Anyway, to get to the point I was going to make, because of MS I have a ton of random symptoms that seem to have nothing to do with one another. One of my biggest complaints is sleep or the lack of sleep. I have been up for just shy of 24 hours and even though my body is physically exhausted and all I want it to SLEEP it doesn't always work out. My brain just won't shut down. It's like the computer that has to reboot after updates are downloaded and the computer takes FOREVER to restart, that's my brain! The big issue though, I can't hold down a button and force my body to go into sleep mode. Basically it has become where I rarely fall asleep naturally, I have to take some type of sleep aide. There is only one over the counter medicine that helps me a little and other than that I have to try different prescriptions. It usually takes me forever to fall asleep and then I'm LUCKY if I get 3-4 hours in a row.
Although it seems as if I can't win because last Spring (2011), I was on so much medication that it caused severe fatigue so I was always sleeping. My neurologist would always ask how my sleep habits were and she was amazed at how much I slept. Just getting up to go to the doctor and come sucked the energy out of me. Then, we decided that it was time to for me to start weening myself off the medication because I had a bunch of negative side effects and it wasn't even helping me. The medicine was a seizure medicine, so I have to come off of it very slowly so I didn't have a seizure or develop withdrawal symptoms. Even though sleep has become harder for me to come by, I have to say I feel so much better than when I first started seeing my neurologist.
I'm still looking for a job, I have sent e-mails/resumes to principals that I've heard may be looking to hire soon. Prior to Hurricane Isaac I had planned on taking the GRE this week sometime, but I feel like I still have a little more studying to do before I feel confident. Plus, I've been debating what I really want to go back to school for, special education, gifted, or look into getting a totally different bachelors degree. Since being diagnosed with MS, I have started really getting involved in volunteering as well as fundraising. I also find that I'm now in a good place and able to handle it better and try to get others involved as well. Right now I feel like my ideal job would be a patient advocate.
I've been through so much over the past three years that I learned the hard way that you have to fight for yourself and stand up to doctors. It's the patients responsibility to make sure you get doctors to understand how you feel, no one knows your body better than you. Plus, I also learned before taking any new prescriptions it's a good idea to look into it and make sure it won't interfere with any other medicines. Again, that's something I learned the hard way because even though I disclosed ALL the medicines I was taking the doctor I was seeing gave me a different medicine that was similar to one I was already on and they should NOT have been taken together.
It's also important as a patient to find doctors you're comfortable with and feel you can discuss practically anything. If you don't like your doctor it's totally okay to change doctors! I'm a firm believer in the fact that things happen for a reason and while I was going to the rheumatologist I was so overwhelmed. He diagnosed me with fibromyalgia and at the time I was so frustrated and the search for a new doctor wasn't easy at all, but it was the best decision I ever made. I was able to see a pain management doctor within two weeks of leaving the first doctor. Had I not ended up with that pain doctor I have no idea how long I would have gone without knowing I had MS. He was the first doctor in a very long time to do a neurological exam that didn't go "normal." Don't get me wrong, it took me a long time to come to terms with MS and what it would mean for my future, but once I got over the initial shock and started reaching out to others with MS in their 20s/30s I came to peace with it. Once I went through a grieving type process I realized I have angels that take care of me the best they, I just need to stick with my instincts too because no one else knows what you're dealing with better than yourself.
That's pretty much everything going on right now. That's another thing, while being proactive in finding a job I've also kept reminding myself that there is a job out there that's perfect for me, I just have to find it! Plus, not to sound negative or pessimistic, over the past 18 months I've been through so much had I had a job I would have missed a lot of days and that's not ideal as a new teacher. I feel like once people know I have MS, I have to work twice as hard so I don't come across lazy or uninterested. I know when I student taught I was always trying to go above and beyond so my mentor teacher didn't think I was lazy or unmotivated.
Lastly, I have to say that over the past three years or so I've learned who my true friends are because they have stuck by my side. I hope all my friends and family know how much their support means to me! I have found that I am stronger than I thought, but there is NO WAY I would be in the place I am now without the love and support of my closest friends. I know that no one knows what it's like for me, even others who have MS because it is different for everyone. But, it's nice to just have people listen sometimes and not judge me. I saw something on Pinterest that said You don't lose friends, you just find out who your real friends are. It's so true, I have some amazing friends that are supportive and I've also made some new amazing friends through my journey!
I'm still looking for a job, I have sent e-mails/resumes to principals that I've heard may be looking to hire soon. Prior to Hurricane Isaac I had planned on taking the GRE this week sometime, but I feel like I still have a little more studying to do before I feel confident. Plus, I've been debating what I really want to go back to school for, special education, gifted, or look into getting a totally different bachelors degree. Since being diagnosed with MS, I have started really getting involved in volunteering as well as fundraising. I also find that I'm now in a good place and able to handle it better and try to get others involved as well. Right now I feel like my ideal job would be a patient advocate.
I've been through so much over the past three years that I learned the hard way that you have to fight for yourself and stand up to doctors. It's the patients responsibility to make sure you get doctors to understand how you feel, no one knows your body better than you. Plus, I also learned before taking any new prescriptions it's a good idea to look into it and make sure it won't interfere with any other medicines. Again, that's something I learned the hard way because even though I disclosed ALL the medicines I was taking the doctor I was seeing gave me a different medicine that was similar to one I was already on and they should NOT have been taken together.
It's also important as a patient to find doctors you're comfortable with and feel you can discuss practically anything. If you don't like your doctor it's totally okay to change doctors! I'm a firm believer in the fact that things happen for a reason and while I was going to the rheumatologist I was so overwhelmed. He diagnosed me with fibromyalgia and at the time I was so frustrated and the search for a new doctor wasn't easy at all, but it was the best decision I ever made. I was able to see a pain management doctor within two weeks of leaving the first doctor. Had I not ended up with that pain doctor I have no idea how long I would have gone without knowing I had MS. He was the first doctor in a very long time to do a neurological exam that didn't go "normal." Don't get me wrong, it took me a long time to come to terms with MS and what it would mean for my future, but once I got over the initial shock and started reaching out to others with MS in their 20s/30s I came to peace with it. Once I went through a grieving type process I realized I have angels that take care of me the best they, I just need to stick with my instincts too because no one else knows what you're dealing with better than yourself.
That's pretty much everything going on right now. That's another thing, while being proactive in finding a job I've also kept reminding myself that there is a job out there that's perfect for me, I just have to find it! Plus, not to sound negative or pessimistic, over the past 18 months I've been through so much had I had a job I would have missed a lot of days and that's not ideal as a new teacher. I feel like once people know I have MS, I have to work twice as hard so I don't come across lazy or uninterested. I know when I student taught I was always trying to go above and beyond so my mentor teacher didn't think I was lazy or unmotivated.
Lastly, I have to say that over the past three years or so I've learned who my true friends are because they have stuck by my side. I hope all my friends and family know how much their support means to me! I have found that I am stronger than I thought, but there is NO WAY I would be in the place I am now without the love and support of my closest friends. I know that no one knows what it's like for me, even others who have MS because it is different for everyone. But, it's nice to just have people listen sometimes and not judge me. I saw something on Pinterest that said You don't lose friends, you just find out who your real friends are. It's so true, I have some amazing friends that are supportive and I've also made some new amazing friends through my journey!
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