I have had MS for 16 years now. When I was first diagnosed, my original neurologist told me that she wanted to “wait and see” and hold off on drugs, hopefully my MS would be dormant in my system. I had my son and he was two or three when it started to become clear that my MS would NOT remain dormant. Around that time, I was fitted for Canadian crutches to help with my stability in walking. I know I have written numerous times about teaching him to walk and then hitting my thigh and telling him to “Hold mama’s crutch.”
It was at this time when I started Interferon shots. I gave myself daily shots in my thighs and would have to get my mom’s help to administer the shot on the backs of my arms (my left arm mostly because I am left-handed). I remained on these shots for about three years. Often times, I was NOT very diligent in making sure I took it daily. My body did not tolerate them.
Ultimately, the side effects were too much for me to handle. I was in my young 20s then and could not handle losing the hair on my head (the hair I kept was very greasy), growing facial hair (a lot of it), and falling asleep if I sat for too long. It wasn’t a nice “Sleeping Beauty” sleep but more like but more like Homer Simpson with the drool coming out of my mouth. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I started researching natropathic medicine.
It was the summer after my dad died that I started my organic lifestyle, purged my apartment of non-organic food and cleaners, went to Florida for electronic acupuncture, and then saw my first natropath here in Michigan. He put me on a bunch of supplements instead of taking the shots. I stayed with him for a few years before I moved on to my current natropath. Dr. Clark is also a chiropractor and he helps me with my chiropractic needs as well
The insurance I have through my work does not cover any naturopathic expenses so this proves to be very expensive in addition to my organic diet. Because of this cost, I am not able to eat as much organic food as I would like. The choice I made to stop Western medicine was my own and many people do not agree with this. MS is such an individual disease, I choose to do what is best for my body and I couldn’t handle how the MS drugs made me feel nor the side effects. I’ve taken a lot of flak from people telling me how my supplements do, “nothing.”
I take a whole LOT of supplements and they are expensive! Times when I can’t afford all of them, there are a few that I really need! When I can’t afford those few, there is one that is imperative that I have! I never run out of that one! I make sure of it! It was concerning last week when the hospital called me and told me that I had to stop all of my supplements one week before my surgery. I was nervous but knew I would “grab my guts” and do it, it would only be ONE week! I posted a couple days ago that there were five days left and it was difficult but I was going to do it!
Well, I’ve been off my supplements for six days and I want to tell everyone who says naturopathic medicines/ supplements do “nothing” – THEY DO NOT DO, “NOTHING!!!” I’m sure that I will be a box of nerves tomorrow in anticipation for my surgery but I wanted to let it be known that I stand by my supplements 100%!
I started a new puzzle yesterday, it’s the Creation of Adam depiction of the fingers almost touching. Puzzlin’ (as I call it) helps my brain keep working and it gets my mind off of the pain of having MS for as long as I am doing it. I have been known to puzzle all day on the weekend. So, I open up the box and start dividing the pieces up between end pieces and middle pieces. And I see this:
If you can’t see from the picture, instead of being normal, uniform puzzle pieces, they are all crazy shaped! This was as far as I got in my dividing. Given that my body hurts so badly, I just stared, at a loss, at these crazy shaped pieces. Sean saw me and gave me a sort of pep-talk encouraging me that I “had this!” I pushed away from my puzzle table and shook my head. My body hurts too badly to concentrate! I’ll start the puzzle after my surgery, or when the healing process is well underway.
Just in case my nerves are going nuts tomorrow, the day before my surgery, I just wanted to tell everyone that naturopathic medicine is NOT, “Nothing!” My body is currently screaming a lot louder than it normally does! Thinking about it, the only way my body it’s going to feel better is to get back on my supplements. I will only start my supplements again after my surgery so I’m going to be in pain anyway! Not MS pain but surgically repaired knee pain, I’m not sure that’s going to be any better…