Looking for the Cure

It’s been 2+ years and I have learned a lot on what to do and more on what not to do when it comes to my multiple sclerosis. I am out to cure myself . When I tell people there is a wide range of reactions; from very positive to the disbelief. All in all what else am I going to do? Just live with it? I do that already – I have no choice but to live with it. I do have a choice in how I live with it. I live with it with passion, humility, and adventure. Really you never know what your new symptoms will bring you – why not have fun with them.

When my left eye stopped seeing in color, that turned into a great experiment on color and black&white photography. When being more than 5 minuets away from a bathroom was a bad idea I turned into a directory of public restrooms and a cleanliness rating system. When my toes went numb I started learning yoga and now can independently move each toe and feel them! When getting hot had obvious side effects at the gym, I joined the water aerobics class. When I could not make it though an 8 hour work day I found out the magic sleep number is 10 and now I have a bed time. It’s all a learning process and seeing what you are committed to. I ask myself all the time; “Am I committed to being sick with MS? OR am I committed to living well with MS?” I tend to pick the latter.

So I have been doing tons of reading … tons of doctors… tons of experiments… and tests. I used to hate needles and blood, now it is no different than ordering a cup of coffee and a scone at Starbucks.

I take my daily shot of Copaxone. I did the Swank diet – which cuts out all fat (an tasty foods). I did feel more clear minded but twice as tired. I also cut coffee down to 12oz a day; from being a coffee addict and would could drink a few pots a day. Cutting out dairy made a big difference in being tired. Recently I have been taking Kiefer Culture a dietary drink to promote your immune system and the added benefit to being less hungry. Vitamin D and tanning gets an extra spring in my step.

After two years I have had days where I forget about it – where I am just me. I no longer wake up in the morning and take a inventory of what parts of the body can still move and what is numb. I just get out of bed into the shower and start the day.

One thing I have found is there are a thousand opinions on what to do, hundreds of books and really it comes down to what feels right for you. I am not about to dismiss the guy who says eating 15oz of seafood a day keeps his MS away, but I am not about to jump on his band wagon either and go off my meds. I have learned to listen to my carvings – I am crazy for carrot juice and spinach juice, I sleep when I need to and refuse to feel guilty about it, and I limit my late working nights. I also take time to read about other with MS @ msworld.org and www.faceofms.org as it helps to know I am not the the only one.

Some places I have been reading is

• MS Active Source
• Amazing Recovery From Multiple Sclerosis 2003
• Promising trials for new MS pill 2008
• Vitamin D and multiple sclerosis 2003

Being an artist I found it better to exspress myself with images. Thease are the first peices I did that were about having MS: