My MS Story

My MS story begins on a Sunday in November of 2011, the weekend before Thanksgiving. I went for a 40 mile bicycle ride and had a good ride until I got home. I took a shower, looked in the mirror and noticed the left side of my face didn’t look like the right side of my face. I made a bunch of faces in the mirror and thought something must have stung me during my ride. My thought was what bug in Texas had the sting to cause my face to act this way.

When my wife got home and we were eating together, I asked her to watch me smile. She said the left part of my lip looked swollen. Did you take an antihistamine? I said no. The next day, my wife says call your doctor something is not right. I called the nurse and she told me to go to the ER! I had just started a new job so I called and told them I was going to the hospital.

We walk into the ER, check in, wait for a little bit, and get taken back to the room. They hook me up to the heart machines and within five minutes they I am getting a CAT scan. The ER doctor said that a spot on my brain was seen and scheduled an MRI. More spots were seen on my brain. The doctor walked into the room and said that he believed it was MS. My wife and I sat there and waited, having no idea what was next.

We were told that I was going to be transported to another hospital to see a neurologist. I was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Once in the room, I noticed all of these yellow flags saying I was a fall risk. At the time, I was a personal trainer and was in disbelief. I got out of the bed and the nurse came running in telling me I can’t do that. I said to her “let me prove that I am not a fall risk” and stood on one leg. The nurse took the flags off most of the places they were.

That Monday night they took 21 vials of blood from me. I had another MRI and went in for a Spinal Tap. Wednesday morning the neurologist came in and said they ruled everything out except for MS. I asked if this would kill me, he replied not directly. I looked over at my wife, I am thinking I have a decision to make here that is big. Do I give in or do I take this MS thing on and strive to do my best? I knew also I could not give up because my wife would help support me. That Wednesday, I was released with a IV port still in my arm to finish the last 2 days of steroids that they started me on to take away the paralysis on the left side of the my face.

So my MS journey began, I did not believe that I had MS for the first few months. Then I started my first MS medication. I took that medication for a few years, then we moved to San Diego and I had a difficult time the first year. I had some depression and it was tough to keep up with daily tasks. My wife and I started working out at the YMCA in Encinitas and that helped to start lifting the depression. The other thing that helped was that we joined Howard’s Team to ride in the MS150 bike ride known as Bay to Bay. This is where I met my friends and others with MS. I also started going to an MS group for a while. I also changed my medication to an infusion and was on that for the last 6 years. I have started a new medication and am currently doing well.

Thanks for reading my story and I hope you are encouraged to keep moving the best way you can and remember family and friends get you through the rough times.