As a patient who has MS, I never want to hear the word “relapse”. It’s one of those things that I know exists in the periphery of life with Multiple Sclerosis, but when I’m in a period of remission, it’s easy to be lulled into a false sense of security. To be clear, when I’m not relapsing, I am still dealing with the often invisible symptoms that are a constant. I have learned how to manage those symptoms, and when something new or different comes along, I am always taken off-guard. This most recent relapse came on so suddenly that I was completely stunned, which is ridiculous after more than 12 years living with the MonSter.
Relapses are par for the course, and I know that they will happen. As much as I try to prepare, I will never fully be prepared for any of it. I never know what part of my body or how severely I will be affected. I am never prepared for the evils of treatment, with side effects that range from a metallic taste in my mouth, to massive heartburn, sleepless nights, and insane weight gain. I call it evil, but it is a necessary evil that generally offers fairly quick relief.
Almost five weeks ago, this relapse came out of the blue and literally knocked me off my feet. Every relapse I’ve ever had has taken between three and six months to resolve. Then once I am comfortable with my new “normal”, another relapse comes along to remind me that MS will always be lurking in the shadows.
This time, I took a different form of treatment that is relatively new. Unfortunately the side effects are much the same, but the treatment itself is humanized rather than synthetic. Instead of an IV treatment, I self-injected for five days, which is nothing for those of us who have had MS since the days when the only disease-modifying medications that existed were injectables.
I’d like to share some lessons I have learned in the last several weeks. First and foremost, this patient is very impatient! I was told that this treatment would take longer to provide relief since it is humanized. After five injections I still hadn’t seen much difference!
5 weeks post relapse and I’m feeling strong!
Additionally, I have learned how incredibly important it is for me to keep my body strong. I went into this relapse being stronger than I had been for a really long time, which resulted in me getting through it more quickly than I ever have. I’m proud to say that just about five weeks later, I am probably feeling 85-90% better. It’s a personal record for me. Somehow I feel like I made it happen that way, even though medically that’s probably not the case. I am taking credit for it, though, because it’s the first relapse I’ve had since I changed my life. Coming out the other side of a relapse more quickly than ever is definitely one of my greatest accomplishments.
MS family love!
So what’s different now than before? Well, I am not working anymore, so there’s that. No work = no stress. Stress is a killer for MS patients. It affects us physically and actually magnifies symptoms, and even causes relapses. But more importantly, I paid special attention to my body AND my mind, which I never thought about when I was still working. In addition to exercising carefully with my trainer, I also made sure to meditate daily in order to maintain my sense of inner peace. Plus, now I have my MS family, so I leaned heavily on them for their understanding and support. And, of course, a positive attitude goes a long, long way.
MS family love!
They say that “patience is a virtue.” I guarantee that whoever said that never spent five weeks (let alone three – six months) waiting to feel better!
