Day 2..when the light went on

Ever since my MS diagnosis in 2008 I had accepted it and was doing my best to just make the most of it. In 2010 I had learned of the new CCSVI 'Liberation Therapy' available to MS patients link here but at that time, the only options were to travel to Europe or India at a huge cost in order to receive it. The research I read and the videos I had seen convinced me that it was definitely worth a try but the cost made it an impossible dream for me. My husband was not working full time due to being laid off and unable to find more work  in our small town. We had planned to sell our house and pay for the procedure that way.

Fortunately in early 2012 we found ourselves able to afford the treatment before the house sold so in May, I travelled to Seattle, WA to meet with a doctor there and have the procedure. Afterwards I was very happy with the immediate results but as the weeks went by, it became obvious that any improvements I had were not going to stick around. I decided to wait it out, as recommended for a few months to see if I would feel any better eventually. 

The Lightbulb moment: Fast forward to August 2012. I started to hear about a number of people who I had met in online groups devoted to MS patients who had found out that they had been tested and were positive for Lyme Disease!!
Excuse me? Really? I was delighted for them and asked a few questions and started doing some research. Could this possibly be the case with me? My symptoms were predominantly in my legs, they had been numb from the knee down and felt like they were wrapped in a tight bandage alternating from mind numbing cold to insanely hot, like they were on fire. There are times when I just cannot bare to have anything touching my legs because they feel so painful. 

 I had learned that this is a condition called PERIPHERAL NEUROPTHY and during my reading, I also learned that this condition is often reported in cases of Lyme Disease and co-infections, particularly one called Bartonella .

 I had never felt comfortable with my MS diagnosis ( "well you have some brain lesions and your symptoms suggest MS so yes, you have MS") I needed to find out some answers and I started on my journey. More on that in my next post..