...And Here We Go

September 5, 2012

This has been a bit of a crazy year... Last summer (2011) I realized I failed a very important course in my first year nursing program. Microbiology...hard course and not enough time spent on it. At first it seemed like a terrible thing, but then I thought more about it. Maybe it was a good thing I failed this course. It meant I was able to retake it, finish my electives and then take a semester off and work. I ended up moving back in with my parents whom that summer had moved 800km away from me. I then worked for 8 months in a mental health group home. However this is not why I am starting this blog. So here you go...

February 2012
VERTIGO! This is one of the weirdest things that happened to me. One morning I rolled over in bed and the whole world spun. I couldn't turn my head quickly, walking in the evenings became difficult, at one point I fell when trying to get up. I went to my family doctor he asked me a few questions and to walk in a straight line heel to toe. He laughed at me. Which was funny, because I actually couldn't do it. I mean I do know my balance is bad, but this was really bad. He sent me away with a diagnosis of Labyrinthitis and that it should go away in 2-3 weeks. Which it did, 3 weeks later.

March 2012
I noticed when I exercised my eyes got blurry. Well not really blurry, but everything seemed overly exposed like a picture. When I would go hiking, walking down the street with my mom and dog, and I think you get the picture. So whenever my heart rate went up, it also became a lot harder to see.

June 2012
All I really remember about this was when I was making supper at my parents house. I remember turning to my dad and said, "Do you think its weird that my feet are numb?" and then didn't really think anything of it. But for about 2 weeks my feet and half way up my legs. It was on and off but was weird. This left after 2 weeks.

June 30, 2012
At about 3:00 that morning (I was working a night shift) I noticed that the pads of my thumb and first 2 fingers on my right hand felt like they were falling asleep, or at least trying to wake up. They felt numb. Throughout the rest of the day it moved down my fingers and half my hand. Over the next week the numbness moved into the rest of my hand. This hasn't changed to this day.

July 2012
This was a weird month. The numbness in my hand continued, continued to move up my right arm, shoulder and upper half of my torso (posteriorly and anteriorly). I also found out one day at work when I was cleaning up some ice that the coolness of that felt really good. I went to the lake that month also and the cold water felt really good. At this point I also talked to a few people about what these symptoms meant. They all had the same answer, which I will tell you about soon.

August 2012
My torso is good, the numbness went away. My arm still felt numb, or at least different than normal. I also started to have trouble buttoning up my shirts, looking for items in my purse or pockets. It was like I couldn't feel textures, I knew I was holding something but I didn't exactly what it was without looking at it. I had to watch my self do the buttons up on my shirt. That still hasn't changed to this day.
This month I also had some burning in my hand, it was swollen and did not seem to be getting any better.

End of August 2012
I got a phone call from Dr. Thanah's office, a neurologist in Abbotsford. He gave me a neurology exam, a VEP (visual evoked potential). They checked my nerves to see how well they reacted to stimulation and check to see if I had Optic neuritis. At the end of this appointment he asked me a few questions like "Do you have any metal in your body? Are you claustrophobic?" etc. He then disappeared for a few minutes and came back and told me that MRI diagnostics will hopefully call me  soon and will have an opening before the end of the week. (It was Wednesday and I left on Sunday to go back home) As soon as I walked out of the hospital my mom called me and said I had a MRI booked for 7:00am Friday morning. God's plan? I think so!!

Very End of August 2012
I got to go on an awesome trip with my little brother, who also has gone thought a lot in the past 5 years. Check out his story...Conquering ALL He was diagnosed with cancer, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Anyways, read his story if you so do desire but this one is about me, so I will continue. My brother and I got to go rafting on a Teen Adventure with BC Children's Hospital. It was tons of fun, but again besides the point. Oh, I did however meet two great nurses, married and they were awesome, I only knew them for a short time but I really enjoyed their company.

September 3-5, 2012
My parents gave me a few cryptic phone calls, and emails about coming down to Vancouver to discuss my MRI with a neurologist from UBC hospital. However I do like to think I am smarter than I look and maybe even smarter than my parents think. I knew that if my MRI was negative there was no way they would book a $350 flight to have a neurologist to tell me so. I first tried to get a straight answer out of my dad, he tried to change the subject and was very brief. So I then tried my mom, she then said  that my dad and her would would Skype me that night.

September 5, 2012
I found out I have been positively diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I have Multiple Sclerosis and this is my story.

~Living With MS