Life isn't over

When one gets a diagnoses of MS, for me in that moment, life stopped. It was my second day in the hospital and after the neurologist gave me information on my current and future state of health, I was left wondering. Wondering what is MS? How will it affect me? How will it affect my family, friends, career? I spent the rest of a week in my hospital bed hooked to an iv off and on, and reading up on MS. It's been eleven months and I haven't stopped reading.

Well, I've found out numerous things, but through my own experience I've discovered that life goes on. But for me, it goes on not according to plan. MS was not in my plan for the future. My plan was to grow very old, with a very old wife, and with very old kids, who have somewhat old kids, and after being very successful before retiring, never having to worry about things like money, house, vehicles, vacations, and everything that goes along with "successful".

Reality is I have to re-learn MS everyday, because it throws something slightly different at me on a daily basis. I'm also learning that the key to coping with this is learning to adjust on a daily basis. This is a good thing, when we can learn to adjust daily means life is continuing. In my book, life continuing is a wonderful thing. Although at a much slower pace, but it continues, and I still plan to live to be very old with an old wife, kids, and their kids to be somewhat old.

First Blog, Here we go...

I've been thinking about creating a blog for sometime now. With new found time on on my hands created by disability, I spend a lot of it online, reading mostly about MS and trying to educate myself.


I've read theories on the causes of MS; genetic, environment, or a virus to list three. 
I've also read about the different treatments, either FDA approved or not, of which I've tried one approved, and am currently on one not approved.
Also, MS has long thought to be an auto-immune disease, but there is a theory that it may have more to do with being vascular, or possibly both.


Research on the cause and treatments continue. Research regarding the vascular or Chronic Cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) has started within the last year.


My experience so far with MS has been one of learning how to deal or cope. MS steels without regard for me, or more importantly, the people closest to me, my wife and sons. As far as it steeling from me, I've gone from going to the gym to workout and run five times per week a year ago, to walking with the assistance of a walker. As far as it steeling from my family, there hasn't been a day go by since being diagnosed where I haven't seen on their face, or heard in their voice the concern for me, or the dismay and shock at how fast my disability has come on and how it has affected everything that may happen on a daily basis.


But it's very important to understand, that for me, prayer helps because with prayer comes peace, in spite of what's happening. Also, by communicating with my family, helping them to understand that there are good days and there are better days.