Multiple Sclerosis and Fatigue

Hola,

I have to preemptively qualify this entire post.  My spirit animal is the sloth.  If left to my own devices (and without this minor inconvenience we call life) I would gladly do nothing all day.  I can be quite lazy.


Look at that face... that is the face of pure contentment.

The fatigue brought on by my Multiple Sclerosis is troublesome, because it can give me an easy excuse not do things.  It becomes a battle between myself and my fatigue... sometimes in pursuit of the mundane.  But fatigue is far from exclusive to Multiple Sclerosis.  There are a host of other diseases, injuries, disorders, issues, etc. that can cause fatigue.  Heck, fatigue is a basic symptom of life.

I have been on a crusade to alleviate my fatigue.  Ever since I was diagnosed, fatigue has been a constant symptom ranging from moderate to severe.  After trying dozens of potential remedies, I have found a couple that actually.  I thought I'd share, being that this may be the first actual, bonafide piece of helpful writing I've offered.

Vitamin B12 - I have started taking B12, and have found that it really does help.  I'm usually very skeptical of supplements, but I really feel a burst of energy after taking this.

Vitamin D - There's plenty of conflicting literature out there on vitamin D.  There are medical journals that say the vitamin D supplement is a must have in anyone's repertoire, and others say it is useless in pill form.  I have taken vitamin D with Glucosamine, and did feel a bit more energetic.  The Glucosamine is supposed to help with joint pain, so it's hard to say if vitamin D had any real effect.  There may even be a bit of placebo effect for this one.

Exercise - This one can be tough and counter intuitive.  It is quite difficult to get up and get moving when you are fatigued, but trust me on this one... it helps.  Even if you are just able to do a little walking every day, it will get the blood pumping.  It will be tough to start, and even tougher to continue, but after a while it will begin to give you more energy.  This is probably the best thing you can do for a laundry list of reasons that I don't even need to talk about here.

Good'ol Grittin' Your Teeth - This is similar to getting exercise in a way... although it's more akin to will power.  If there is a task you are putting off due to the fatigue, it's good to occasionally fight the fatigue and get out there.  No matter what it is that you are gonna do, getting moving will get blood pumping and the activity will stimulate your mind.

The "Holding Your Breath" Trick - This is a pigeon-holed trick.  There are times when we are all at meetings, family functions, classes, etc. and find ourselves falling asleep.  No matter how hard we fight, we seem to get more and more tired.  The trick is simple... hold your breath.  In 30 second clips, hold your breath and exhale slowly.  Take a few moments in between holding your breath, and increase the time you hold it for 5 seconds or so.  This forces your circulatory system to work harder, making your blood pump a little harder.  This will help wake you up.

Sugar and Caffeine - Either of these are last resorts.  They will give you a burst of energy, but come with bounce back.  Sugar and caffeine can get you through a particular task or help you get moving, but you will crash; making the initial fatigue worse.

If you know of anything else to try, please let me know... I'm always looking for the next best thing; because otherwise, you know,...




Thanks,
Adam

Adam's Top 10 Zombie Movies

Hola,

I wanted to take another detour from the whole MS thing, so I figured I would switch over to another passion of mine: Film.  I love movies, and one of the more popular genres at the moment are zombie films.

My first exposure to zombie films came as a freshman in high school.  Up until then, my exposure to horror movies included Scream, Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Halloween, etc.  That all changed when a friend gave me a VHS of Dawn of the Dead ('78) and Day of the Dead ('85.)  These films had a profound impact on me.  The tense atmospheres, graphic violence, and the underlying messages effectively changed my life.

This launched an obsession that lasted for years.  I began seeking out every critically acclaimed and notorious films in the genre.  When those ran out, I started looking for less popular and critically panned movies... and even looked for underground and homemade z-grade films.  There were amazing movies, and movies that were amazingly bad... but all worked to satiate my desire to see more and more of the genre.

In recent years I have become disillusioned with the genre.  Up until 2004's Dawn of the Dead remake, zombies were an underground sub-genre.  The '04 Dawn brought zombies into the limelight, and now anyone with a camera and a couple of bucks can make one.  The dozens and dozens of movies, mostly horrendous, have diluted what was once my favorite type of film.  This has all culminated with the horrible World War Z (2013,) which I am hoping killed this new trend.

