Blog Archives-2006

2006
October 19th
I'm numb-no this isn't emotion related:
so I've had some weird numbness to my right hand for a few months now. it's now spread to both of my arms, a little bit of my legs and parts of my back. when i walk, i feel like i'm walking like jack sparrow from pirates of the Caribbean and i get really nauseous and dizzy. its just gotten this bad in the past week now. i went to the doctor, after calling in sick for the first time EVER in my life. i was supposed to unload a truck at 6am and i have a hard time lifting anything and picking things up because i'm so unbalanced. they drew blood and made me pee in a cup and are doing about 12 tests on me (some are thyroid, B12 and lymes), they said they would let me know by the end of the week. so hopefully today or tomorrow. i'm pretty scared. i'm hoping its nothing too big. i cant draw and i can barely type, i've had to go back and do a lot of correcting on my words cuz i hit the wrong keys. i'll keep everyone posted. thats why i wasnt at 80's night last night. i was going to go for a little bit and watch everyone dance but i didnt feel well enough to go. thats all, i'll keep everyone posted.

October 20th
for those concerned....with my doctors stuff
i FINALLY got a doctor to call me back, i tested positive for the ANA test which is anti-inflammatory diseases, they prescribed me some pills that i take twice a day that should relieve some of the pain.they'll be doing more tests next week

October 27th
medical update
so i went back for my physical and to review my test results with my doctor. it only took them a week to do this. grr. so more blood tests, she recommended me to a neurologist and to get an MRI. lovely. they scheduled the appointments for me but they werent until the end of november. my mom had a similar problem to me last year, turns out the guy is in my network that she saw so i'm going back to chippewa monday night and having the neurologist look at me tuesday morning. happy halloween to me. hopefully we can find out whats wrong. my dad drove all the way down this morning. my entire family is extremely worried and have been calling my parents constantly. i've been recieving messages from some of you. thank you very much for caring and being concerned. i havent replied because i havent had much for answers or anything so this i my big reply to everyone.i've gotten a little better, my muscles are just really achy. the numbness is still there a little bit and i'm exhausted all the time. its awesome. and i'm getting really behind in school cuz i cant do anything.yesterday was my first day back at work in a week and a half, i worked 2-6:35.... i left early because i was so exhausted. i still get tired easily and thats the most i had been on my feet in week and a half. i got a doctors note restricting me from lifting 20 lbs and now i'm only working no more than 5 hour shifts until they find out whats wrong with me. so thats the update. hope everyone has some fun for me this halloween

November 8th
MRI Test results back...not good
i'm sure that got your attentionso those that have been keeping up on my health stuff... thank you... for those of you that havent. well you kinda suck... jk.. so i had an MRI on tuesday morning in eau claire. they got the results back and called right away this morning at 9am. we had to go to menomonie to see my neurologist. this first thing he said was "the MRI results came back and they are abnormal" right then my heart along with my mom and dads all sank to the floor. he said i would need a spinal tap because i could possibly have MS or lymes disease. he also wanted to do some more blog work and put me on predislonewhich is a type of steriod and he wanted me to take it through an IV for the next 5 days. so i wont be returning to work until the 21st, which sucks because i thought i was doing better and able to work longer shifts. i got a spinal tap today, it actually wasnt that bad but now my i back is hurting like a you know what. i feel so helpless right now and it kinda sucks i will be here in chippewa falls until sunday staying with my parents (possibly monday) if anyone would like to call me please do. if you would like to keep me company please wait until friday or saturday... hopefully this is just a weird virus and i can have my life back.

November 10th
Day 2 Of being on Steroids
i wrote this last night and posted it on myspace... look for another note from me later on tonighth i all, thank you for the large amount of calls and messages. please call me if you would like to reach me, its painful and hard work to check my messages at times. which is why i havent responded to a lot of them, but i have read them and they've kept my spirits up. so thank youmy back is still sore from the spinal tap and i've had a headache from that as well which is to be expected. i went in for my second IV of prednisone. i look like a herion addict from all of the bruising cuz of the amount of needles that have been stuck into me. tomorrow eric is driving up and spending the weekend with me. my sister, the future chiropractor, will be coming too so she's going to do some massage things on me. today i got a balloon bouquet and hersheys' kisses from my dads sisters, i also got some flowers from my friend amber's (yes theres an amber in my group of friends) mom. i will be going to the hospital everyday until sunday at 3pm for an hour if you try to reach me. if my phone is shut off thats cuz i'm at the hospital so i'm near by. hope everyone is doing well, drinking, going to shows and being with friends. have a drink for me since half of a drink makes me drunk now.

