Resilience in MS

It was 8 years ago that a doctor first mentioned MS to me. I was having a multitude of symptoms that varied from day to day. The one that stayed constant was a sharp pain behind my right eye. I went to a number of doctors, a few ER visits until someone would listen to me. Something was wrong and I needed answers.

At first my primary Dr said it was likely a sinus infection, so off to an ENT doctor I went. He confirmed it was NOT a sinus infection. Another visit back to my primary and she ordered a brain MRI. That came back normal. If you have spent any time with doctors, you understand how slowly the medical cog moves. As the days past and my symptoms continued to worsen and vary, I took myself to the ER. Sitting there and describing my symptoms, they told me it was likely stress. Again, went home with NO answers. I was determined to get REAL answers. Another trip back to my Primary Dr and she referred me to a neurologist.

I live in a small town outside of a tourist destination. Neurologists are far and few between and getting an appointment was a challenge. At this point, I was living day by day. I am a wife and a mom of 2 daughters (4yr & 8yr), my family watched me falling apart. I was initially told that I couldn’t see the dr for 3 months. Feeling defeated and frustrated I started to mentally break down. The multiple dr appointments, MRI and ER visit, I began to think I was just going nuts, and my symptoms were a sign of being overly stressed out. I felt a sense of hopelessness for the first time in my life. I was 42 years old.