I have written about this before, but never in this level of detail.  Out of the dozens and dozens of zombie films, I have narrowed down my 10 favorites.  You may recognize some entries on this list, but I suspect that the majority will be brand new to most.  Some of these are famous, while others are notorious... but for any fellow horror movie enthusiast, these are movies to seek out.

1 - Day of the Dead (1985)  This is an obligatory entry, as almost everyone is familiar with the original George Romero zombie trilogy.  Our of those films, I consider Day of the Dead to be the golden standard.  Night of the Living Dead ('68) has the most poignant of all messages, and was quite revolutionary at the time; but it is slow moving and somewhat sloppy.  Dawn of the Dead ('78) is more of a comic book romp, and is as cartoonish as it is bleak.  Day of the Dead is the most disturbing of the trilogy.  Romero takes a deep look at the Regan years and the miliary industrial complex, and it makes you give up all hope in humanity.  I feel that this is the zombie movie that all others should be measured by... especially via gratuitous violence.

2 - Zombi (1979)  This is one of the more notorious zombie films of all time.  Also known as Zombi 2 or Zombie Flesh Eaters, it was marketed as the sequel to Dawn of the Dead ('78) (released as Zombi/Zombie) in European markets.  Lucio Fulci crafted one of the most claustrophobic environments I have ever seen in a horror film.  The special effects in Zombi are unparalleled, and are quite something for those who enjoy gory films.  This is an unrelenting film that has a breakneck pace, and is unapologetic. (If you do end up watching this movie, please mentally prepare yourself for some very realistic gore)

3 - Shaun of the Dead  The single best horror comedy this side of Young Frankenstein.  There are a tremendous amount homages paid to the genre, so many that it took multiple viewings to notice them all.  The reason I have this as high on the list as I do is a combination of the intelligent humor and the overt message about society.  The resonating message of the film is that we are all zombies, blindly marching through our daily lives... to the point that a zombie outbreak would not only go unnoticed, but would barely interfere with our society.

4 - The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (1974)  This is the first real "rip-off" of Night of the Living Dead ('68.)  I believe that the film itself is not as well crafted as Night, but the messages contained therein are much more interesting.  Manchester Morgue is a take on the militant, hyper conservative state of the U.K. at the time; but also has a powerful message concerning our treatment of the environment.  It's an interesting film... one that I believe any zombie film fan should see.

5 - The Beyond (1981)  Another entry for Lucio Fulci just highlights how his work in the genre was groundbreaking (albeit never copied or fully appreciated in its' time.)  Italian horror from the early 1970's through mid 1980's saw some truly mind bending, thought provoking, and shocking films.  The Beyond is a perfect example of how a non-linear concept can be used to keep your audience on edge.  The Beyond has no real underlying message, but has textbook usage of Gothic imagery and themes that can easily hit a nerve.  This is one of my absolute favorite films of all time... but make sure you are not easily spooked before watching it.

6 - [REC] (2007)  I have to clarify my position on this film right off the bat.  I hate... and I mean HATE... the found footage genre.  Out of all the films that use this device, only 3 are worth watching, [REC] being one of them (the other 2, FYI, are Cannibal Holocaust and The Bay.)  [REC] is a Spanish entry into the zombie genre, and although it keeps to tried and true plot points, there are some genuinely scary moments.  There was an English version, released as Quarantine, which was practically scene for scene, word for word.. but I feel the Spanish version is more entertaining.

7 - Undead (2003)  Undead is akin to Shaun of the Dead in its' hilarity, but goes an extra step further in the gore and ridiculousness department.  This Australian addition to the genre is also the first cross over (at least that I'm aware of) that mixes zombies and other creature types (I don't wanna give anything away, but I assure you that nothing moves in the direction you think it will.)  The humor is very organic and the action sequences are quite entertaining.  If you get the chance, definitely get your hands on Undead; and as you watch, remember to ask the question: "Where in the heck did he get those guns??"

 8 - The Dead (2010) This is the most recent entry in the list, and is probably the only good zombie film made in the last few years.  There are several underlying themes throughout this movie, and is very thought provoking.  Most zombie films glance over characters, and even plot, in favor of grand action or intense gore.  The Dead takes you on an intimate journey with your main character; and you only see events through his perspective.  This is one of the few movies in the zombie genre that focuses on character development.  I am very eager for the sequel that should hit the states in the next few months.

