diagnosis of aggressive onset MS (AOMS). The Neurologist said I would probably not be walking on my own by the end of the year. Things were progressing quickly.

This was a defining moment for me. I called my husband and daughter and told them the news. We immediately rallied and said we will fight this with everything we have. I immediately searched for this type of MS, which is when I found Dr. Wahls and the Autoimmune Protocol. I learned about how inflammation plays a role in MS. I started a rigorous strength training program that also included eliminating everything in my diet except for fish, organic veggies, and fruits. Within 2 weeks my massive headaches stopped, my vision and dexterity returned to normal; I was even walking and running. I knew I was on to something! This gave me the hope I needed. I would crush MS with everything I had. I am more fit now than at any point in my life. I have sustained this track for nearly two years and I will not quit.

Onward and Upward

MS is both a blessing and a curse to me. I have the motivation and strength to fight back even on the worst of days. I always like to remain positive. When someone learns of the progressiveness of my MS and offer condolences; I say please do not feel sorry for me. I will advocate for better treatment and awareness for as long as I can.

I still experience setbacks and relapses, but they certainly are not as bad as they could have been if I had not made such drastic changes to my lifestyle. This may not be for everyone and not be as effective, but it works for me and I will continue to push my limits daily. I have MS; MS does not have ME.

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Written by

Michelle Evans

Edited by

Garrett Owen