The News I got on February 1, 2006

Please please forgive me for ignoring this video blog for so long. My video camera broke and I simply lost interest. So, for those of you who are expecting new and glorious videos from me, I will get a camera soon and start vlogging again. For now, though, I am turning this into a regular blog about my life and interests and other boring stuff. Well maybe not so boring...

You may want to ride this out with me or you may want to leave.

Okay, so nearly two weeks ago, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I had no clue what MS was or what to expect. So (the geek that I am), I researched and basically took a crash course on MS. Then I emptied out everything in my kitchen cabinets and gave it all away to the lady next door. I went to Whole Foods and became a more holistic type of geek. My new diet consists of paper and water. I'll write more about diet later.

So what does it mean to have MS? How did I get diagnosed? These questions and more will be answered eventually. You can always Google multiple sclerosis if you don't want to wait for my explanation. Besides, my own knowledge consists of Google searches and Yahoo Groups and blogs like this.

MS means different things to different people. The symptoms also vary from person to person. It is very hard to diagnose MS. One day there will be a simple blood test. For now, there are MRIs, Spinal Tap (not the bogus rock group), some sort of electrode hookup, and certain eye tests. I know there's a lot more they can do to diagnose it, but because the symptoms vary so much and the disease progresses differently with every person, it just isn't easy to diagnose.

I got diagnosed when I went to an opthomologist. Huh? She was actually a neuro-opthomologist who was testing me to see if I was a candidate for eye surgery (I've had a lazy eye since birth). I just wanted a yes or no answer, not a diagnosis of a serious disease!

I promptly went into denial before I decided, five days later, to change my lifestyle. That's where the organic food shopping came in. I can eat fruits, veggies, lean chicken or turkey breast, and fish. That's it (unless you want to count stuff that barely resembles food but is really, really good for you). No dairy. No wheat. No flour or bread or anything else made with flour. No sugar. No saturated fat. No legumes or peanuts. No processed foods. NO ICE CREAM!!!

Today is my one-week anniversary of being on this diet. I am hungry all the damn time. You'd think that all the supplements I take would fill me up for the day. That's another thing -- supplements. I found out which ones to take and spent $100 at GNC. Ouch, that hurt. I am not a rich girl.

I also need to exercise every day. So far I've chosen (mild) pilates and yoga. I was stretching a couple days ago when all of a sudden the room started spinning like I was drunk off my ass. Then I learned about Vertigo, which is another MS symptom. I'd never experienced that before. It happened about four times whenever I would move suddenly. It was the most intense experience I've had yet. It's happened every day since, always while doing pilates. I think my body is just detoxing all that junk food I'd been living on for years and years (okay my whole life). I also think my body is healing itself and the symptoms need to appear so my body will know what it's dealing with.

Before multiple sclerosis, I was diagnosed (in the 80s) with Multiple Personalities. There's a new name for it now - Dissociative Identity Disorder. So I just went from one multiple to another. I have recovered from Multiple Personalities, for the most part, and now I need to recover from multiple sclerosis? There is no cure for MS, though. I'll prove them all wrong! Just watch me! Muhahahahahaha

Life is just so interesting when you are detached from all the things happening around you. It's like watching a movie. Or a video.

If you are still with me, thanks. I would hate to write to cyberspace alone. What a lonely thought. I could use some support. Hey, where did everyone go? Please stay!

One symptom of Multiple Personalities is desperate pleadings for support. I just made that up but REALLY, that's what many people believe, including the so-called experts. I won't get into the mental health system right now, but trust me, I will eventually.

So this blog will be about my adventures with MS, a disease that some people call a monster. That wasn't very comforting when I heard that. But if you have MS you can call it whatever you want. There are no rules.

On a MUCH lighter note, I acquired two more doves -- CJ and DJ. They immediately began mating, and about the same time I was diagnosed with MS, I saw a new baby dove in a makeshift nest I had put in an artificial tree. I named this baby "Miracle." Here is his first baby picture. When I get enough pictures, I'll make a video of all the pictures.