Category Archives: General

Doctors as Consultants

MedicalOn the path to my diagnosis, I met with six doctors over a period of two weeks.  Along the way, I got some pretty bad advice.  If I listened to the first doctor who told me my vision loss was due to either “a virus” or “cataract”, or the other doctor who said “It could be MS, but even if it is, we will wait for another episode (a.k.a. more nerve damage), to diagnose you,” I wouldn’t be aggressively seeking ways to improve my health.

All of this got me thinking about the premise of medicine as a science.  How could medicine be 100% scientific if six different doctors came up with such varying conclusions?  The answer is that it’s not.  Medicine is part science and part art.  And no matter what, it is up to us to take charge of our own welfare.

I now view my doctors as my consultants. They are people who are part of my larger Life Team which also includes my accountant, lawyer, life coach, etc. I respect doctors, their training and opinions, but at the end of the day, I am the only one who is going to be with me until the very end (and beyond).  So, if something doesn’t sound right, I will keep looking until I find a Doctor Consultant who seems to make the most sense.  I will then hire that person to be part of my larger team.

What is your view of doctors? Do you think it’s fair to put them on a pedestal? Is it OK to question the medical advice we receive?

“Don’t Pity Yourself”

When I was young, my father used to say “The older you get, the wiser I get.” I didn’t understand what he meant at the time (probably because I was a know-it-all teen), but now I do.  He’s a wise, wise man.

When I told him I have MS, the first thing he said to me was “Don’t pity yourself.” It took me off guard, because I wasn’t expecting that to be his reaction.  But he was 100% correct.  What will pitying myself accomplish?

Now, have I been known to burst into tears occasionally? Of course! But do I stay in that place? Not for long.  I pull myself together and try to stay focused on the positive.

So when I start to feel sorry for myself, I think of my father’s advice.  He was right– he always is.

The Game Plan

So let’s talk about how I am going to approach curing myself.  My first step was to research if anyone else had done this before.  I Googled “people who have cured MS” and found this article: https://medium.com/cured-disease-naturally/11d2ebe47162 about a woman who used diet to “cure” herself.  Now, I understand there isn’t a real cure for MS, but my goal is to stop the progression so that I can live a happy and healthy life.  Here’s my plan in a nutshell:

  • Diet. Revamp my diet to minimize glutens, dairy and red meat.  Increase the amount of fruits and veggies I consume — foods that are high in nutrients. I am also cutting out alcohol for the foreseeable future.  Sugar is going to take a back seat in this process too.  I am really looking to consume foods that come from the earth in as close to their natural state as possible.  I have also added B12 and Vitamin D supplements into the mix.
  • Exercise. Continue to run and exercise.  Running relaxes me.  Since I believe stress has contributed to my MS, I am planning on incorporating any form of exercise that will help me reduce stress.  I plan on continuing to run, but I also want to experiment with yoga, Tai Chi, and anything else that will be FUN and relaxing.  Hell, if I am going to leave this Earth at some point (as we all are- MS or no MS), I might as well have fun!
  • Positive Mental Attitude. I am a firm believer that your mind is incredibly powerful and it and your attitude can really keep you healthy.  When I lost the vision in my left eye, one doctor told me it would take 90 days to come back.  I thought to myself “90 Days! Let’s shoot for two weeks instead.” I then embarked on a journey of meditation and mind exercises where I saw my body healing itself.  It’s been about two weeks and my vision has almost completely returned.
  • Support. Support is going to be a key component in this process.  I have a wonderful neurologist and I’m also working with a great naturopathic doctor.  I have also told close friends and family who have been wonderful.
  • Medication? The jury is still out on whether I will use traditional medication to slow the progression of MS.  Although I understand the value of meds, I really don’t like them.  My neurologist suggested I go on Copaxone, but I may see what he thinks about Naltrexone.  We’ll see.

That’s it so far.  I’m sure things will change as time goes on.

Are there things you are doing to help manage MS? Please share!

Diagnosis as a Blessing

Let me introduce myself. I won’t use my name because I’m still debating who I want to tell about my diagnosis. I will tell you that I am “perfect.” I am the classic Type A, over-achieving, perfectionist that some people admire and others just can’t stand. I eat right, exercise, make a pretty good living, and am successful in almost everything I do. I am the queen of trying to help others– some may say I have a “Savior Complex.”

I think this is the primary reason I was diagnosed with MS. I was STRESSED. I was running around trying to be all things to everyone else, except myself. I was so stressed that my body finally said “ENOUGH!!! YOU. MUST. STOP. DOING. THIS. TO. YOURSELF.”

Many people had been trying to get me to slow down, but I wouldn’t listen. I thought “That’s lazy man speak. These people just don’t understand what it means to be driven.” What I didn’t understand is that they were right. I was destroying myself, slowly but surely.

So I am looking at my MS diagnosis as an absolute blessing from the Universe. There are very few things that would have stopped me in my tracks like this. Now the Universe has my attention. I have slowed down and started to put everything into perspective. There’s nothing that’s that serious that it’s worth my health. I am now practicing extreme self care, and that is a very, very, very great blessing.

Thank you God for the message. I hear you loudly and clearly.

Let’s DO This!

Two weeks ago, I lost total vision in my left eye.  I met with several doctors, and their diagnoses  ranged from “it’s just a virus” to “it could be MS.” On Monday, I found out that it is MS.

Immediately my Type A personality kicked into gear.  My first thought was “Hmmm… a challenge.”  I know they say there’s no cure to this thing, but my goal is to cure it.

So here we are.  I am embarking on a journey to cure MS– at least for myself.  I hope this site will be a place where I can share useful information and encourage others to share information too.  If you’re ready to join me on this journey, I would love to have you. Thank you for visiting.

Game on.