Hidden Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms

I have been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis for 12 years. I actually started feeling the first symptoms 13-years-ago. My very first symptom was numbness on the right side of my face. It was a strange feeling. I would have the numbness with a tingling sensation. It was thought that I had Bell's Palsy but I didn't. After a few months that went away. Immediately after that symptom I got a symptom that when anything touched my stomach and hip area I could not stand it. Any kind of sensation on my stomach or hips would hurt me. It felt as if someone had a rope around my waist and was pulling it as tight as they could. Needless to say wearing clothes was very painful. Think about it I was unable to sit, lay down to sleep, and have anything touching my skin. I went to all sorts of physicians and had every kind of test that you could imagine. Everything kept coming back negative. The only specialist I did not go to was a neurologist. Never imagined that it had anything to do with a neurological disorder. That went away as fast as it came. I new I wasn't crazy. I new that there was something wrong.

A year went by and I started to notice that my vision was getting blurry. I thought I needed to go to the Ophthalmologist but kept putting it off. I then started with numbness on my whole right side. Could not feel anything. I didn't relate it to the symptoms of the prior year. I went to the hospital and that is where I was diagnosed. They tried to do a spinal tap on me but was unsuccessful. They kept trying to the point I just wouldn't let them touch me anymore.

Since then I have been on 2 types of treatments. I started on daily injections of Copaxone that worked for a while. Then I had to change to Betaserone. That was a very hard treatment to start. I had to work my way up to a full dosage over a month. I would inject myself and exactly 4 hours later I would come down with flu symptoms. Imagine for 1 month having the flu symptoms. Eventually I went back to taking Copaxone. That is what I am on now.

I had to revolve my life around Solu- Medrol treatments once a month to control my symptoms. Couldn't sleep for days was on a steroid high then I would what (I call) a "crash" and sleep for a day or two.

My symptoms vary now and I seem to be stable.  I get extremely tired and I am always in pain.  I learned to live with this because I feel that I am blessed.  I could be worse than I am.  I do take medication for the pain but it just takes the edge off.  I know that I have to pace myself.  If I need to rest then I rest.  I listen to my body because it does talk to me.

Thank you for reading my hub.