My current MS symptoms

Disclaimer: The information contained on this website is compiled of information on alternative treatments that I have used since my MS symptoms began in 1975. Some have helped my

MS quite a bit, that does not mean that they will help yours. They are mostly anecdotal evidence and you should seek the counsel of your physician before starting any new treatments.

MS Rebel Index MS rebel blog MS Turkey Bowl XXXVI

Brian Quick's Facebook page JB Specialties (T-Bowler Jim Dooley website) Eric Kinkel.com (T-Bowler supporter)

Dr. Terry Wahls SPMS patient cured herself Minding my Mitochondria Dr. Wahls lecture

My true food intolerances Dr. John McDougall Dr. Swank Dr. Beth Bartlett This is where I had my blood test.

Coconut Oil Touted as Alzheimer's Remedy This link is amazing!!! another woman MD!!!

My HBOT experience X 01-28-12 http://drcranton.com/hbo/strokestudies.htm new

http://www.mstherapycentres.org.uk/Philip_James_HBOT_2005_Paper.pdf this shows MRI's before and after HBOT

http://drcranton.com/hbo/HBOT_Increases_Stem_Cells.htm wow!!! http://www.emsahealth.com/documents/MultipleSclerosisStudy.pdf new

http://www.jpands.org/vol10no4/neubauer.pdfnew http://www.jpands.org/vol10no4/maxfield.pdf new

http://www.hyperbaric-oxygen-ca.com/ Dr.Saft http://www.newtownehyperbarics.com/home.html

http://clinicalsolutionsinc.com.sprite.serviv.com/home/ My first treatment for free thanks so much! http://www.midwesthbot.com/neuro.php Bolingbrook

http://airtightinnovations.com/products.html http://www.healingdives.com/1901.html

http://freethechamber.com/ Free info to help decide on a home HBOT machine. MS & HBOT History - vascular theory

Stem Cells Insomnia Exercise & MS My symptoms

Test your food intolerances hair analysis Human Bloodprint for food intolerances

If you are of the era of Carol Burnett and need a laugh (mild graphic language and never aired)

11-04-11 My brain is fading since it is update day, but my new Neuro prescribed an antidepressant which seems to also help with sleep. I even took a nap a while ago, which does not happen unless I take Nyquil. I have weaned down to 10 mg prednisone and am walking with the walls pretty good. A little later I will stretch and use the rebounder my brother Brian gave to me a few years ago. That is his Facebook page, he is a personal trainer. I love ya bro! I still have numbness to my hands & feet, big buttocks. Fading...have a great weekend! ~ Lisa

10-22-11 My short term memory is beyond horrible, I understand because I cannot sleep well and my brain cannot retain the new information I learned that day. It really sucks and is pretty depressing. It will be really nice when I do not need to take Xanax to simply fall asleep, I have tried every little thing from Melatonin etc. it seems to me it is because of the lesions in my brain, which I hope that the HBOT treatments will at some point help to repair. Okay I am pooped out now, stay tuned I hope to be able to show my MRI pics in the PONS area of my brain that may show lesions before and after treatment. I am hoping this will do it, I am so damned tired! Knock on wood! Have a great weekend! ~ Lisa

07-30-11 Insomnia still sucks, I am looking into finding out if there could be lesions to the pons area of my brain which looks like it could interfere with sleep. I'm just trying to find answers and info to show my doc, I am so tired of not being able to sleep more than an hour a day without Xanax which does not work every day, I am going to lose my mind. I still have numbness to my hands and feet. The link above about HBOT and the vascular theory is also quite interesting. I have OAB but can deal with that, I need to be careful with bowel urgency that is better but need to be cautious. My balance is still crap as well but if I have my cane or a wall near by I can deal with it. I've probably forgotten something but that seems about right. Never giver up ~ Lisa

05-15-11 Sleep is still pretty crappy but I may be feeling a bit of a change since I have added DHEA.

05-03-11 I know it has been quite some time since I have updated here. I guess because I am still sleeping so crappy, I would love to have a great update about that. I sure hope that I will be sometime soon. Since my family has a history of varicose veins, some quite severe and I have some as well I thought I would try some supplements I have recently read about. I do not have the money for trying the CCSVI so these are the things I will be trying. As I stated above insomnia is by far my worst symptom. If I could just sleep I know I would feel so much better, I would have the energy to do simple things like clean the house. I miss doing simple things like that and carrying on my relationship with my high school sweetheart, it is obviously such a different world with my health being so sucky! It is such a new world for my sweetie to get used to, I can't believe he actually wants to stick around for this crap. I am very glad he does, I have really missed him!

I am a lucky woman in that respect! I am still able to walk to certain degree, all dependent on sleep of course. I use my cane but often have to depend on my manual wheelchair for longer distances. I hope I am able to do mostly the cane after these alternative treatments. but only time will tell. I will wait, since that is all I have.

12-03-10 Extreme stress has me back to steroids, but this time my new Neurologist has found the right mixture of sleep meds and for he first time is years I have been sleeping great! It has only been 4 days but it feels so great! I am taking 2mg Alprazalam and 1 mg Trazodone 2 hours before bedtime. It is so exciting to be able to sleep!!! The steroids are helping my legs and arms to get back to working condition. I will make a better list on specific symptoms when I feel more satisfied that I am not going to over do it. I will continue with my dietary changes, soon start electrical stimulation, and in the Spring have Stem cell treatment with my own fat cells. That is why I want to be more precise with explaining my symptoms and show my MRI images before and after the Stem cell treatment.

I have numbness from my fingers to my toes, backs of my legs more than the front. I have OAB and have a problem with controlling my bowels in that, when I have the sensation that my bowels are moving I use my wheelchair and roll to the outside of the bathroom door, wait for my bowels to stop moving and then move quickly to the toilet, so far so good. I cannot walk to the bathroom when I am having that sensation otherwise I will defecate in my undies. Gee I'm good at humiliating myself!☺ So this is my plot, when I get things rolling I will update here and start a specific FB page for the Adipose Stem cells.

10-16-10 I am not using steroids anymore, just the nice cool weather! My legs are still a bit weak from this past summer heat. I will be starting a regular exercise routine starting today, but will be certain not to overdue it since that only leads to trouble. I'm still dealing with Hypothyroid and searching for a doctor to help with that. I have an appointment with someone that was recommended to me but they cannot see me until December...there has to be someone that can see me before then.!!?? So that is my main search this week. My fingers and toes are still numb and my balance is still horrible. I am hoping to add either HBOT treatments and or electrical stimulation as a therapy to help with walking. I also still have over active bladder and am seeking out the right treatment. I read that electrical stimulation could help with that. I wish there was a simple answer to all MS problems! Not gunna happen! Time and patience seems to be part of the answer. One of these days soon once I have relief from hypothyroid fatigue I will make a better list of all of my symptoms and I would like to show copies of my MRI's to show any changes. I definitely need more energy for that. Never give up! ~ Lisa

07-24-10 I am living in the land of steroids so I can keep walking. I am sleeping okay, but stressed since I must file for bankruptcy because my ex has not been able to find a job and pay my alimony in 2 ½ years. That stress plus the summer heat is kicking my butt! Oh well. ~ Hoping for the best...~Lisa

07-17-10 I am still sleeping pretty good, I am walking really well. Of course it is much easier to walk inside where it is cool, but I can still walk outside to the car in the heat, it's not pretty but I can do it! I am being smart and not over doing it, I think I will be sorry if I do that. My handwriting is much more legible so AJ can read the grocery list! My feet can feel the cool tile floors, my hands and feet are feeling much less numb. I still use my cane since my balance still sucks! I think it will be interesting to see if this new hair analysis will show other foods I should stay away from. The next most interesting thing will be to find out if I have CCSVI, which will take time of course. It has taken 16 months of staying away from the foods my blood test showed I have an intolerance to that I am noticing true differences, like the numbness in my limbs are waking up. I still have a ways to go but I will stick to it and make other changes when I get the results back from my hair analysis. I have to admit I am finding it find of fascinating noticing the differences after changing my diet. I kinda like being my own personal experiment!

