The Steroid effect

No - this is not about Ryan Braun. I have recently started keeping track, a la blog, of the first MS attack I've had since being diagnosed back in 2009. I have been pretty lucky that it's been almost three and a half years since a flare up has occurred. With MS - it's a waiting game. You never know when an attack will occur. There are ways to avoid on-setting an attack  though attacks ultimately will happen during the course of the disease. As long as you religiously follow your treatment (I'm on an interferon: Betaseron. See blog: http://bmilinski.blogspot.com/2012/08/hi-my-name-is-bridget-and-i-have-ms.html), avoid stress and extreme heat, stay healthy and exercise your chances of having a attack shrink.

This all started on January 25th, and since that time I've had a numb feeling spread from my toes all the way up to my thighs, in both legs. Think of the pins-and-needles feeling you get when your arm or leg falls asleep, and add the weight of 10 lb bricks to your feet. On top of it, my balance is completely off. I def look tipsy when I get up to mosey around my apartment/workplace. I wonder how many people think I've been drinking... ;)

I have been on a super crazy dose of Prednisone, which is a steroid that reduces inflammation and in turn should shorten the length and severity of the attack. The side effects are interesting - I have a ton of energy - and can you say water retention?!?! I have gone up at least a cup size and I'm afraid that someone is going to ask my due date when I'm in public.

More than anything, it's been annoying. Though I don't need help with my daily routine, I have slowed down since my legs take a little while to warm up. Even when they realize they need to carry me around all day, they give me a hard time... So I have used walls, railings, even chairs to steady myself if I feel like I may tip over :)

So I'll be wobbling my way around for the next couple weeks until I'm back to normal! If anyone knows where to get a super sweet cane let me know. I'll need a custom bedazzle job. 

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

What a powerful statement. There are things in life that happen and make you think "why me"? If there is ever a time you start to think this, STOP it. Having a positive outlook in life is one of the best things available to you, and the best part is that you give yourself the option to have a really, really great outlook. Reach out to someone if you need a hand.

I define myself as a supremely optimistic person. It takes quite a blow to put me in a bad mood... but Saturday, I was in a bad mood. After 6 days of suffering from an exacerbation from my MS, I was fed up and heading to Walgreens to pick up an Rx because both my legs, up to my hips, had gone numb. Not the kind of numb that you can't move them. The kind of numb you feel when an arm (in this case my legs) fall asleep. So, you take one look at me and notice nothing - I can walk, I can drive, however I'm "numb". This is the first "attack" I've experienced since being diagnosed in 2009, so I am slightly freaking out.

Friday night, my Neurologist phoned in a interesting mix of steroids (to treat the attack), antacid (to treat the heartburn caused by the steroids) and sleeping pills (to help me sleep since the steroids give me more energy than I care for). Well, I'm standing in line at Walgreens pharmacy pick up, get to the counter and tell them I need to pick up the Rx. And the woman behind the counter says "We have nothing on file for you". I was a little astounded, had them check to see if they may have phoned it into another location - nope. Nothing. My doc had forgotten to phone it in, after twice verifying with me what treatment they were going to put me on. With all of this going on I get back in my car and have a quiet little hissy fit.

I got in touch with the doctor on call and an hour later I was equipped with too many pills and the energy of a 6 year old who ate way too much sugar and just got a puppy. Keep your fingers crossed that the 'roids are supposed to make things worse before they get better... I've now got cinder blocks for feet and horrible balance.

So, what's making you stronger today?