March is MS Awareness month. This series is an updated version of my MS journey.

It started with a moment I didn’t understand. This was followed by months of symptoms. I tried to explain them away. Eventually, I received a diagnosis that changed how I see my body, my faith, and myself.

What you’re about to read is my journey. It includes how it started and what I experienced. You’ll also learn what I learned and how I continue to navigate life with Multiple Sclerosis.

This is not medical advice. It’s simply my story.

And maybe, somewhere in it, you’ll find something you need too.

The Beginning

I stood up… and the world shifted.

Not metaphorically. Not emotionally.
Physically.

I didn’t know it then, but that moment was the beginning of a journey that would completely change my life.

When the World Shifted

On September 17, 2017, I stood up and the world shifted to the right. I started falling in that same direction, so I sat down.

When I sat, a tremendous pressure hit my head and I started overheating. I felt nauseated, and a pain shot from the back of my head down my right arm.
I didn’t lose consciousness, but I felt distant from everyone else in the room.

It was scary.

Over the next three days, I bounced between doctor visits and trying to make it to work. I think I only made it through two full days that week. I was not coherent enough to function, and there were too many appointments.

Tests included checks for vertigo, blood work, blood pressure, an echocardiogram, and X-rays. I was diagnosed with low iron (anemia), and a severe sinus infection.

The solution?

An iron pill and an antibiotic.

Lovely.
(Said with every ounce of sarcasm in my body.)

The Symptoms I Didn’t Understand

Looking back, there were symptoms.

I just didn’t know how to read them.

I kept saying, “I’m so exhausted.” I thought it was because I was waking up between 2:30 and 3:00 a.m. every morning. Or that I had two children under 5.

What I didn’t know then is that being tired and being exhausted or fatigued are not the same thing. Fatigue doesn’t go away with sleep.

I was also dealing with:

• Insomnia — waking up every couple of hours
• Headaches and shortness of breath
• Dizziness
• Leg cramps and restless legs
• Tongue pain
• What I now call foggy brain

At one point, I struggled to remember a coworker’s name. That had never happened to me before.

I blamed stress. Lack of caffeine. The change in seasons.

Anything but something serious.

If I could go back, I would tell myself this:

Go to the doctor sooner. Listen to your body.

I had no idea this was only the beginning.