Yes, I am an odd bird. I am just so sick of it and sick of seeing friends unnecessarily die from this disease, ticks me off! I believe any of these treatments are going to require patience, it does not make sense to me that it takes time for the symptoms to appear. I can't see the symptoms we have going away in a short period of time. I have had MS symptoms since I was 13 and am 48 now, that's a lot of years and a lot of damage. I guess only time will tell. Never give up! ~ Lisa

05-07-10 Since my ability to sleep has gotten so much better I have been able to walk with my cane so much easier sometimes I do not use my cane at all. This feels great! I hope one day to be able to take my Daisey dog for a walk! I am exercising more, a lot of isometrics. I do still have numbness in my fingers, toes, back of my thighs to my waist. I'm trying to be realistic, it has been almost 35 years since this crappy disease began so I am not expecting to ever be as healthy as I was in my youth, probably not ever regaining my balance. Maybe stem cells can help with that, I guess only time will tell. I won't be giving up anytime soon.

04-18-10 I woke up today with an odd symptom I have not had since '84 only this time it affected my right arm. It was itching so badly it hurts, I only know of one person that this has happened to. This time though it affected my right arm, it only lasted a half hour or so. Back in '84 my left arm, side and back to my waist itched so badly it hurt and the only thing that helped was to put Bengay on those areas. It seemed kind of like a counter irritant so I did not notice that painful itching sensation. Very strange! ~ Lisa

04-17-10 I still sleep oddly though now I am taking 30 mg Temazepam which does help me to sleep, though still sometimes I have trouble. At least I am sleeping where as before I literally would be awake all night except for maybe an hour if I was lucky. I do still have slightly numb fingers toes, backs of thighs to my waist. That has been that way since '83-ish. I am right handed and my writing is rather illegible. The one thing I feel fortunate about is that I have always been able to walk to some degree even if it's just a couple inches. Presently I can walk with my cane though for long distances I will use my wheelchair. I still have zero balance, I can stand and put my feet together but immediately need to hang onto something. I also still have ringing in my ears and some hearing loss in my right ear from '83 exacerbation. Summer is right around the corner so I will not be surprised if I will at some point need prednisone again, I know I am fortunate that they work for me. I wish I had money coming from where the sun don't shine, I would get that vaccine again. The vaccine Alan Osmond and his son use, I was fortunate to be able to use it for 13 months. It gave me tons of energy, reversed vertigo twice, and made summer heat manageable. I do hope they can get that FDA approved soon, I would use it in a heart beat! It did not help my body with sleep, but I sure had a lot of energy I miss that! Never give up! ~ Lisa

12-05-09 I am still using prednisone, 20 mg I am also using 10 mg Baclofen 3 x's daily for my left sided facial spasms. I still have a little double vision too after coming out of the vertigo. I am hoping by taking LDN the optic neuritis will resolve. I am using the wheelchair more than my cane but I can still walk albeit not very well, a bit depressing but am hopeful that by using the LDN it will help my vision and walking ability. I can stand and do dishes still but acknowledge I have been overdoing it which does not help the stress and inflammation. I need my legs to work much better because I need to go to the local SS office and sign up again with Medicare only this time now that I have finally read the Medicare & You brochure I now understand I did not signup for Part B and I must do that! Another thing I feel so dippy about but I guess better late than never. Never give up! ~Lisa

11-06-09 I am down to 20 mg prednisone. I am not spinning anymore though do feel a bit dizzy which may be from the Baclofen, I'll take dizzy over spinning any day of the week. I also started remembering other prescriptions that my last Neurolgist ordered for me though I do not remember what symptoms they were for. Klonopin and Tegretol were the meds which are used for seizures, maybe my eyelashes are actual a type of seizure? I only remember having facial spasms and my Neurologist ordering Baclofen, Klonopin and Tegretol of course not all at once...I am actively looking for a Neurologist even though I do not have insurance at this time. I don't believe my GP is going to be able to help me a lot with finding the right meds. The spasms are now happening to a small degree to the left side of my face. I'm sleeping better, but would really like to have a Neurologists' input. I hope to find one soon. :) ~ Lisa

10-17-09 Down to 40 mg prednisone, I will be so glad when I stop spinning and can stop taking this bloating medicine, I look disgusting! The vertigo is definitely getting better, but I will be glad when it is gone. Now the trick will be falling asleep, the vicious cycle is the chronic insomnia which then leads to my legs and or arms getting weak which then leads me to having to take prednisone. It is really scary when I'm awake for a few days unable to even take a short nap, then my heart feels like it is going to jump out of my chest, this has been going on for nearly 8-9 years...this is getting old & highly annoying! I'm sure my heart isn't too happy about it, I know I'm not! I'm hoping that the MRI and possibly this new test (CCSVI) about how the jugular vein may play a role in MS will have some definite answers. I guess only time will tell. Knock on wood! Lisa

10-11-09 I am now down to 50mg prednisone...yahoo! A couple MS patients thought I should have a separate page where I really explain my typical day. I don't really think about it, I just go about my day but then started to really pay attention to just how hard this really is, so I will just list my day as it goes on. First of all, I realize the only real way I can try to explain just how fatigued I feel everyday is it truly fees like I have the flu only no fever or coughing. I have only had the influenza one time when AJ was a little boy, the fever made my legs weak, I was crying like a baby I presume from being so tired.?? I know I am so fortunate to be able to walk, I always have even at my very worst in 1984. I had extreme vertigo and had to be hospitalized for a week of IV steroids, I could not go for a walk but was always able to walk with the nurse to the bathroom. I know a lot of MS patients who have not been able to move their legs at all for decades, but those people sleep like a baby. It is strange how MS seems to start the same, with the numbness and tingling and such but then at some point it either attacks mostly the brain and or mostly spinal cord, my friend Connie unfortunately has both...that sucks! For me, every little thing I do starts wearing me out from getting up to go to the bathroom often, though again I can't complain because I can get to the bathroom on my own. I rarely ever wear makeup anymore, it is just too tiring. I also do not get in the shower everyday, just "spit baths", unless I am going out then I usually get in the shower the day before because I don't want to be too worn out for whatever appointment I am going to. I was always a bit of a chubby kid growing up, but when I was 16 I had to go get the spinal tap and all that crap so they could "diagnose" me so I asked to be put on a low calorie diet since I would be in there for a week...I lost 5 pounds and when I got home, I quit eating dessert and started walking 3 miles a day. I ended up losing 45 more pounds. My biggest dream is to be able to walk like that again, I used to love to workout with weights, aerobics, ballet, I miss it so much! Tonight is a no Xanax night, so I will be awake all night. I cannot take Xanax every night because my body gets used to it and will need to up the dose, which just makes my legs weaker. I find if I take the Xanax every other day it works pretty good, I can at least fall asleep. I remember the days as a little girl and being able to just lay my head down and instantly fall asleep, I really hope this Brain Based therapy will help with that. I guess only time will tell, I go see Dr. Serpe for some type of treatment this Wednesday. I prefer the cool weather to the hot, always have. I wonder if the numbness I have had since '84 will ever return to normal, or if that will require stem cells. The one thing this disease has really taught me is patience. I was always an impatient youngster, what a way to learn that! I know I still have a long way to go, but am actually getting more excited to try out these new treatments. I at least now know for a fact that I have some food allergies, foods I have been ingesting since the day I was born. Every Neuro I went to told me diet has nothing to do with MS, I beg to differ since my blood tells me different for a fact. Dr. Swank was right all along, I will always wonder how my life may have been different had I known...oh well I know now.

10-02-09 Insomnia has again led me to the land of vertigo, I am back to 60mg prednisone. I've got that lovely balloon look again :(

I am fortunate the prednisone does at least gets legs stronger and stops the spinning. The vertigo is not all gone yet but should be soon, I just need to be well enough to get to see Dr. Serpe to find out if his treatment protocol will help this crappy insomnia. It is on the depressing side especially since getting real in that I need to get my drivers license renewed in February, realistically that is not going to happen. I would be thrilled to be able to take my dog for a walk! So hopefully this new treatment will get me to sleep! If you would like to read more about this treatment please check my insomnia page. Knock on wood! Have a great weekend! ~ Lisa

