My Story - My Story - Articles

Suffering symptoms for seven years and getting nowhere with medical professionals I decided to turn a negative into a positive.
For 7 years I have had many symptoms of MS and yet no GP or Specialist is prepared to commit to a diagnosis of MS. Knowing the inevitable is just around the corner I decided to do something to help others. I opted to take part in the Foundation 5 Million to raise much needed funds in order to find a cure for MS

JellyJam's history and experiences after diagnosis.
I was diagnosed in early October 2006 after being initially told that I didn't have MS, apparently my clinical examination was quite normal. Frankly, I was relieved because I have two relatives with the disease, and after years of web surfing my symptoms was really starting to think that it was serious - more serious than MS.

Well where do I start. I was born in 1968. I was officially Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in April 2004 (Relapsing Remitting), although it was suspected in 2000 when i had suffered Demyelination of the spinal cord (maybe Transverse Myelitis at that stage) (C5), after that and numerous tests later (lumbar punctures absolutely suck I will never have another), no conclusive Diagnosis could be made until 2004 when I suffered a bad exacerbation (Wheelchair) I #OOPS# myself, well not really that was one function that proved difficult at the time, (eh I can laugh now), that event made it conclusive.

It all started in the first week of January 2002 when I started to get numbness on the side of my left hand. I didn’t think too much of it but over the next few weeks it progressed up my arm a bit and then to the right hand. As a husband and father of two children I had lots of other things to worry about.

This article talks about my current life with multiple sclerosis. I'm learning to live my life as a disabled man. When I was a kid if there was ever a problem at home my father would always say this about the situation, "she ain't no picnic"! I'm sure it was to make us laugh and diffuse the situation and he always said it at just the right time. He probably would have made a great comic but in his day there was no stand up comedians like there are now or a Comedy Central on TV. But how true that statement was! I thought it would be a great title for my newsletter and blog about multiple sclerosis because MS is certainly no picnic!

OK! Who slipped me the Kryptonite!
Hi all, I am doing my best here, but my MS has left a black hole in which my memory often vacations.......

The Beginning

It was August 1977. I don't remember the date, but I do remember that my baby was six months old. We lived out of town in a lovely seaside town, 50 minutes drive from Hobart. I was lying in bed one morning thinking I must get up and get the baby ready for a trip into town, to do the weekly shopping. As I tried to put my right leg to the floor it felt quite strange. Heavy is probably a better word. I put my hand on my leg to help it off the bed but it felt numb. I was numb from the top of my thigh to my toes, but there was also this strange feeling that ants were crawling over it, but of course there weren't any. And cold. Icy cold from the inside, but strangely, it felt warm to touch.

Hi all, just thought to put some ink on the parchment. Was thinking, "what a shame it would be to shuffle off this mortal coil without saying, something, anything that might encourage others afflicted with this acursed disease." Maybe, today I'm caught betwixt the passions of melancholic and nostalgic reflection, either way, this is my story (so far...).

I remember standing in the doctors surgery waiting room and picking up a MS phamplet off the shelf and gazed down the list if symptoms. I shivered and thought thats kinda scary and could kind of almost say yes to a few of them. Can't even remember if this was the appointment I had when I first asked about my numbness etc. Don't think it was but I think it was fate I picked up that phamplet that day.
I had 3 ocasions previous of weird dizzy spells - ones that would stop me in my tracks even if I was crossing the road. I remember being on holiday with my Husband at the time and have this itchy spot on my back and god do I mean itchy. That I think was my first obvious symptom to be honest an itchy spot on my back. I really had no idea what was ahead of me.

Meeting the MS Monster....
I will say from the outset, my life was what most people would term as normal, nothing spectacular and sometimes even boring……, often very predictable.

Soon after my 40th birthday, I went through a marriage breakdown. It had been on the cards for several months, if not longer. Along with this came all the usual bitterness, arguments and tears that most families face during these times.