I am a fun loving, active and emotionally stable woman who never put all the various symptoms I was having together. In July of 2007, I lost my closest friend in this life to a horrendous work related van accident...and that caused what I see now as the first exacerbation. In October, as I was putting eye makeup on, I noticed that my two pupils were of different sizes. And since then the symptoms have been coming and getting worse. I had a repeat MRI in January and got the definate diagnosis of MS and needed to start meds.

In March of 2008, I was prescribed Avonex.  I had the most horrible reaction to that medication.  It caused me to have 5 out of 7 days of intense pain, (I needed to go to the ER for relief) and severe depression.  I became suicidal and had outrageous mood swings.  My poor husband didn't know what to do with me.  I was on that for 8 weeks of Hell....then I had 5 weeks without any medication at all.  I subsequently moved to Wisconsin and was placed on Copaxone.  What a wonderful difference!!!  I am my old self....well, sort of  :)    I do have some lingering effects from the MS attacks...but I guess that is to be expected.  I no longer have the strength or endurance to work as a labor and delivery nurse.  I have been awarded Social Security Disability after 2 years of wrangling with the SSA.  On the day before Thanksgiving in 2009, my right side went weak while I was walking my dog...I fell and broke my right humerus (upper arm bone), near the joint.  It required immediate surgery to place a rod and screws.  Well, it wouldn't heal...and in March of 2010, I had to have a BIG surgery...took bone from my hip to graft into the fracture.  Still trying to heal now.

Update:  It is now 11/29/2010.  My arm finally healed in May, thank God!!  Over the summer, I had both knees replaced due to the severe arthritis.  I am still feeling the surgical discomforts...but the knee joints themselves feel great.  I am really frustrated at this point right now, though.  My physicians have put my diagnosis of MS up in the air. They are persuaded to think that my true diagnosis is Small Fiber Neuropathy.  SFN has no treatment and no cure.  It is only treated symptomatically.  To be honest, I am not sure what to think regarding my status...I just know that I feel miserable and whatever the diagnosis is...the prognosis is not great.  I have good days and bad days...but the bad days are beginning to increase.  Does anyone else experience this confusion?