09-04-09 I am of course still sticking to my dietary changes, I believe it will take quite some time simply because it has been 34 years, I sure wish this blood test had been around then...but it was not so I must just move forward. My legs are still quite weak after I had acupuncture to my right foot, it has been weak ever since. It was getting so weak I started taking prednisone, but stopped taking it because it was so depressing seeing my bloated face every tie I passed a mirror. I have been taking turmeric instead which is a natural anti inflammatory, I'm still using it but it does not work anywhere as well as the prednisone. I know prednisone is also not great for the bones, so I will just wait it out an see what happens over the next few months. My right arm is a little weak as well, so my handwriting is quite a joke, but is legible. Though I am starting to notice I can control my bowels & bladder better. My bladder is not incontinent, it is difficult to get my bladder to urinate so I often need to use Lamaze breathing...how weird is that? My bowels are another thing altogether, I'm probably repeating myself. After eating and I can feel my bowels start to move (how gross is that?!) I need to wheel myself in front of the bathroom door and when I feel them move again I walk into the bathroom as quick as possible to the toilet. I have not had an accident in months now that I have figured out that I need to be very close to the toilet, no more walking across the room, that was a disaster. I can walk but am very cautious about it, I do not want to break a leg. So I am not walking around the inside of the house for exercise at the moment. I would not feel comfortable walking outside right now because my legs are still so weak and my balance is still very bad. I feel better now that I have my website up & running. I will continue with my diet of not eating foods my body shows allergen to. I will also continue using isometrics as my exercise, as well as plie's. One of these days my legs will have their strength back, I will just try to remain patient. Have a great Labor Day Weekend! ~Lisa

07-15-09 Since I have gotten strict about eliminating the food allergens I know now for a fact that I do have, which has only been since this past March I am noticing the fog lifting from my brain. It's a start, of course I do not have a crystal ball but I am noticing more energy which feels strange to me but I think I can get used to it

! I do not know how much improvement I will end up with through diet alone but I will continue with not eating the foods I truly have an allergen to. I have also been able to walk with my cane a lot more, my energy is much better almost like it was when I was using the vaccine. Insomnia is still a huge problem, but I have been able to help that by adding Unisom to my Xanax, it feels great to sleep! I wasted enough time over the years following other MS diets including Swank's, many of those foods I was eating I should not have been. I think about that a lot, I have been consuming these unknowingly foods my body has an allergen to since I was born, such is life. I guess there is only one way to find out and I am glad I did find out through that blood test that checked for 154 possible food allergens, I have an allergen to 29 of them and none of them was gluten. I still have OAB and chronic insomnia but I would like to see for myself if the dietary changes can help with that, my balance is still very bad I don't know if anything can help that but stem cells, but that is another subject and won't be happening anytime soon. I expect this to be a slow journey but I sure didn't get this way overnight I can hardly expect to get better overnight. I have also listed another topic about food allergens & MS on my Facebook page if you would like to see it click here. I do know this is not believed by most MS patients or their doctors, including my own Neurologist, but blood does not lie. Food for thought. :) ~Lisa

06-14-09 Insomnia is still my worst problem, but I have been feeling rather perky since starting the acupuncture. I am able to exercise more and not end up with an exacerbation of any symptoms. Knock on wood! I still have some numbness in my hands & feet, my balance seems better maybe because I am exercising more. I still have OAB but it seems a little better, a little. But I haven't crapped in my pants in a long time! :)

My face has not had spasms since starting the acupuncture, I like that! I do still plan on having cord blood treatment by Dr. Morales at some point, I just read an article I sent to him about how a gentleman had stem cell treatment but was never told to change his diet. If you want to read it here is that link. http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=show&pageid=1510&CFID=1169600&CFTOKEN=33386647 This is my pet peeve. I think it is very difficult for MS patients to believe diet will make a difference because there is technically no cure for MS, which is understandable since nobody truly knows what causes MS. We all must make up our own minds of course but I would love to see MS patients have this Blood print blood test done to actually see for a fact if they have any food allergens as I do. Just a thought. During my reading about stem cell treatment it reminded me that at one point early on in the disease I had foot drop, but did clear up. Another weird one back in '84 was my left arm down to my waist front and back itched sooo bad it hurt! I ended up rubbing in Ben-gay and it stopped itching, I was thinking it was acting as a counter irritant....it worked! Thankfully that symptom has never returned! I have been walking within the house a lot with no cane at all, it feels great! Very exciting! Have a great week! ~ Lisa

05-02-09 I am doing well with my leg strength, sleep is better but not great. I will soon be having my hormones checked since I am in that peri-menopause time of my life, that may help with the insomnia. It does seem to make sense, but there is only one way to find out. I have been able to control the fecal incontinence pretty well. However I still need to be able to wheel myself to the bathroom door and wait 'til it feels safe and move as quickly as I can to the toilet, so far no accidents. I usually have one BM daily...never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever be chatting about my bowel habits! I figure I am not he only MS patient who has to deal with this symptom. When I first started to notice my bathroom issues, I described to my Neurologist that I felt I had urinary hesitancy and bowel urgency. He told me that was unusual, usually it is the other way around, I am unusual! I am now understanding I have OAB and fecal incontinence. The OAB has been for about 20 years but the fecal incontinence has not advanced to where it is a problem until about 2 years ago to the present. My handwriting seems to be a better unless I am tired. Cursive writing is still not like it was years ago. I actually have little books I would write in and one of them has my cursive handwriting, I need to find that book! I dated those little books and it does show the writing differences. I can tell too that I could not possibly drive a car at this point. When I am in the passenger seat I can tell my brain is not sharp enough to handle driving, fatigue is also playing a role. I have until February to renew my license but if I feel the way I do now I will not even consider it, I do not want to be a danger to others. I guess only time will tell. Never give up! ~ Lisa

04-17-09 My fatigue is a little better, but is still my absolute worst symptom, if I could just sleep without needing drugs I think that would make all the difference. I will lay there all night and never fall asleep for more than a few minutes. I did some online research, and did see a correlation in some articles about chronic insomnia, and brain stem lesions. I have not had an MRI since '00 and would not be surprised if there are new lesions up there. It would be fascinating to compare the 2, probably scary, but fascinating! I will look into prices of local labs, and I may also ask Dr. Morales if he knows of a lab in Mexico that does MRI's, that could also be less expensive. I have not had that hideous experience lately of what I am understanding is called fecal incontinence...lovely.

The link to the left also refers to brain stem lesions...hmm! When I get the feeling of my bowels starting to move (what a disgusting thing to talk about!) I must wheel myself in front of the bathroom, wait for my bowels to stop moving and quickly move to the commode before something else starts to move!

Never at 47 did I think I would be dealing with this crap, pun intended! I have been walking much better even with no cane, in fact I have only used it when I first woke up, I haven't used it since. In the past few days I have reverted back to the exercise that helped me so much back in '84. Ballet Plié's. I gave away my ballet barre to my niece who loves to dance so I have been using my wheel chair handles, and doing Plié's in first position, second position, and third position. My legs feel very strong, I did ballet as a child, for fun if I find the B&W pic of me as a little girl in my tights & leotard I will put that on my site...but first I have to find it! Somewhere too I have a book with really good drawings of the ballet positions, if I find that I will scan those pics if anyone has an interest, but of course consult with your physician first. It is a beautiful day here in Illinois, I hope you have great weather where you are.

04-03-09 Fatigue is still a problem, but am not quite sure if it is MS related or the joys of peri-menopause, maybe a bit of both. It is annoying either way! I'm still waiting for my hormone test results as well as the food intolerances test. Monday is when they are both supposed to be done, but I'm sure at least some of you know how labs can be, those things cannot be rushed. I had weaned off of the prednisone by last Friday, but my legs started to feel weak again and my handwriting was nasty. So yesterday I started back taking it but only 2 mg prednisone, so I guess I'll soon see if I need to up that dose. I hate prednisone, but it does seem to always help to help me get my strength back. If only it was a cure for MS, but I know it does not help every MS patient and is certainly not a cure. My legs do feel a bit more steady, so I will add some light exercise today, I'm always so paranoid that I will step over that invisible line and need to really up the prednisone dose to the water balloon stage, LOL. I do still personally believe diet could be a cure of sorts especially if it is started early on. I just recently received an email from an MS patient who is my age but was diagnosed just 3 years ago, so she has a big head start when it comes to dietary changes. She has had no recurring symptoms since following the Swank diet. I have a long way to go especially since I have had MS since I was 13, I am seriously looking into having a cord blood treatment. But in the meantime I will stick to the dietary measures. I remember being a teenager and reading about the Swank diet but none of my doctors believed it would help at all so I never even tried it, I was somewhat relieved because that would mean I would need to give up macaroni & cheese and fast food. (the very foods that were harming me) I wish I could go back in time and change that, but of course that cannot happen. I can only pay attention to how my body reacts when I eat an offending food now. For me if I eat wheat bread, or white bread I start to get extra skin growing on my scalp or around my hairline, that is my big clue for me! This is a quote from Dr. Lyman Fritz, MD that is on the first page of Human Bloodprint information link I provide above. “Fortunately, results of the Immuno 1 Bloodprint^TM offer a sure diagnosis including unambiguous scientific proof. With bloodprinting’s results I can furnish my patient with the basis for a cure just involving changes in food intake. Many patients benefit immediately when they know which foods to avoid that are ‘poisonous’ to them (but fine for other people),” says Dr. Fritz. “Despite inconveniences of restricting offending foods, people consulting me breathe a sigh of relief when informed that their chronic symptoms result from food allergies and not from a more lethal and difficult to treat disease.” I am so glad there is now a blood test that proves what Dr. Swank had been saying all along. I still find these new dietary measures more difficult than childbirth. I am not yet sure but as I stated above I am seriously looking into having cord blood treatment to try to re-myelinate my brain where all those lesions I have seen on my last MRI in 2000 are. It would be interesting and a bit creepy at the same time to have another MRI and compare, I'm certain in the past 9 years I have more lesions. In '95 I had my first and thankfully last new symptoms that affected the left side of my body. I could not move my left arm at all I had to use my right arm to move my left arm my left leg was not much better I fell down a lot and I ended up having to rent an electric wheel chair for about 3 months and take high doses of prednisone 80mg to start. Luckily for me the steroids have always helped me to recover to some degree. My left side has never been affected since, if I have weakness it is generally still to my right side as it started almost 34 years ago. My handwriting is still pretty crappy if I compare it to my teen years, cursive writing is very difficult for me I generally cannot read what I wrote, my brain cannot keep up with my hand or is it my hand cannot keep up with my brain? See I can't even get that straight in my head. But as far as short term memory I can see that is a bit better, remembering things like my passwords for banking and other internet stuff is definitely better. Little by little! Never give up! ~ Lisa

