8/15/2023 0 Comments Invisible disabilities week imagesTo my shock, I was told that based on my neurological loss, I would have only about five more years until I’d be confined to a wheelchair. Play icon The triangle icon that indicates to play Living life with MS Of course, I was also scared, but I was referred to an MS clinic near me and I trusted that the doctors there would help me. Oddly enough, getting the diagnosis was a bit of a relief because I finally knew the reason I was experiencing tremors, numbness, and fatigue. The “progressive” part of my diagnosis meant that my symptoms would continue to get worse and would drastically limit my functioning. After several frustrating months of appointments and testing-including an MRI and bloodwork- I was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis, which is a disease that develops when the immune system attacks the central nervous system and causes nerve damage. The doctor told me I didn’t have a sports injury and that instead I should see a neurologist. For instance, not only was I having trouble lifting my foot (known as foot drop), I was feeling exhausted daily and often I wasn’t able to feel my extremities. This story is part of Prevention’s We Are Not Invisible project, a series of personal and informative stories that shed light on those with Invisible Disabilities in honor of Invisible Disabilities Week 2022.īy the time I went to the doctor, though, I was noticing other symptoms that caught me off guard. It wasn’t the way I’d hoped to finish but I figured that a visit to a doctor in Houston, where I live, would get me through my injury. I stopped for a while in the medical tent and ended up walking, rather than running, to the finish line. During the race, I had trouble lifting my foot. I’m competitive by nature, so I had high expectations of myself and was excited to show off my skills to my family in my hometown of Chicago. I started training for my first marathon in 2016.
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