9 - Dead Alive (AKA Braindead - 1992)  Dead Alive is the brain child of Peter Jackson, and is another notorious entry.  This film is silly and ludicrous at times, but spares no expense on the gore.  This has a rather unique plot, and will keep you both laughing and grossed out.  Dead Alive also boasts one of the most insane end sequence that piles up an insurmountable body count.  This is probably the most unique entry in this list, and one that is a can't miss for both zombie and Peter Jackson fans.

10 - Tokyo Zombie (2005)  I wrestled with which movie should sit in the final spot, and decided that another lighthearted film was just a little better than some of the others.  Tokyo Zombie is based after a series of Manga comic books, and is shot to feel like a comic book romp.  It is a quirky film with lots of silly moments, but is one of the more endearing zombie films around.

Honorable Mentions
There are just so many zombie films out there that it is very difficult to narrow the field down to 10.  I had almost made this a list of top 15, but decided to go with the obligatory 10.  Below are a few movies that should definitely be mentioned, and ultimately viewed.

-Pontypool:  This is a recent film out of Canada, and the setting of the film is what makes it stand out.  There is very little action in the film, but it is none the less tense as you are in the midst of piecing events together from the perspective of a radio show host.

-28 Days Later:  I always question whether or not 28 Days and 28 Weeks should be included in a zombie discussion.  Ultimately, the antagonists are not really "zombies" per se, but the same basic conflict exists.  28 Days Later is just a more focused version of The Crazies (1973.)  The action sequences are very well crafted, and leave you with a sense of helplessness.

-Fido:  Fido has a novel premise: what if humans were able to domesticate zombies in the midst of a zombie apocalypse?  This film also explores the concept of what constitutes humanity, although it's a very thin exploration.  I feel that this is a solid zombie comedy and a must see for any zombie enthusiast.

-Dead Snow (Dod Sno):  This was almost my 10th choice for the aforementioned list.  This is a fast paced, zombie nazi film with a touch of organic humor.  Dead Snow also marks the very first successful entry for the zombie nazi... many have tried before, and all have failed.  There is also a sequel coming out later this year that I am very jazzed for.

-The Mad:  This is one of those films that should be better received than it is.  The Mad has a solid cast and an obvious concept that has not, for some strange reason, been used before.  After watching The Mad, although not the most serious of films but by no means a comedy, made me wonder at the plausibility of certain scenarios.  (In fact, there was a great article on Cracked many moons ago that sorta hits on this topic: 5 Scientific Ways a Zombie Apocalypse Could Actually Happen)

I'm definitely up for discussion on this one, as I fully expect to have snubbed certain fan favorites.

Thanks for reading,
Adam

BBQ Sauce... A Multiple Sclerosis Tale

Hola,

Soooo, the title needs clarification, so here's the full story.

One of the many medications I have taken throughout the years for my Multiple Sclerosis is Solu Medrol.  Thats fancy talk for an powerful IV steroid drip.  I have been on it a few times since my diagnosis on an average of once every 2 years.  It will usually come with a prednizone chaser, and is meant to suppress the immune system from attacking the myelin sheath so the body can do some healing.

Now you would think that after all of those steroids, you would think I could hit a home run out of any ballpark, but no such luck.  Blegh!

Sometime in the future I will do an entire post dedicated to Solu Medrol, but to make a long story short, I am forced to be hooked up to an IV for 5 hours a day over 5 days.  During that time, since my immune system is completely shot, I am quarantined to the house.  Needless to say, I get a touch of cabin fever.

The first time I took these steroids, I was forced to have a chaperone the entire time.  By day 4, I was going out of my mind; and my sister drew the short straw and had to babysit me.  Now, this was the summer between undergrad and graduate school, so I had nothing pertinent to do.  Most people would watch TV or movies, played video games, start reading or even writing a book... but not me.  I decided this was the perfect time to make BBQ sauce.

I had never made BBQ sauce before, so I looked up recipes that morning, and started cooking away.  Mind you, I decided to start this as I was knee deep in treatment, with an IV stuck in my wrist.

There I was, running around, cutting onions, pouring sauces, mixing spices, and dragging my IV bag around the kitchen.  The entire time, Jaime is telling me that I should just sit and relax, and wait 2 days to make my completely unnecessary BBQ sauce.  But I'm good a stubborn; until about 20 minutes later, when I hear Jai tell me, in a very calm voice: "Adam, please sit down."

I brushed off the comment and mumbled something about being done in a few minutes and that I was doing fine.  Jaime got a little more stern: "Adam, SIT DOWN."  I look at her, confused, until she tells me to look at my IV.