03-20-09 I must admit I am antsy about getting my Blood print tests results back around 2 weeks! I have noticed that my scalp is not itching like crazy since I stopped eating wheat bread, I was experimenting with myself again. My scalp still itches a little bit but there is no heavy scaling of skin as it was when I went nuts a few years ago eating far too many fruit Newton cookies. So I will be so interested to find out what this blood tests shows! I don't eat sugar anymore, but maybe one of the fruits I eat are not something I should be eating. When I think back about the times I messed myself, I has really tired and really hungry so I just grabbed a whole chicken breast I had cooked earlier and ate only that, no rice or veggies, I really think that was my mistake because I have eaten chicken since only this time with broccoli, rice or Quinoa and that humiliating experience has not happened since. Yesterday I started noticing the left side of my face & eye would twitch a lot! A couple days prior I did not sleep great, I stayed up way too late. I still have a foggy brain, it is a little better, but not nearly good enough. Not getting enough sleep rings a bell from past experiences with my twitching face. I went to bed at 10 last night and was up eventually by 9 no twitching today! I am also still using 10 mg prednisone daily that way I feel comfortable exercising a bit more. My exercise routine is not always even close to perfect especially from my episodes of vertigo. However because of that I have gotten more into a routine of using isometric exercise where I can just sit and squeeze and not worry about tilting my head and start the spins. I feel pretty confident in thinking that no matter what recovery is going to take a good amount of time, after all it ahs been nearly 34 years since the fun began. Not being good at quitting, I am excited to see which foods I need to stay away from. If I understand correctly and my mom was with me at the doctors office she tells me I was correct in remembering that just because I may need to give up certain foods for a while that may not mean forever. There is a rotation diet where at some point a patient can start eating some of the offending foods and hopefully the patients' body will be able to tolerate those foods again. I personally find this an easier way of finding out which foods I need to eliminate instead of guessing. After communicating with so many MS patients over the years I understand most do not believe diet will make any difference with their symptoms because their Neurologists say so. So did mine, but they are not perfect especially when they were likely never taught that certain foods can make MS worse. As patients we have to be our own best advocate by researching the possibility of the foods we eat actually causing out symptoms. I know of patients having those scratch tests to check for allergies, this new blood test is quite different than the old fashioned scratch test and if you have insurance or Medicare it is covered. I still often fatigue pretty easily, but have read of some patents getting that energy back once they eliminated those offending foods, I would like to see fro myself. Stay tuned. ~ Lisa

03-13-09 Sleeping is certainly better, but I often still need a little help, be it melatonin, Unisom, etc. At least it is sleep. I do still have numbness in fingers, toes, back of legs & derrière, I guess this is where the patience comes into play. I did not get this way overnight and I don't expect to get better overnight even if one day I do have cord blood treatment, which I believe I will. My balance has been gone since '84 I can't even imagine what it would feel like to have balance, but I sure would like to. When I think about it, I really have not lived much of a life but I am still youngish, my grandma made it to 100, I would like to have a life other than a disabled one, at least have my balance & short term memory back. Will I ever have one? I guess only time will tell. My grandma and I would chat on the phone and we could unfortunately relate to each other when it came to feeling old. She found it sad too that I was so young but experiencing what it is like to be her age, but she always told me I was strong and just keep doing what I was doing and it would all work out in the end. I miss her very much but have a memento she gave to me so I look at it often. Okay this is dorky on my part but if you'd like to see my Grandma, my mom had a memorial page made up for YouTube I love old black & white pics! I'm glad my Grandma lived so long, I only remember sitting on my Grandpa Art's (her husband) lap but that is a nice memory to have.

03-11-09 I had the same humiliating experience that I had back on 11-07-08 I really don't want to rehash it again, it completely wiped me out yesterday and I'm still wiped out. But it did remind me of an SNL commercial I just recently saw, it cracked me up, I'd rather laugh than cry! I had not been writing down what I had been eating, but I think chicken had something to do with it. I'm pretty sure I ate chicken back in November too. It will be interesting to have this blood test and see what it tells me about the foods I should not be eating. I will be having it next week. I can still walk with and sometimes without the cane though today I will primarily use the w/c. I'm just pooped out no pun intended. LOL ~ Lisa

03-06-09 The vertigo is gone for the moment, I will never know if it was caused from taking the Stem Enhance which I am not using anymore or from the stress of my Grandma's passing. But from now on I know the Stem Enhance will have nothing to do with it. I still have a degree of numbness in my feet, fingers, back of legs & buttocks area. My balance is still crappy, I cannot stand with feet together & close my eyes without falling over. I keep forgetting to mention this item...Since I have been using Chelorex for helping in removing the toxic metals I have in my body, from amalgams & when I drank colloidal silver, the fingernails on my right hand, my dominant hand have periodically been changing to a grayish color either to the whole nail or just outer nail bed. I wish I would have remembered this from the beginning, but I guess it does not really matter. I just found it interesting when I would look at my nails and see them with this grayish tint and then the next day they were normal color. I presume this is just how it works with chelation therapy. The toxins come out through bowel movements, that is why it is important to have regular BM's. I am walking better and better, I even often forget to use my cane and just start walking. I still have a ways to go but I feel more hopeful than ever. I am also excited to find out the results of my blood tests that I plan on having next week sometime. I hope you too will consider the real possibilities of diet playing a key role in healing this crappy disease. It can't hurt to look into it. Have a great weekend! ~ Lisa

02-06-09 Well this morning I woke up with a slight case of vertigo...yippee! I am hoping that that is another JH reaction from taking this Stem Enhance product, that is supposed to indicate healing of symptoms from what I've read anyway. My balance is still crap but if it significantly improves I will believe that the Stem Enhance is helping heal up all those scars in my cerebellum. Only time will tell, it is an interesting adventure. How sick is that? LOL Have a great weekend! ~ Lisa

02-02-09 Fatigue is still a huge problem but is better since I have had 7 of my 9 amalgams replaced the last 2 will be done on February 12th! I am still walking quite well even without the cane. I am under a lot of stress and recently weaned off prednisone I'm not sure how long that will last. I am very tired today so I will try to stick to using the w/c a bit more than the cane and stick to stretching out and not over-do the exercising. I hate this disease! Cya~ Lisa

