How I live now...
I'd love to say I lived carefree before, but we know that's only in the fairy-tales. Everyone worries about something, whether if it's about their family, romantic relationships, finances, job, education, or maybe, where they are gonna lay their head for the night or how they are going to eat -- I worried about all the above. I never thought in a billion centuries that I would be adding my health to the mix, but here I am, my primary worry -- my health. My reality is chronic illness/pain and it really sucks! (June 6th, 2018)
It has been a long time since I last posted a blog and it's not without good reason. When I started writing the unfinished entry above I was depressed and angry. Over the past year and a half, I have been dealing with chronic nerve pain. I felt like my body was under constant attack and I barely could get myself out of bed. In May 2018 my primary care provider prescribed Gabapentin, which gave me some hope for relief but sadly I was allergic to it. In July my sister asked me to fur-ball sit and stay for a little while. I finally decided that I needed to do something — so I researched and asked other people with MS about their experiences, etc. In late August I had my 3-month checkup, and I was prescribed Elavil to be taken at night before bed. It was like a miracle drug the nerve pain in my upper body had finally stopped and the pain in my legs/feet lessened. Now that the nerve pain was manageable I was in for a rude awakening of something that my pain had masked. While I was laying in bed trying to deal as well as I could with the pain I had lost strength in my limbs. Walking, climbing the stairs, even picking up things (like a bag of sugar) turned into a hard task. In September, I flew up to visit my sister and my issues couldn't be hidden from her (meaning a lot had changed since I'd last seen her in January), and she noticed them right away. My sister can be a hard-ass, but don't get me wrong, she is a loving one. She sat down and talked with me, expressing her concerns about my health and what she called keeping me mobile (for as long as possible). It was a much-needed talk, I really needed the love, support, and encouragement because inside I felt defeated. In December, I had another checkup and this time I expressed that although the Elavil is helping some of my nerve pain, I was still having leg and foot pain. Cymbalta was added to medication regimen, to be taken in the morning. And I can honestly say that most days my nerve pain is 80-90% controlled. My sister continues to motivate me to eat healthy and exercise (walk and strength train). 2019 is going to be a good year — I can feel it!
I am not a Medical Professional, I can only tell you about my own experiences and choices. Although we can relate, my experience with Multiple Sclerosis will be different than yours. Talk to your Physician before making any decisions (that is what they are there for right).
