The diagnosis

I really struggled with writing this but a good friend of mine wrote about her struggles and helped other people and herself so here I go. Around Thanksgiving is whenever I started feeling sick and kept getting sick easier. I had pneumonia and what I thought was the stomach bug amongst other things. I was feeling tired and was easily just plain worn out! I started having numbness on my back and right chest and I had a vertigo attack starting a few days before Christmas day. But instead of getting better it got worse each day. On the 26th my family took us to Branson for a three day vacation and by that time I was unable to drive because my vertigo was so bad. On the 27th I wasn't able to get off the couch because I was so dizzy and my Prince Charming became very concerned. He did a routine eye exam and really was worried. He immediately called the doctor and made an appointment for the next day when we came back to Tulsa. My mom luckily came back with us so she could take care of the kiddos. The initial diagnosis was shingles and a nerve infection in the brain from the vertigo but I think that is what the doctor and my husband where just hoping it was so they would feel better. They started treating me for both and scheduled an MRI for what they told me was for the purpose of the vertigo...of course I figured they were just telling me that so I wouldn't worry until there was a reason to. My handsome strong husband is so OCD about his routines and anything of that nature I knew something was wrong whenever he wasn't functioning well. He wasn't finishing projects and was very scatter brained! That is not like him at all. January 3rd I had the MRI and that day was PC's first day back at the office. By this time I had been only getting up to go to the bathroom and that was very limited because I was so dizzy and throwing up so much I didn't want to eat or drink anything. I had been confined to my bedroom for 5 days and nothing was making it better. PC got the phone call around 4:30 on January 3rd which was really fast since I had just had the MRI at 1. Dr. Eimen talked to him just like a son and told him to sit down and said 'Son we think your wife has MS, but we got it early and you have a neurologist appointment in the morning and it is going to be ok'. My strong and handsome husband didn't come home until 7:30. He drove around I'm sure dealing with it in his own way until he could come home. He had my mom and me sit down with him and told us together. I had been praying for an answer and I knew that so many people were praying. I felt at peace knowing that I had an answer to what was going on. I was more concerned with PC than myself because I knew it was hard for him to hear that I had something I had to live with for the rest of my life. I called my family and friends and told them the news. My brother took it the hardest. He immediately packed his things and came to Tulsa. He said he had to see me face to face to make sure I was ok. I have the best brother in the world :) The next morning we had the neurologist appointment at 8am. I had finally gotten on some stronger medicine for the nausea so I was functioning at the very least! Taking a shower wasn't such a difficulty any longer! The doc did the eye exam and some more tests and then looked at the MRI which he allowed PC to see! They came back and said I have 5 lesions which one is on the part of the brain that makes you nauseated and one that is causing the vertigo. Another one is on my brain stem so we will have to watch it in order for it not to grow. I started 5 days of heavy IV steroids the next day and PC inserted and IV at home and was my doctor the whole time :) I am so blessed to have a wonderful Savior and God who love me and helped me through this. I really have felt at peace knowing that it will be ok. With MS I know there will be lots of unknowns but I know that God, my family, and my friends will be right there with me. My only concern has been my children. I want to be able to still do everything with them and be there for them but living with the unknown of what may happen can't keep me from living my life. I have such a peace knowing that God is right there with me holding my hand :)