01-23-09 My ability to walk is getting better and better, I believe due to my doing regular exercises and being able to sleep better after having 7 of my 9 amalgam fillings replaced and sticking to the anti-inflammatory foods diet I have been using for the past 2 years. I do still have residual numbness in many areas like hands, feet, and my posterior. My balance is still not very good at all I still cannot stand with my feet together without falling over. At least I am sleeping better so I can exercise more. My short term memory is getting better, but still needs much work. At least the vertigo is gone, I hate that! When it comes to my most humiliating symptom of not making it to the bathroom in time to poop is better, that has not happened in quite some time. It can still be a close call sometimes, I often need to wheel myself to the outside of the bathroom door wait until the urge stops. Then quickly get to the toilet! Fun, fun, fun! I am still trying out that Stem Enhance product that my friend Connie told me about. I really don't know for sure if it working, but I will try it for a bit longer. If I don't notice any difference with my balance in the next 6 months or so I will contact Dr. Morales and see how things are going with his stem cell treatment. That will be my last hope to get my balance back, I trust him very much. I'm only 46, heck maybe my life can begin at 50! I never went t college, I had no idea what wanted to do. I do know I want to do whatever I can to help other MS patients to get better, this should not a fatal disease! That just ticks me off! Never give up! ~ Lisa

01-09-09 I have been walking with my cane the past two days, doing laps within the house with my pooch Daisey following behind me as it should be. She needs to get used to it for when I am able to take her for real walks outside in the spring! From walking my glutes sure is sore! I like it! I also started doing ab work on a mat, I can tell I am able to get up from the floor more easily now. Today I will add laying on my stomach on the mat and pull my calf muscle towards my glutes that will definitely work on the backs of my legs I remember doing that in the past. My insomnia is also getting much better, I don't need so much sleep meds at night. I used to need at least 2mg Xanax and I would always need to up the dose because I would get used to it and need more. Over the counter sleep aids never worked at all, but they are now. It's very exciting! Though I was writing the other day and my handwriting was awful, I guess I'll have to work on that! The numbness in my hands & fingers feel a bit better, I really don't know how to gauge this accurately. ? I guess only time will tell. I do feel a bit more energy though I have a ways to go with that, my 76 year old mom has more energy than I do. I really think that will change as time goes by I just need to remain patient and exercise on a regular basis, which I have been doing. Since I started having my amalgams replaced that is when I have been noticing my ability to sleep with a very small amount of sleep aids at some point I will just have to stop taking any of them and see what happens. I'm more hopeful than I have ever been when it comes to actually believing that I will recover more from this disease. My balance is still quite bad I cannot stand with my feet together and not fall over, I'm not sure that will ever change, that is so hard to believe. That is why I started taking this new supplement that my friend Connie is trying. It is called Stem Enhance and is supposed to help the bone marrow make more stem cells. ? Maybe? I'll try it for a while and see what happens.

01-02-09 I am still walking often with no cane during the day, my balance still sucks so I use the wheelchair when it is dark out. I have been using Chelorex to help with removing the heavy metals from my body. I started to notice that my nail beds started showing a grayish color almost like there has ground in dirt, but I understand that can happen as the heavy metals are being removed via the poop, so having regular bowel movements is an important part of this process. I noticed as of late that those gray ring around my nail beds were only on my right hand (I'm right handed maybe that is why?) and the actual nail on my ring finger was turning gray too. I had 2 more of my amalgam fillings replaced this past Tuesday and today that nail is not gray anymore and the rings around the nail beds are nearly all gone. The middle finger has the darker of the 3 nails on my right hand that had these rings (index, middle & ring fingers). I'm no doctor of course but it does appear that using the Chelorex and having the amalgams replaced is helping rid my body of these heavy metals. I do still have problems sleeping but I keep taking the same amount of Xanax and it seems to be working where in the past I would need to keep taking a higher dose. I suppose one of these nights I'll have to go to bed and not take any at all and see what happens. I really do find this whole MS thing highly annoying but it is also fascinating! I think my fingers are feeling much less numb and they work a little better, my handwriting is definitely more legible. I have a long way to go yet and 5 more fillings to be replaced with the last 3 on February 3rd. I'm still hopeful, I think the most difficult thing to recover from is my balance, I have a lot of lesions in my cerebellum so I'll just have to wait and see.

12-12-08 I am still able to walk with my cane and sometimes without. I will be very excited to "see" what changes will happen once all of my amalgam fillings are replaced, which will take 4 appointments the last one being January 6th. I have read anecdotal evidence of patients, not just MS patients but people in general who had the chronic insomnia, and it was relieved once the amalgam fillings were properly replaced. It seems to me there is only one way to find out, so I'm pumped about getting this done. Stay tuned ~ Lisa

11-14-08 I'm still weaning off of the prednisone, I hope to be done by the 25th. Insomnia is still with me...sucks! On November 19th my son turns 21! I will also be going to my initial appointment to evaluate my teeth to prepare for amalgam removal! I'm so excited about that! I had a hair analysis back in July and will have another one after the fillings are removed for comparison. I was surprised to see arsenic on that list of metals in my body! I have also been using Chelorex which helps remove toxic metals from the body through bowel movements. "Chelorex® Synergistic Oral Chelation Formula (Caplet Formula DG81P) Click for Chelorex® Caplet Supplement Facts (Ingredient List) Chelorex® was formulated to work synergistically to mobilize toxic heavy metals from within the body and protect the body from heavy metal reabsorption and redistribution. Below is a list of the 12 individual ingredients in the current Chelorex® (DG81P) formula, along with a brief summary of their functions along with supporting references and Study Summary Charts of Chelorex®" Call me sick, but in many ways I am finding this experience fascinating! Yesterday I started having a symptom I have not had in about 15 years, the left side of my face from just under my left eye down to my chin was having spasms. That is so creepy, but thankfully the spasms are gone. I will of course list the hair analysis results post amalgam removal to see the comparison, I believe I will need to wait 2-3 months for the new hair growth before I can send that in. I'm so excited to see those results! Never give up! ~ Lisa

11-07-08 I am always honest to the bone about my symptoms, and this entry will soon be graphic and gross, but it is my reality and I know it is also the reality of some of you as well. For me voting in this historic election was a must! Since I am fortunate enough to be able to use my legs well enough to walk with the cane & assistance of my son's arm, that is what I did and it felt great! Since having the episodes of vertigo I decided that would be a great time to do isometric exercises since just sitting was all that I was doing. I would squeeze my glutes, inner thighs, calf muscles, back of thighs, abdominals, arms, whatever I could think of, but not at the same time of course. I think that has paid off my legs feel quite strong I was glad I was doing that as you will soon read! Now for the disgusting part. I have 2 symptoms that are most problematic, the chronic insomnia which I have 2 theories about. If you would like to read about my thoughts on either you can go to that page to read more. My other hugely problematic symptom is having what I call urinary hesitancy and bowel urgency. I understand the urinary hesitancy as I explained it to my Neurologist when I last saw him in 2002 is called over active bladder. Those symptoms began to the best of my recollection around 1990, I did use Ditropan for a time, but it really dried my mouth out and did harm to my teeth so I quit taking it. To this day I will often need to do Lamaze breathing to relax my bladder enough to actually urinate, usually when I first wake up, then as I drink adequate water throughout the day (I didn't grow up drinking soda) I don't need to use the Lamaze breathing so much. However the bowel urgency has quite progressed, a few times. Election day was one of those days! I had a regular BM in the morning before we voted I actually was able to walk from the living room to the bathroom and not crap in my pants, such excitement! (don't forget about my sarcastic nature!) Well, that was about to change later in the day. I was feeling the urge a bit and instead of using the wheelchair to get to the outside of the bathroom located in my bedroom I not so brightly just started walking with the cane. Big mistake! I ended up almost making it to the commode, but not quite enough, it was everywhere. It is so humiliating being 46 years old and crapping in my pants, but at least this did not happen at the polling place! LOL This is where I believe my ability to exercise my legs to some degree really helped. I had to now get in the shower which fortunately is in the bathroom in my bedroom, but I did not have quite enough towels & wash cloths. I yelled out to AJ, I could hear he was not listening to music (I listen to music louder than he does anyway) I had one big towel to wrap around myself, then I had to walk to the main bathroom I didn't even have my cane it was so difficult I could feel my muscles burning and was reaching out to whatever I could so that I would not fall down awkwardly and seriously injure myself. Then I looked up and there was my awesome son, he didn't hear me yelling for him I was so glad to see him! He grabbed the wheelchair that I was heading for with my legs shaking and he grabbed some towels for me, wheeled me back to my bathroom and I began the big cleanup. He also made me promise that for now, to always make sure the wheelchair was easily accessible to me. My friend Scot who called MS sucky disease really hit the nail on the head with that name I wish he was still with us he would have had a good laugh with me about that experience. So that was my latest humiliation and I hope my last. I try to think of my website as a book of sorts, a diary as events happen, no BS here, this is my reality. I completely believe that diet is the key to cure especially after reading the books and other info on my MS diet books page a big thanks to all of them! Of course the earlier on in your disease the more quickly you may be able to recover. I still believe that recovery could be even quicker if the dietary changes are done in conjunction with the SF1019 vaccine, though I cannot prove that since I do not have the funding to continue using it, but it sure seemed to me that it was helping with energy and strength. My hope is that when the vaccine is approved doctors, especially Neurologists will try that aspect. If you are one of the lucky people who are able to use the vaccine I urge you to consider using these dietary changes as well, it is not easy but I feel it could help move things along a little quicker. I would imagine it will take we MS patients to give this information to our own doctors, my GP is already sold on that idea especially the dietary aspect. It's up to us!!! Never give up! ~ Lisa

