Hi All,
I was diagnosed 5 years ago just after a paticularly bad relapse. It wasnt my first, id been having relapses all through my 20’s with a couple of real humdingers. I new before my neurologist told me what the diagnosis was, i remember him lining up his charts and x-rays and being all glum and apologetic. TBH i found the entire experience quite liberating - at points in my early 20’s I thought i was dieing! I had no idea what the hell was going on and to now actually it wasnt terminal brain cancer and i wasnt going mad really helped.
After the diagnosis i got really proactive - i thought what can I do to improve my prognosis, I was having episodes twice every year with a severe one (bedridden - unable to do much at all, full body numbness / partial paralysis) every few years. I could cope with a numb ass cheek or a tingly elbow but these bad ones scared me. I was determined to do what I could to limit their impact. I started on the Swank diet but took it a little further in terms of cutting out saturated fats. I also started taking daily supplements. My current menu is 2g Omega 3, 4000IU Vit d, 1000mg B12, alphalipoic acid (iforget how much) and 800mg folic acid. I have been episode free since and my sysmptoms have been in remission for the last 5 years to the point where I sometimes forget I had them. I still clumsy though but heh we cant have everything.
I did start to put weight on though a few years ago, I wasnt getting any younger and I’m rubbish at attending gyms so i started running. At first just for fun but I started signing up for half marathons on a redular basis. I have done 7 to date all of which have been raising money for MS charities including the MS Society.
Last Autumn I thought to myself - you know what I just about reckon Im bullish enought to be able to do the london marathon. Now dont for a second imagine im some kind of athlete, ive always been slightly overweight and enjoyed 1 to many glasses of wine.
So … I secured myself a place and started a training plan. I completed Reading Half a couple of weeks back in a PB of 1:52! And i met one of the most motivating people ever - Tony the Fridge, a guy who is running london marathon 4 times over with a fridge on his back! This weekend I just completed my longest training run of 22 miles, and whilst records wont be set next month I can barely believe how far Ive come from the dark old days.
So why’s this important? I read these forums regularly and I read lots of stories about how harsh the condition is and the terrible experiences people are having. I jut wanted to share with people here that this neednt be the end of your life - the last 5 years of mine have been the most positive, most accomplished and most meaningful by some distance - Ive done more than just running :p.
And when you’re watching the London Marathon in a few weeks time just remember that one of us is struggling away there and remember life’s what you make of it. 