November 11th

hi everyone, its cripple sicky girl.i'm still very sorry, nautious and i get hungry at 3 am and dont fall asleep until 5am. its been very rough and emotional. i have a series of crashes and restless ness. blaheric came up last night. i love that man. i didnt have a cry fit like i had been for the 2 nights before because i had him there. my parents have charter on demand so i've been watching a lot of movies. my sister has been giving me massages but i'm still very uncomfortable. i really appreciate all of your blog comments, comments and messages. if you are in the chippewa area, feel free to stop by. i like company, it keeps my spirits up.we still dont know whats wrong with me. we're leaning more toward multiple sclerosis. which is scarey and worries me a ton. i have an appointment on friday with my neurologist. i wont be returning to class on monday for those that are in the animation program with me. i'm not sure whats all going to happen at this point. the thought if losing this semester and all of the hard work i've done scares me and the thought of losing my job and pier 1 also scares me. luckily i have a supportive family, a loving boyfriend and great friends to help me through everything. i keep freaking out but i really need to just take one day at a time and concentrate on getting better.for those that are in chippewa that want to stop by. my appointments for my IV of predisone are at 3pm and last almost an hour. i should be here until atleast monday night, i may just stay the whole week because i kinda need to be babysat at this point.

November 13th
very rough last night, i'm going to keep it short
i had massive headaches today. i ended up having a cry spell and when i got to urgent care to get my last dose of predisone i ran to the bathroom and threw up. then i got my IV and the nurse said i should go to the emergancy room and get a blood patch. they kept my needle in so they wouldnt have to repoke me (i have bruises everywhere right now)i got there and they put me in a wheel chair and i tossed my cookies again and then they hooked me up to some rehydration stuff, then pepcid AC and had me drink that nasty chalk tasting stuff since i was having heartburn too. i had to say goodbye to eric cuz he really needed to head back to madison. it was so good to have him here with me. they then wheeled me to a recovery room, sedated me, drew blood and injected it into my spine. i then had to lay there for 2 hours, they carted me up on my bed to a room and fed me some caffeine stuff (it equals 2 cups of coffee) and my parents and sister kept me company. laying there for 2 hours after being injected with like 12 different types of fluid was crazy. i had to use the bathroom 3 times before i went home and then another 4 or 5 times since i've been home now. i will not be returning to madison until maybe the weekend at this point. i have never been in so much pain but this blood patched helped a lot. i've taken 2 tylonel pms and i'm still a little wired from the predisone and caffeine. thanks for reading... i'm doing ok for now.

November 17th
so i had my neurologist appointment. we went through all of the tests and it was clear that i have multiple sclerosis. i have another appointment at the beginning of january to see how i'm doing. i dont have to take any medication right now, i just have to see how my body handles things now that i've had such high doses of predisone. if i have another relapse i'll have to give myself shots once a week. which i hate needles so that should be interesting if that happens. so i'm fine i just have this MS thing. its going to take a while for me to get back to myself. i'll be returning to madison tomorrow, i might attempt to go to film con for those that are going