10-31-08 I will relatively soon be having all of my 9 amalgam fillings replaced with a non toxic composite filling. I am always doing research into how my chronic insomnia can be resolved. I found some information that possibly amalgam toxicity could play a role...I guess I'll find that out soon enough. If I could just fall asleep at night without needing to rake a drug, that would be great. I remember a time when I was healthy enough to work 8 hours a day and I had no problem sleeping at all, the chronic insomnia started around 1998 and has just gotten worse and worse to the point I now am unable to sleep without Xanax. I have no insurance so my last MRI was in 2000, I presume there are a lot more lesions now. I have tried 5htp, melatonin, and those types of supplements, they are not strong enough that is why I now use Xanax. I have formed my own hypothesis (and yes I know, I am not a doctor) about why I cannot sleep, one of them is the amalgam fillings. If that does not help after they are replaced my other hypothesis is that since from previous MRI's, the lesions are all to my brain, cerebellum, frontal lobe, no cervical spine lesions that possibly I may now have a lesion to my brain stem which can cause chronic insomnia. I have more detailed info on that possibility on my insomnia page. Since I have changed my eating habits over the past year and am presently only using diet and not using the SF1019 vaccine anymore I do feel diet is what is making the difference. Stress also plays a role, recently I again had a bout with vertigo but prednisone has been able to get rid of that nagging symptom. I can't stand that bloating but I hate the chronic insomnia even more, being awake all day and all night, my heart races it makes me feel as if I've lost my mind. Hopefully after I have the amalgams removed that will not reoccur, only time will tell. One thing at a time. On the good side since I am taking the Xanax every night, just adjusting the dose my legs feel stronger and I have been exercising my legs more by using simply isometrics. Specifically during the time of vertigo I had not much else to do so I started contracting my gluteus muscles eventually up to 100 repetitions several times a day, then I would contract the inner thigh area, calf muscles, back of legs, even feet. So, I have been able to walk more sometimes with no cane at all. I want to be strong enough to walk into the polling place next Tuesday, I think I will be able to do it! I will absolutely need my cane for that and probably my son A.J.'s arm. My balance is still quite bad and I do still have a problem with urinary hesitancy which is a little better and bowel urgency, unfortunately I've still had a few times where the bowel urgency has won, so humiliating! That is why I have chosen not to attend some family and other functions, I really don't feel like crapping in my pants for all to see...or smell. LOL It will really be fascinating to see if there are changes once that poison is removed from my mouth. I have always been one to try alternative treatments, I think maybe I've found the one that works. Better late than never. I so wish Scot was here to try the dietary changes.

10-10-08 As always my chronic insomnia is still with me, but I have been sleeping quite well by "playing" with the dosage of the Xanax. I do remember the days not that long ago when I would simply do regular daily chores etc and have no problem falling asleep at night. I have my own theory about that but I would need an MRI to prove it, I have no insurance and in the long run that really doesn't matter, it is what it is, life goes on! So I will continue with these very important dietary changes and hopefully the Immunosyn vaccine, if the economy doesn't get in the way of that, only time will tell. My legs are feeling stronger for the most part, but I notice my right leg feels more weak than my left. My right side has always been the side that gets weak when it comes to exacerbations, so that's pretty normal. The numbness has not changed too much, it's definitely not worse. I have to remind myself sometimes that recovery simply will not happen overnight! It took 33 years to get to the point I'm at now, and only time will tell just how much recovery I will have. From reading the experiences of the MS patients who claim cure through diet alone, it took an average of 4-5 years. I think we all know that not all MS cases are the same, I know my MS is not as severe as some of my other MS friends, I have always been able to walk to some degree, even if it's just a couple steps. My balance has been shot since 1984, that has not really changed too much. My Neurologist would always have me stand with my feet together and close my eyes (sound familiar) of course he would stand right next to me because he knew I would fall over if I did not open my eyes. I still cannot do that, to me that seems impossible to cure without cord blood stem cells, but I first want to see if diet can help correct that...again only time will tell. I'll wait.

10-03-08 Insomnia is still my biggest problem, but if I use Xanax about every other day my body does not get used to it so I find the need to increase the dose more and more. This way I get a good nights sleep one day and a crappy one the next, sometimes I'll take my 1 ½ mg dose 2 days in a row and get a couple days of great sleep in a row. I just have to experiment. My theory about why I have such an impossible time falling asleep is this; I have not had an MRI in 8 years, the last ones ('98,'00) showed my lesions were to my brain only not cervical spine so my guess is that in the past 8 years many more lesions have formed in my brain. After doing some more online research about chronic insomnia I found a couple interesting bits of information. One of the things I found was that chronic insomnia could be due to lesions in my brain stem, as I kept reading it also mentioned brain stem lesions can also cause hallucinations. I will never know my theory for a fact since I have no insurance but after I was awake for 30+ hours a few years back I did have a hallucination. That scared the hell out of me, though it was a bit amusing. I knew what I was seeing was not real, but there it was right in front of my face. It was a young boy in his baseball uniform taking his hitting stance (maybe I was hoping he was going to hit me in the head so I would finally fall asleep!). I called my GP the very next morning and at my dads suggestion asked him to order some Xanax for me. It worked! So that is my theory, since from previous MRI's my lesions are to my brain it does not seem impossible that in 8 years more lesions have formed up there. Of course I'm no doctor but it seems pretty commonsensical to me that during this time, that new brain lesions have formed. I remember reading a few years back about a man in England who had this type of insomnia and had cord blood stem cell treatment, the insomnia went away and he continued to recover fully. I will never say never to cord blood stem cells, but there is not funding for that so that will not be happening for me. I'd like to see what happens with the dietary changes and Immunosyn vaccine, the two treatments I have been fortunate enough to try and the one that I believe will help so many MS patients. I have been using these strict dietary changes for a little over a year. At the same time I was using the Immunosyn vaccine for 13 months. During that time of using both together I was able to walk much, much better, my legs felt so much stronger I would even do laps within the house using my cane and sometimes I would not need the cane, my last injection was on June 24th and I have slowly been reversing. However I can still walk with cane only and do a few steps no cane, but I'm not strong enough for doing laps, I miss that. As I understand it, Argyll is in the process of making up more vaccine. The majority was used for the FDA trials, which I feel is most important. This is all new to me, I've never really known much about how all the trials stuff works. I guess the saying "you learn something new everyday" is true. I am very confident that once I am able to start using the vaccine again I will continue with my improvements! I hope you check back and seriously consider these anti- inflammatory foods dietary changes. Stay tuned! ~ Lisa

09-19-08 Sleeping is very good with the help of the Xanax. The numbness in my fingers and toes is still slowly beginning to leave. My handwriting also continues to get better. I have a subscription to easy crosswords magazine. It's great for my brain and my handwriting, I also have a subscription for easy Sudoku to continue to work my brain. I have a more difficult time with Sudoku than with the crosswords. I've always had a better time with spelling than logic questions and math questions. Of course I do not remember which side of the brain takes care of those things. Very frustrating! I am still able to walk with my cane but will not overdo it, I don't want to have to start up with the steroids again. I'll keep being patient. Have a great weekend! ~ Lisa

09-12-08 I now have Xanax to help me sleep, I still have the over active bladder but I just try to deal with it. I am still under quite a bit of personal stress I have no control over, so that certainly does not help my already chronic insomnia. The stress inflammation has made my legs weaker and since I do not presently have anymore Immunosyn I am taking 20mg. of prednisone daily, that is helping but not nearly as well as the vaccine had. I'm still noticing the feeling coming back to my hands & feet, that feels so odd...but I like it! I know this is going to be a very slow recovery, I of course don't know what will come back. Only time will tell, but I will begrudgingly wait. Have a great weekend! ~Lisa