All the running around caused me to back up into the IV bag.

I began to panic.

We began to call everyone and anyone we could think to call, until we finally got through to a nurse.  There was a simple simple solution, but the moral of the story is if you are hooked up to an IV, don't make BBQ sauce.  I know that will be, not only a useful piece of advice, but one that will stick with you for quite some time.

In summation, if you have the chance, nay the orders, to rest: THEN REST!

Thanks,
Adam

Betaseron, the Final Frontier (for now at least)

Hello,

To finish off the trifecta of medications I have been on, I moved from Copaxone to Betaseron.  Betaseron is yet another interferon medication that is a subcutaneous injection taken once every other day.  When discussing next steps after the Copaxone debacle, there were a few more options on the table.  Rebif was one of the more popular drugs that came up in conversation, but was too close in chemical makeup to both Avonex and Copaxone... so that was quickly dismissed.  There was also a monthly IV infusion available, but dragging my behind to the hospital once a month to be hooked up to an IV seemed like a final resort.

So Betaseron seemed to be the best option.

For Betaseron, I would have to mix the medication (as I had previously for Avonex) and inject myself via an injection pen (as I had previously for Copaxone,) so this was a weird combination of the elements of my previous medications.  I would continue to pre-medicate with Excedrin Migraine, and inject myself in one of the many rotating sites (similar to the Avonex, I was able to inject via triceps, thigh, stomach, and butt.)

The difficult part of both Betaseron and Copaxone was remembering what day to inject.  I quickly found that reminders via computer or mobile calendar were the most effective (although my wife was an integral part of remembering when to take my meds.)  The second most difficult part for Betaseron was injecting anywhere but my thigh and stomach, as I had to twist into a pretzel in order to properly align the needle (trust me... a misalignment is disastrous.)  

For the first year or so, I seemed to tolerate Betaseron well.  I had minimal site reactions and the side effects weren't nearly as severe as Avonex.  Unfortunately, that began to turn as I built up more and more scar tissue in my rotation sites.  I would try my best to avoid hitting close to a previous injection site, but I seemed to develop tough skin develop across the entire acceptable injection zone.  This began causing some severe site reactions.  I would have blaring pain for days after an injection (which was especially difficult after a butt day since I spend all day on my backside at work,) and had an awful time getting the pen to dispense the full injection.

I began to develop that horrible anxiety on shot day, much like I did for Avonex.  The major difference was that Betaseron was every other day... not once a week; so I was in a constant state of fear of my medication.   The injection difficulties led to more severe side effects as well.  On days where I had an especially difficult injection (the needle taking an extra long time to dispense or excessive site bleeding) I would experience chills and flu-like symptoms that were unparalleled.  As my wife can attest, I would be unable to warm myself and would shake as though I were laying on a block of ice in the Arctic Ocean.  Being that I would inject at about 7pm every other evening, this made for many sleepless nights.  

I was on Betaseron until recently (about 3.5 years total.)  The site reactions and side effects were becoming unbearable, prompting another conversation on changing meds.  I am currently going through a screening process for Gilenya (an ordeal in and of itself,) which I am actually kinda happy about.  Gilenya is one of the few oral medications becoming more prevalent for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis; and I am eager to begin and report on my progress.

It is definitely noteworthy to discuss the injector pen designed for Betaseron.  In my last post I discussed the difficulty in dialing in the depth for injecting Copaxone via their injection pen, but neglected to mention the ease of operating the safety mechanism and trigger.  The injection pen for Betaseron is the complete oposite.  There is no mechanism for dialing in the depth of the needle, but the safety mechanism and trigger are difficult to use.  There is a button that you must push while sliding the rear part of the handle towards the center of the pen in order to inject.  This is difficult, as it takes a ton of pressure to slide the handle (which acts as the safety mechanism) prior to being able to depress the trigger button... and this can cause you to jam the pen too far into the skin and inject too deep.

I would try to hold the front of the pen while pressing the handle inwards in order to take pressure off of the skin, but this would require twisting in unnatural positions in order to properly inject.  This was uncomfortable and could cause me to inject at a less than ideal angle.  Sometimes I would forgo using the injector pen (manual injection was possible for Betaseron and has its' own set of instructions,) but I was never a fan of self-injecting (see my previous post on Avonex.)  Icing the injection spot until way past numb became my best friend.

I will hopefully be starting Gilenya in a couple of months.  I figure I'll be willing to endure more side effects (not that their are any listed that aren't indicative of the other MS medications) if it means a trade off for injections and injection site reactions.  Here's to hoping that this all comes together quickly.