November 20th
how i was diagnosed... (this is a long one, but informative!)
just because some people are curious and wondering how it all developed. i'm stealing this off of msfacts.org my comments are on here to after each thing. just look for the bad punctution. myspace everything is in yellow but facebook is dumb like this. What is Multiple Sclerosis?Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an illness diagnosed in over 350,000 persons in the United States today. Even now, much is to be learned. In brief, what is known about MS is that it is signified by more than one (multiple) area of inflammation and scarring of the myelin in the brain and spinal cord. Myelin is the tissue that covers and protects our nerve fibers. When this occurs, nerve "communication" is disrupted. Thus, a person with MS experiences varying degrees of neurological impairment depending on the location and extent of the scarring. Although there is no known cure for MS at this time, there is much that can be done to make your life easier.MS is not believed to be a hereditary disease, although having a family history of MS does make an individual a little more likely to develop it. MS is not transmitted genetically, but research indicates that an increased susceptibility to the disease does appear to be genetic.What causes MS?Although a specific cause of MS has not yet been determined, several theories are considered plausible. MS is an "autoimmune" disease, in which, for unknown reasons, the body's immune system begins to attack normal body tissue. In the case of MS, the body attacks the cells that make myelin.Recent data suggest that common viruses may play a role in the cause of MS. If so, MS may be caused by a persistent viral infection or alternatively, by an immune process initiated by a transient viral infection in the central nervous system or elsewhere in the body. Environmental studies indicating where MS exists and where it is absent, suggest that there is a triggering factor. It appears that some factor-most likely infectious-must be encountered before the age of 16 in order for the disease to be triggered later in life.Higher incidence of MS is found in the Northern temperate zones of North America and Europe, might indicate some triggering factor in the environment, such as toxins, vitamin-deficiencies, causing MS to manifest in those whose immune systems are genetically predisposed to MS.MS is not transmitted genetically but research indicates an increased susceptibility to autoimmune diseases, appears to be at least partly genetic. MS itself is not a hereditary disease, but the hereditary factor may make an individual susceptible to its development.Who gets MS?Currently, there are 350,000 to 500,000 people in the United States who have been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. MS is more common in women, appears more frequently in whites than in Hispanics or African Americans and is relatively rare among Asians and certain other groups.Ninety percent of MS patients diagnosed are between the ages of 16 and 60; but MS can make its first appearance in early childhood or after age 60.Is multiple sclerosis contagious or fatal?MS is neither contagious nor fatal. People with MS have a life expectancy that is not really any different from the general population. The leading causes of death in the MS community are heart disease, cancer, and stroke. MS tends to affect quality of life, not quantity of life. There are unusual variants of MS than can be very aggressive and potentially shorten life, but these are not the norm.the syptoms i had were:fatiguei had a weird burning feeling in my right arm and then it just eventually went from hurting to being tingling and went through my entire arms through my finger tips and my lower back and legsheadachesdepressiondizzinesstrouble being balanced and walking
a lot of you have been a witness to most of these symptomsCommon symptoms of MS include fatigue, weakness, spasticity, balance problems, bladder and bowel problems, numbness, vision loss, tremors and depression.Not all symptoms affect all MS patients. No two persons have the same complaints; no one develops all of the symptoms.Symptoms may be persistent or may cease from time to time. Most patients have episodic patterns of attacks and remissions throughout the disease course. Symptoms may remit completely, leaving no residual damage, or partially leaving degrees of permanent impairment.Because the symptoms that define the clinical picture of MS are the result of nerve lesions causing disturbances in electrical conduction in one or more areas of the CNS, the nature of the symptoms that occur is determined by the location of the lesion. For example: an optic nerve lesion may cause blurred vision; a brain stem lesion may cause dizziness or double vision; a spinal cord lesion may cause coordination/balance problems.how its diagnosed:Major Diagnostic toolsMRI of the brain and spinal cord with contrast, FLAIR MRI (fluid-attenuated inversion recovery), evoked potentials, lumbar puncture (spinal tap) are the major diagnostic tools at this time.MRI is the most sensitive non-invasive method available to detect areas of demyelination, (damaged myelin surrounding the nerves). MRI is safe and accurate providing the clearest evidence of white matter lesions in the CNS, and is also used to monitor the disease.Flair MR with Echo-Planner technology significantly reduces the time necessary to complete the FLAIR sequence and the standard MRI, while giving a greater picture of lesions on the brain.my MRI was very abnormal i had the contrast IV and it clearly showed the white lesions on both sides of my brain and into my spinal chord. my neurologist i think suspected it right away just from seeing my movements and how i walk. the MRI proved that it could be possible for MS. he then wanted a spinal tap (medical term is Lumbar Puncture.... i personally am grossed out by the world "puncture") here's the info on that