08-22-08 I now think my insomnia is primarily because of my over active bladder duh! How can I possibly get a good night's sleep when I wake up every 2 hours to urinate? I took Ditropan about 12 years ago but it did quite a number on my teeth so I quit taking it. As symptoms go I I'm still able to walk with cane only but when it is dark out I use the wheelchair so I don't lose my balance and fall. The feeling is really coming back to my feet & hands, it feels so odd, but I like it! My derriere is still pretty numb, it has been that way since 1984. I kept falling off my chair at work oops! I've even used acupressure, but that has not helped much. When I see my Neuro I probably ask if he can give me a script for Xanax. It won't help my bladder problem per se but at least I will sleep right through that urge I feel. I'm going to call today and make an appointment. Enjoy your weekend! ~Lisa

08-08-08 The insomnia seems to be a bit better if I am able to wear myself out as much as possible. I feel more comfortable doing that since I have tested myself by over doing it and to my amazement I don't have an exacerbation! It feels odd, but I'm joyfully getting used to it! Last year getting in the shower was really hard, I use tepid water of course but I had to use the shower chair, standing the whole time never happened. Today I was able to stand up except when shaving my legs. I admit I did not get in the shower often enough last year, they just wore me out. They still require a lot of energy so I try to at least get in the shower 3 x a week, I just have to gauge how strong I am feeling and how well rested. It so far is still in the back of my head that when I do too much I will bring on the symptoms. So far so good on that area. I do wish I had changed my eating habits 2 decades ago, but I believe that everything happens for a reason. I know better now and I will continue to stand on my soap box to try to get MS patients and maybe even a doctor or two to seriously look into this wonderful but often hard to get used to treatment. It takes quite some time but it has been well worth it! I know I have a long way to go but things have really changed for me, I will continue with this new way of eating, I'm still losing weight so that's a good thing. The numbness in my feet & toes feels a bit better too. I walk barefoot in the house and really notice when I step on something hard or sharp. Who knows maybe one day I will be able to wear flip-flops, I have to have a strap to keep sandals in place a the moment. This is the most hopeful I have ever been that I will not get any worse and will likely keep improving. My balance is still pretty bad, if that does not show any improvement over the next few years I will definitely look into stem cells. Only time will tell!

08-03-08 I have been trying to figure out how I want to tackle this page. I want to include past symptoms and current symptoms to give an idea of where my MS stands right now. I realize that just because some of us may have similar symptoms does not mean our MS will take the same course. For instance with my friend Connie, her MS symptoms began about the same age as mine did, around 1975(13). A big difference is that she lives in Louisiana and is subjected to heat nearly 12 months out or the year. Here in Illinois we at least have the relief of the fall weather.

I know that my thoughts are subjective but I cannot think of any other way to note changes that I am noticing. If you can think of another way, please let me know.

07-05-08 I believe it is very important to document all of the symptoms you have experienced from the very beginning of your disease. I have quite a few blank books I would write in to try to keep track of my symptoms and how I was feeling at the time, I can even see the difference in my handwriting as it got worse and worse. Now I am comparing on how it seems to be slowly getting better and better, slowly being the operative word:) For me this has been a really good way for me to keep track of new and old symptoms and express my emotions. I am certainly no medical professional just a long term MS patient, but I do feel writing down how I am feeling has helped me to a certain degree. Also as my ability for remembering has declined over the years I'm sure I would have forgotten some of the things I have documented. Anyway, just throwing in my 2 cents again. Enjoy your weekend! ~ Lisa

07-03-08 When the "fun" initially began for me I was 13, it was optic neuritis my vision went from 20/20 to 20/70, I never used steroids at that point it just went away as the weather cooled off and that particular symptom has never returned since. I've had double vision a few times in high school, vertigo often makes a return but it dos not last as long. The slight vertigo I have been experiencing recently is nearly gone. I've had some numbness to my hands, feet, legs, and buttocks since 1984 after I broke my ankle and later had my first and last MS hospitalization. This recent vertigo episode is much better than it was 24 years ago but still has a ways to go. I still am experiencing sometimes bowel urgency & urinary hesitancy. I absolutely cannot stand with my feet together and close my eyes, that started in '84 as well. I have a lot of faith in the dietary changes I feel I have needed to make and also the SF1019 vaccine. My biggest hope is that by using both of these treatments my recovery time will be cut some. I know by reading information from fellow MSers who used dietary changes only it seemed to take an average of 4 years to recover, though I'm sure we are all different. I know the Neurologists I have gone to over the years never had any faith that dietary changes would make any difference. I hope that they are now looking more seriously into the idea that foods do make a difference! There is one Neurolgist that I went to since 1984 that I trust the most and he always had an open mind when I would come to him with unusual alternative treatments like "Cari's Cocktail", Bee venom therapy (he really thought I was nuts with that one!), B1 & liver extract therapy, so at some point I will make an appointment with Dr. G to tell him about the dietary changes I have made and using the SF1019 vaccine. I just really believe that by using these 2 therapies together that it may very well speed up recovery for MS patients instead of diet alone. Changing ones diet is rather tough too, but it can and must be done. That will be my soapbox once the vaccine is FDA approved. I'm very passionate about this, I just don't think people like my friend Scot should die from MS, it was creepy going to his funeral it just should not have been, he was way too young!!! I'm trying to keep some of the MS friends who are trying to change their eating habits hopeful about the future. I was thinking the other day about how in Jr. High I was going to cheerleader clinic, but chickened out when it came to tryouts because I was a little chubby and I did not have much confidence. Maybe that was training for now, so I can cheer people on through this difficult change. Who knows, but I will continue to try to help patients keep their confidence and hope throughout this journey. Rah Sis boom bah!

06-14-08 I am still trying to be cautious about not over doing my abilities. I really need to think about the fact that I absolutely need to exercise to get stronger but also know how much is too much, that is the hard part. I have been exercising more, 3 # dumbbells and walking around the inside of the house when it is not too hot since A/C is not in every room. I feel I am doing quite well with that, luckily for me the weather in my area is much cooler about 70-75° that will likely change back to the 80° 's soon enough but I will enjoy while I have it! My feet and hands are still slightly numb that has been that way since I was 22 in '84. I think the bottoms of my feet are a little less numb, I can feel little hard items like teeny tiny stones sometimes it hurts a little, I like it! how sick is that?? My urinary hesitancy seems a bit better since I began taking a homeopathic remedy for about a week. I have also been sleeping much better, sometimes 3 - 4 hours in a row, totally about 8 hours. For awhile I would wake up every hour on the hour, that barely felt like sleep! Maybe the healing just all needs to come together so that I will continue to get better.?? It has not been long with the much better sleep but I am actually beginning to feel as though I may at some point soon be able to start my Online store again, the money would be nice. I will be very careful to not push it too much, but I sure am feeling hopeful!!! I will absolutely stick to the dietary changes, in my gut I know this is necessary to get rid of MS symptoms! That is my belief anyway I hope that the medical community will come around to this way of thinking. Only time will tell! Be well! I keep forgetting to mention that not only do I have the autoimmune disease MS, I also have another autoimmune disease, Psoriasis to my scalp. I don't get Psoriasis anywhere else on my body...weird! Cya! Go Cubs!

03-07-08 I have crossed that "invisible line" of over doing it which has led to my legs feeing quite weak and I have found it necessary to start using Prednisone for a period of time. I was walking around too much, so I also started using my manual wheelchair when I first wake up and let my Daisey dog out and I use the cane sparingly throughout the day. But during this time I have noticed that the palm of my left hand is not numb anymore, though the tops of fingers on the left hand do still feel slightly numb. My Right hand all of it still feels slightly numb, no change there. During the time of crossing that invisible line I noticed the muscles in my feet and tops of my feet were sore I found that exciting that these muscles were coming to life, but I overdid it! Then I needed to take prednisone for a short time, I also took Xanax every other day so I could get a better night's sleep, insomnia is still a problem for me. I am learning to try very hard to not overdo it. Go Blackhawks!

01-19-08 I have been mostly relying on generic Nyquil for sleeping, it still works pretty good. I'm walking better with longer strides I can often walk with no cane at all. Though when I push the caneless walking my legs will let me know that I am overdoing it! My memory seems to me doing well, especially when my sleep is good. My bowel problems seem to be under control too. Have a great weekend!

