NoMoreSclerosis

The Diagnosis and How I Discovered Spiritual Multiple Sclerosis

In September 2006, I was prepared to celebrate my third wedding anniversary. My parents were keeping the babies that weekend but first we had to go to the eye doctor. To my dismay, my eyesight was giving me problems for the past couple of months. I thought that I was just going to get an eye exam, get a prescription and be on my way home to prepare for that weekend. I was sorely mistaken. During the eye exam, I admitted to the doctor that I was seeing two of the same lines. This was familiar to what I was seeing when I was driving. Instead of continuing the eye exam, she turned off the screen and grabbed a large book. My mom looked puzzled and so did I. After looking through a few pages she asked questions that were related to what I was experiencing.

"Quiyada, are you having really bad headaches?" I agreed. She asked a few other things and I was in agreement with those as well. She sat up in her chair and told me, "I cannot give you a prescription but I am referring you to your primary care physician (PCP). They need to get you in contact with a neurologist." This was not what I was expecting. She continued, "You may have multiple sclerosis." I scheduled an emergency appointment with my PCP that following Monday morning.

My PCP understood the optometrist's concerns and set me up with a neurologist that week. The neurologist set me up for many tests. After three months, I received the call to come and discuss the results of the MRI. They turned the lights off and showed me the XRay of my brain, covered in gray spots. The neurologist explained that the gray patches were scars that were caused my multiple sclerosis. They were the culprit to the fatigue, some of the pain and the vision problems. I was given pamphlets on medicines that would slow its progression. I had to ask the most important question to be at the time. "How do I get rid of it?"

He looked at me and sadly said, "There is no cure as of now but there is research being done." I responded, "How did I get this?" This question also seemed to be unclear to answer. He replied, "There is no known cure as of now." There was nothing else to say. My mother had left with the pamphlets and I had nothing else to discuss with the doctor. The ride home was quiet as my father and mother drove me back to my home. That anniversary was not what I had planned. Even though my balance had been giving me problems, I wanted to flaunt in my stilettos. I couldn't and now I knew why. Instead of having the magical night, my husband held me and comforted me as I cried.