Spinal Fluid Analysis the brain, spinal cord are bathed in a fluid called cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). In some instances, the patient undergoes a lumbar puncture (spinal tap). This is done to make certain that some other disease is not masquerading as MS. The oligoclonal bands and the IgG index are abnormal in about 90% of MS patients.we went through my tests that were done. i had no infections, no viral weird thing, no lyme's disease, no cancer cells. i dont remember what exactly each level they tested but a normal level of one of the things is less that 5 and i was at 28. there are 3 areas that they looked at in my spinal fluid and they clearly stated that i did have MStreatment:The necessity for early treatment in MS is becoming increasingly clear. The time has passed for the "wait and see how it goes" attitude before treatment is started. Studies indicate that early treatment delays disability, presumably by decreasing the injury to the nervous system caused by the disease.The treatment of MS generally falls into two categories: treatments that address symptom management, and treatments that change the course of the disease by modifying the number and severity of attacks and the progression of disability. There has been a significant progress in both types of treatments in the last decade. Six different products have been approved by the FDA as disease modifying treatments for MS since 1993. These included three interferon-beta products (Betaseron®, Avonex®, and Rebif®) and three unrelated products (Copaxone®, Tysabri®, Novantrone®).Steroid TreatmentFor acute exacerbations, steroids have been reported to shorten the duration of acute attacks by lessening the swelling and inflammation in MS lesions. However they do not alter the frequency of exacerbations or the progression of the MS, and long term use should be avoided except in selected patients. Included are synthetic adrenal glutcocorticoids (corticosteroids) such as prednisone, prednisolone, methylprednisolone, betamethasone, and dexamethasone.ConclusionThe treatment of MS has changed dramatically in the last decade. A more favorable outcome and better quality of life are definitely more attainable by people with MS through appropriate and aggressive management. Such management should consider all available options including: the medications mentioned above, symptomatic treatments, medical, rehabilitative and psychological approaches, alternative treatment options, and experimental treatments available through clinical trials in specialized MS centers. Your individual physician should be able to provide more detailed information and advise you regarding the suitability of these available options considering the current condition of your disease.Remember, EARLY TREATMENT MAKES A DIFFERENCE.i was treated with 5 injections/IV's of predisone for 45 minutes for 5 days straight. since i had a pretty moderate attack, hopefully it was cought early enough. i'd like to take a moment to thank my great doctor for making me wait for almost a month before sending me to a neurologist, who clearly knew what was up right away. before i got my MRI she said "well it still might be carpel tunnel" my response was "that doesnt explain my walking or why my whole body was numb"... i'm going to hopefully have a better doctor eventually.my next appointment is january 5th back in eau claire. dr felix said if iwanted to find a neurologist here i could, but i would rather keep seeing him because he's very good.my answer for everything right now is "i dont know" because i dont. i dont when i'll have another attack and i dont know if i ever will. i have to keep living my life and really concentrate on keeping myself healthy. there are cases where people have attacks maybe once every 10 years and for others it has taken over their whole life. i'm scared to behonest, but theres nothing i can really do now except work on my health. i must keep a healthy diet, exercise, get a lot of sunshine (my parents were considering taking me to the bahamas with them in december), keep a very low stress level. i cant be worrying about everyone else like i normally do. i have to be selfish.i can still have kids, so thats cool. i was a little concerned about that. although, the stress of having one can cause me to have a relapse.

again thank you for all of your emails, comments, phone calls. ect.. .its been overwhelming. i just have to take one day at a time and slow down.



first day back at school
November 20
well people missed me, or atleast they said they did. i went into eds office and told him that i was back and he said "so is it for sure MS?" and i said "yeah" and we chit chatted for a little bit and he said i missed a lot of information while i was gone. there was a possibility for me to drop and i suggested that i get a tutor. he said it wouldnt be a bad idea. so hopefully one of the 2nd years will be able to help me out soon so i can get back on the right track. theres no way i'm going to start the program over for the third time. he also let me see my grades and they're really good, so dropping would just be stupid.i then talked to mark right before lunch and he hadn't checked his email yet. so we talked about everything for a while and what he feels would be best for my health. i have a lot of options. obviously my health comes first. even though its going to suck a little bit, i'm going to take 3 instead of 2 years to finish the program. i'm going to just take 2 classes a semester. i have to keep my stress level low and most importantly... i must keep my health insurance. if have a relapse and i dont have health insurance. i would be pretty screwed. incase anyone is wondering about costs. it was $2,500 for my MRI of my brain and $2,700 for the MRI of my spine. thats without my health insurance. this also doesnt include all of i was pretty exhausted after my first day so i took this evening off. tomorrow i plan on looking through all of the notes i missed and try to get some assignments done. if the tutor thing falls through i'll have to rely on myself. although students in the class have offered to help but i dont want to take up their time.so thats all thats new. i'm doing fine


