There are some things you know about this blog and about me.
I using Dragon NaturallySpeaking software.  While it is really very wonderful to not have to type, it still requires considerable editing.  But if I don't catch it, you may read something that says utter pho sorgham stanzas and need to read it phonetically in order to realize that I meant under no circumstance.
Another thing to know about me is that I am a Play Therapist.  Play therapy is a type of psychotherapy with children in which the play is used as a way to communicate and create change.  For a play therapist, the play IS the therapy.  Sometimes I wonder if I became a play therapist in order to be able to rationalize having toys because I really love them.
Today however, I'm going to tell you about the beginning of my MS story.
I first knew something was not quite right when I lost  hearing in my right ear.  I figured it was an ear infection and, since I didn't have a regular doctor at that time, I went to the doc- in- the -box or a walk-in clinic as I guess it's officially called.  He looked in my ear and said, "well it's beautifully clean in there..." but gave me an antibiotic anyway.  I began to suspect it wasn't truly an ear infection  when I started to have double vision.  That was a little more disconcerting.  So this time I went to an otologist who told me I had sudden nerve deafness.  It really didn't give me much to go on!  He then told me I had " multiple lesions in my brain".  In hindsight I guess I should've realized what that meant.  He sent me to a neurologist who finally diagnosed me with multiple sclerosis.  I really didn't know much about MS and kind of thought it was a death sentence.  I began to cry and ask him "How long do I have ?"  And he said "Oh no, you don't understand". He then began talking to my husband, who was there with me ,as if I wasn't able to understand speech anymore.  Why do some men think that if a woman is crying their prefrontal cortex goes off line?  I am perfectly capable of using two parts of my brain concurrently thank you.  So ,as I was sobbing, and look at him and said, "oh no!  You will talk to me directly."  That was the start of a beautiful relationship.
Dr. Kovaleski explained MS to me in more detail with the caveat that I may end up in a wheelchair by the time I was 40.
  Denial is a wonderful thing and I live in it  quite nicely most of the time, but occasionally I need to face reality and that was one of those times.
I am now two weeks in front of my 50th birthday and I'm not in a wheelchair, fortunately.  But MS definitely has become a very integral part of my life.  MS can stand for many things.  Frequently I call it my Much Suffering, my Multi-Symptoms, or simply my Massive S***fest. 
But a rose by any other name is still a rose and MS is still multiple sclerosis.
That's it for today, guys, I'll be back again tomorrow with another episode from "this is my life"
Amy