Thanks for reading
Adam

p.s. I figure I've droned on enough about more depressing stuff, so I'll try and break it up with another non-MS related post next time.  Thanks for sticking with me.

More on Multiple Sclerosis Medications

Hello Again,

Let us pick up where we left off...

So once Avonex ceased to be a viable option for treating my Multiple Sclerosis, my doctor and I decided to try a medication with a very similar chemical makeup (or at least that's how it was explained to me.)  My case of MS was responding well to the Avonex, yet the side effects were too much so we thought a similar medication may have the benefit without the side effects.

Unfortunately, this was a very inaccurate assumption. 

After about a month of taking nothing so the current medication would be out of my system, I began taking Copaxone.  A nurse came to my house, had me fill out a ton of paperwork, and taught me how to administer this injectable.  This medication makes use of an injector pen; and since this was going to be the first time I've used anything like that, I needed some coaching. 

The Copaxone needles came with pre-mixed meds, so it needed to be taken out and brought to room temperature about a half an hour before use.  I had to pre-medicate with an over the counter pain reliever, load the pen, dial in the depth of the injection, and shoot away.  I was given a list of acceptable injection locations (many more for Copaxone versus Avonex) and instructed to take one dose every other day.  I quickly learned that the dialing of the injector depth was the first problem.

No matter what depth I dialed it into, I experienced horrible injection site reactions.  If it was too deep, I would have incredible pain, followed by tons of bleeding and seepage of the medication.  Too shallow, and I ended up with a bubble of medication under my skin... As you can image, that's not a great thing to have.  I talked with a dozen nurses from both my insurance company and the Copaxone manufacturer, and no one was able to help me figure out the correct depth.  I still, to this day, think that there is no correct  depth for this injector pen, and I've subsequently found that many other injectors don't allow for the adjustment of depth... I think this is a major design flaw.

Secondly, and more importantly, I began having allergic reactions.  It started with hives after each injection.  I spoke with a few of the neurologists at my doctors office, and I was asked to try Benadryl as a pre-med.  Unfortunately, the hives persisted until I went into full anaphylaxis one evening.  My entire body swelled, had a back spasm, and began having difficulty breathing.  Thankfully, I was still living with my parents and was able to bang on the wall enough to get my fathers' attention.

I had only made it about 5 months on Copaxone before the allergic reaction.  I immediately came off the drug, and quickly had to go to round 3.  The next one stuck from that point until a few months ago, but that's for the next post.

Thanks for reading,
Adam

Multiple Sclerosis Meds... The Great (Hopefully) Equalizer

Hello,

There are few different flavors of Multiple Sclerosis; and more than a few different flavors of medication.  There are injectables, IV administered, pills; and they can be daily, every other day, weekly, monthly, etc.  In my experience, it is good that we have all of these options, because they all come with their own challenges.

For the first 3 years, I took a drug called Avonex.  Avonex, an interferon medication, was a once a week injection.  Whereas many injections are subcutaneous, Avonex is an intramuscular; meaning that you have to penetrate into the muscle and not just through the skin. For me, this was torture.  Every Friday, I would have to stick myself with an inch and a half long needle in one of several locations, inject slowly, and withdraw.  I did not have an easy time with this.

There are multiple spots where you can inject (top of thigh, side of thigh, butt, etc.) but I found that the only place where I could successfully inject was my thigh; both top and side.  I'm not a squeamish person, and I have a very high pain tolerance, but as the weeks, months, and years passed, I developed a severe anxiety come injection time.  I had a hard time penetrating the skin with the needle, and felt every millimeter of that metal slide in and out.  To make matters worse, I had hit a nerve more than once... making me even more afraid every time I unsheathed the needle.

Once the needle was extracted, I would bleed like a stuck pig (wonderful imagery, I know | unfortunately I'm a bleeder; found this out the first time I gave blood and frightened all the nurses when I was very close to needing cauterization.)  I would need to massage the injection site and put pressure on it for 20+ minutes each time.

You would think that once the actual injection was over that I was free and clear, but no, that was only the eye of the hurricane. About 4-6 hours after the injection, the side effects would kick in; and subsequently kick my butt.