MS walk + effects of my memory and problem solving
December 21, 2006 at 10:07pm
so i'm trying to get involved with learning more about my disease, dealing with it and what not. there is an MS walk. i've participated in relay for life atleast 4 times in middle and high school. i never thought i would have a walk and funraiser thing for something that involved me. i think it would be really cool to participate in. i've already asked stefanie and eric and they're up for it. i would love to get friends and family involved and have an awesome team. if you think it might be something you want to help out with that would be cool. the walk is may 6th at the monona terrace. starting at 9am. its far away yet but i thought i'd throw the idea in the air. here is the site that you can check it out at.http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?fr_id=5651&pg=entryin other news on my MS crap, some of you know that i had a heck of a time with finals. i believe i failed both of them. i can concentrate or read things very well. i can read the words but nothing is registering. i'm becoming even more disfunctional. heres some more info on how its affecting me from mssociety.com. Recent research shows that from 40% to 60% of people with MS develop some degree of "cognitive dysfunction". Most people who are affected have mild problems. Moreover, there is little correlation between physical and cognitive symptoms. For example, one person might progress swiftly to total inability to walk but never develop any cognitive problems, while another might have poor memory as one of the very first signs of MS, and never develop severe physical symptoms.Cognitive problems are not inevitably progressive. They are not destined to worsen steadily once they start. Like motor or sensory problems, cognitive difficulties may improve, or become worse, or stay about the same. As all MS experts agree, variability is the hallmark of this disease.Serious problems are far less common. Although solid data are not really available, experts guesstimate that 5% to 7% of people with MS have cognitive problems that can be called serious. These include moderate to severe impairment in thinking, reasoning, or judgment, major personality changes, or a lack of self-awareness leading to inappropriate behavior.Where the glitches are:The vast majority of people have relatively mild problems, mostly in the area of memory and attention," Dr. Rao said. "They're more nuisance problems than seriously disabling ones." These are the most common symptoms:Recent memories are more difficult to recall. A person can't remember what she ate for breakfast or a phone number that she learned last month, but has no trouble remembering phone numbers of childhood friends or the Social Security number that she's had for 20 years. Most people with this symptom can still learn and remember new information, but recall will take a little longer.Fluency with words may be diminished. The person searches for a word. It's on the tip of the tongue, but he just can't think of it. This too is a recall problem. It is not the same as the changes in voice quality or a slower rate of speech, which are associated with physical changes caused by MS.When a lot of information is coming all at once, processing may take longer. If several people talk at once, or the television or radio is on, or even if a single speaker talks too rapidly, the barrage of information can be too overwhelming for the person with MS to sort out. (Eliminating distractions like background noise will help.)Judgment and problem solving may be slower or less reliable. Some people with MS-caused cognitive problems have difficulty analyzing a situation, coming up with a solution, and carrying it out.Cognitive dysfunctions arise when lesions (or areas of MS damage) occur in certain locations in the brain. In MS, myelin, the material that sheathes nerve fibers (or axons) in the brain and spinal cord, is attacked or worn away; scarring is often left in place of the healthy myelin. Scientists recently learned that the underlying nerve can also be damaged, even severed. MS lesions may develop anywhere in the brain or spinal cord, but when they appear in the cerebral hemispheres, the "thinking" part of the brain, some thinking functions can be affected.-i will be posting my MRI up on here when i go back to chippewa for christmas. my lesion are most noticable in my spinal cord and the thinking part of my brain.my parents would like to pull me out of school since i struggled so bad. my brain hurts, i mean i dont have a normal headache, but my brain hurts. i also flared up from being so upset from monday and wednesday i was still recovering, by the time i left class at 1:00 on wednesday i was walking like jack sparrow again. i continued to walk like that for the rest of the night and had fatigue really bad. the thing is, i am capible of learning and doing things. i am a talented person and i am i fighter. i just get confused when its on paper. i have called my neurologist and left a message and talked to the counselor at MATC about getting some special help. it sucks and its lame. but i want to succeed in school. i wont know unless i try. if it still is a problem next semester then i guess i'll have to give up my dream of being an animator once again. working at pier 1 for the rest of my life and being a house wife was not in the cards. however, the affect on finals had on me this week was not worth it.