I would take my injection every Friday evening between 7-10 pm, and take a dose of Excedrin Migraine about 30 minutes prior to help minimize side effects.  I would drift to sleep easily, hoping to make it through the night without incident, BUT NEIGH!  In the middle of the night, the severe chills would start.  I would pile on clothes and blankets, put on hot compresses and heating pads, drink copious amounts of tea and other hot beverages... but until it passed, I was gonna shiver uncontrollably (I have actually chattered my teeth so much that my jaw would be sore the next day.)  I would usually carry flu-like symptoms for at least a day, most often 2 days; meaning that I would finally recover just in time for work... oh the irony.

I tried everything I could think of to make the whole process easier.  I would ice the injection spots until they were numb, double up on my pre-meds, have plenty of fluids, bundle up in order to preempt the chills, etc.  I even read about some people having a glass or two of wine just before to ease their way through (probably not something any of us should promote, even though some of these MS meds have no drug or alcohol interactions.)  Alas, nothing worked.  Most people would record a reduction in number and severity of symptoms as time progressed, but mine seemed to ramp up.  This was compounded by a build up of scar tissue in my injection sites.

My Multiple Sclerosis did respond well to Avonex, but the side effects were taking a tremendous toll.  I spoke to my neurologist, and after a few more months and additional attempts at mitigating strategies, we decided to change medications.  Ultimately, my next set of meds would go much, much worse... but I'll save that for my next posting.

Thanks for reading,
Adam

p.s. I should mention that the medications I will be talking about for this post, and the next 2 or 3 are meant to stave off Multiple Sclerosis attacks.  There are another host of medications that I will discuss in the future that are meant to repair the damage caused by an attack.

Dancing (Quite Strangely) in the Moonlight

Hello,

Let us talk about symptoms (you can feel free to place a "baby" at the end of that sentence if you read it in the style of Salt and Peppa.)  Multiple Sclerosis has about 9 billion possible symptoms, ranging from minor annoyances to crippling horrors.  I myself have experienced about a dozen or so symptoms; and they have ranged from minor annoyances to disconcertingly life altering. (Nothing worse so far ::knocks on wood::)

This is the area that holds a stigma for Multiple Sclerosis sufferers.  Many have a distinct view in their head of what a sufferer looks like... and from what I am usually told, it usually involves a wheelchair.  Symptoms are one of the two main topics that I wish to open some dialogue (wishful thinking that anyone is reading) about.  (To find out the other, you will just have to keep on reading, now don't you?)

We had discussed my first symptom, as the left half of my body went numb from the neck down.  It wasn't severe and didn't effect my balance or gate; but it was noticeable and bothersome.  I had "pins and needles" tingling and a dampened feel to the touch.  I was aware that I was touching something, or being touched, but it was no where near normal; hard for me to explain actually.

Within the next few months, I had a couple of other major symptoms rear their ugly heads.  First, I had this strange "electrical shock" feeling shoot down my spine with I craned my neck down.  It wasn't terribly painful, but it was uncomfortable.  Then there way my major symptom: severe numbness and weakness in my left leg.  This was strange, and altered my life for a long time.  If I were seated for a long time, or was siting on a hard surface for any more than 5 minutes, I would have an awful time standing up and walking.  My left leg would go numb to the point where I barely had control over it, and I would feel the "pins and needles" tingling to the point of intense pain.

I had a number of other symptoms, including from decreased grip strength, intermittent numbness in the hands and feet, and severe fatigue (which has been a constant since my diagnosis.)  Yet, out of all this, the problems with my left leg were the absolute worst.  I tried to hide this as long as I could, but my walking progressively deteriorated and I was unable to keep people from noticing; prompting me to invest in a cane to steady myself (funny enough, this is how I ended up letting many of my friends know about my diagnosis.)

I have had a number of steroid treatments (pills and IV bags) over the years, and many of my symptoms have come and gone.  (In fact, the leg issue has hit me on 3 separate occasions, my left leg, then both legs, and then back to the left leg.)  Currently, I am (for the most part) asymptomatic.  I still have the severe weakness, which has never dissipated over the past 7+ years, some intermittent numbness in the hands (I'm told the Scrabble word for this is paresthesia,) and some minor leg numbness.

I have heard about a myriad of symptoms that can manifest with Multiple Sclerosis, and can include vision problems, bladder and bowel control problems, numbness and tingling, itchiness, uncontrollable movements, etc.  One of the many struggles an MS patient has is not focusing on the possible future; because it is the most important to focus on how to live healthy, properly maintain all medications, and enjoy life.

Thanks for reading,
Adam