01-11-08 My Ambien has still not arrived but I was experimenting with generic Nyquil and found if I drink 4TB I will sleep 4 hours in a row and when I get up to go to the bathroom I actually fall back to sleep for about 4 more hours! That works for me for the moment! It takes my brain a long time to wake up once I get up, but I'll take what I can get. I have been under a lot of stress lately I'm sure that does not help with my ability to sleep. I am noticing a really good thing, I have been able to make it to the bathroom so much easier, no crapping in my pants! My handwriting is still looking much better and I have been using the Neuro Gym short term memory exercises from my index page to work my brain, yesterday I was doing the "remembering faces" exercise, sounds easy but my short term memory definitely needs work!!! I can logically see my recovery is going to take a long time, though I do believe it is being helped by this vaccine that I am fortunate to be able to use on a regular basis. I know for a fact it has helped me during summer heat because I had no exacerbations during this past summer'07, in the past I would always need Prednisone to make it through the summer, and also I would need Prednisone when under excessive stress, I'm so happy to not have needed the steroids! With the SF1019 vaccine there is no Prednisone Bloat, just relief of inflammatory symptoms! I know I have a lot of brain scarring to recover from so I need to be patient which is often difficult to do, but I know I must try my hardest! Cya!

01-04-08 I am hoping that today my Ambien will arrive, it will not be considered late for another 10 days, so hopefully it will get here today. Even though I am still sleeping badly I am noticing that the numbness in my hands and feet is getting better. I can tell especially in my hands because my handwriting is much more legible especially writing in cursive which I have had such a problem coordinating my brain with my hand! I can also see the difference when I use the crossword puzzles, my brain is remembering better and I can see my printing ability changing as well. The brain fog of course feels better on the days that I sleep well, which unfortunately is few and far between...oh well. I have been drinking generic Nyquil the past couple days, taking more than the usual dosage, it is helping me sleep a bit better, though my brain takes a bit longer to wake up. In the past 2 days I have also noticed that the bowel urgency in much less which is really great! That can be a very embarrassing symptom. So much for modesty & humility...bummer...oh well.

12-28-07 At this point I am still having problems falling and staying asleep, that I feel is my worst symptom. Once I receive my Ambien I a hoping I will be able to sleep better on a regular basis. I know that will make a big difference so that I will not shuffle around like a 90 year old, there are days I feel 90. I would like to get back into a regular exercise regimen so my arms, legs and such can become stronger. In my youth I actually enjoyed doing lots of ab work, weight lifting, and going for daily 3 mile walks, that is a big dream of mine. I'll keep trying! I have renewed hope for 2008!

12-21-07 Back in mid June'07 it was extremely hot and I ended up having vertigo, and in July'07 I had spasms in my left ear drum, it made me very dizzy. When I had these episodes I used the SF1019 vaccine and very quickly after those symptoms went away. During both of these episodes I had also been using Candida Cleanse for treatment of the Candida Albicans. It could be coincidental, but I feel those exacerbations could have been due to my taking the Candida Cleanse, from what I have read about taking these kind of products it has the same type effect as I had when I was using antibiotics to treat the MS. During the antibiotic treatment I had many exacerbations, I remember reading those "exacerbations" were due to killing off the bacteria also called a Herxheimer reaction. This time I am killing off Candida Albicans from my body. According to what I have read about treating the Candida I also need to be consistent about removing gluten products, such as wheat, dairy and sugar to name just a few. Since SSD is my primary income I do still use gluten products because they are more affordable than Gluten-free, so I will not be able to go completely Gluten-free at this time so I will continue to use the SF1019 vaccine since in my experience that treatment stops any exacerbation that I may have. There are many different products used to treat Candida, you will need to decide for yourself which you feel is best for you.

"The Herxheimer reaction (also known as Jarisch-Herxheimer or herx) occurs when large quantities of toxins are released into the body as bacteria (typically Spirochetal bacteria) die, due to antibiotic treatment.

Typically the death of these bacteria and the associated release of endotoxins occurs faster than the body can remove the toxins via the natural detoxification process performed by the kidneys and liver. It is manifested by fever, chills, headache, myalgias, and exacerbation of cutaneous lesions. Duration in syphilis is normally only a few hours but can be much longer in other diseases. The intensity of the reaction reflects the intensity of inflammation present.

Both Adolf Jarisch, an Austrian dermatologist, and Karl Herxheimer, a German dermatologist, are credited with the discovery of the Herxheimer reaction."

I will continue with dietary changes and when I can afford to I will continue taking Candida Cleanse and Gluten-free foods. I never believed diet had anything to do with this disease, but now after seeing more research especially from Ann Boroch's book, Curing Multiple Sclerosis, and further confirmation on that subject from Neurologist, Dr. David Perlmutter, I do believe diet is key, the sooner the better! I wish I had known 32 years ago, but better late than never!

12-14-07 I'm realizing after looking at this page, that maybe I should simply have a list of my symptoms, even the embarrassing ones! Here we go...

12-07-07 My fingers & toes continue to awaken, my handwriting is much more legible, my memory is also improving. AJ has brought over friends in the past and I would not be able to remember their names no matter how hard I would try, I'd feel so stupid but he has recently (10 days or so) introduced me to 3 new friends, I still remember their names! So exciting! My sleeping seems to be also be improving, slowly but surely. I fall asleep about 2 - 3 hours at a time, I don't get up until I total about 8 hours of sleep, the better I sleep it seems my memory is a bit better too, makes sense to me. I will soon be adding Yoga for MS to my exercise routine, I will be getting that tape this weekend. My memory is definitely getting better, but if I'm doing more than one thing at a time I have to really think! Have a great weekend!

11-16-07 Tingling in my hands and feet seems to be getting lighter, sleeping is still not exactly great, I am going to try a new CD later today that is based on principals by Dr. Ivan Pavlov called Speed Sleep. We will see, I have some Xanax left, it puts me to sleep but it takes me many hours to wake up my brain and body! What the heck, I'll give the CD a try. This is a slow treatment, but it has taken me decades to get this way I would think it will certainly take a considerable amount of time to have significant changes...I've waited this long I'll wait as long as I must! My numbness happened back in 1984 I slowly became dead numb in my fingers, from my back down to my feet, it is not dead numb anymore but numbness still exists, my butt was so numb I fell off a chair when I was working and have not been able to use my rowing machine because I can't feel my butt enough to allow me to stay "seated".

11-09-07 Still using the cane only to get around the house, and sometimes I forget to use it!!! I love when that happens, hopefully soon my ability to fall and stay asleep will return. I'm patient, I'm certain that it will. It has only been 6 months since I started this treatment so in my opinion I do have to be realistic on how quickly I will get better.

10-26-07 I am still only using the cane to get around, did not sleep great last night so I am cautious and know when to not push too much. Listen to your body, you are the only one who knows it best.

10-19-07 I am still using just the cane to get around, no wheelchair! I have added doing laps around the interior of my home in the hall ways, my fabulous son AJ helped me in double checking my counting. (98 steps) I am also doing ballet plie's which also helps my leg muscles. To me the next progression will be not using the cane at all, but I know this will not happen overnight. Patience is the key! I think doing more laps with my cane will be very helpful.

10-12-07 I am now walking with my cane much more consistently. I woke up this past Tuesday(9th) and just instinctually started walking with the cane instead of using the wheelchair! I have only been using the cane since then! That is so exciting, my sleeping seems to be slowly improving as well. In my opinion this could be from the consistent use of the SF1019 vaccine, which is leading to my ability to walk more frequently which makes me more tired at night. Everything takes time, patience is key. Only time will tell, if this can help with my balance.

09-28-07 My balance has been crappy since I broke my ankle & had surgery in 1984, I cannot put my feet together and not fall over. I still start my day going from the bed to my manual wheelchair until my brain and legs are in sync enough to walk around safely without stumbling usually takes a couple hours. I have numbness in my toes and bottoms of my feet going up to my mid back, that has been like that also since '84. I think I am noticing that my fingers on my right hand are getting more feeling back as well as my toes and bottom of left heel. I am walking much more and more comfortably with the cane and sometimes I will forget my cane! In '99 I was able to take my dog for a brief walk, maybe up to 2 blocks, it is my dream to be doing that again in the near future, maybe in the spring, only time will tell. I can tell my short term memory is getting better, my son AJ can tell that as well. My handwriting also is better, it is much more legible although my cursive writing is not so great. My ability to fall and stay asleep is still not so great, it has been like that around 2000. When I do not sleep enough I tend to get weepy, I hate that, so embarrassing! Since the weather is starting to become cooler I am hoping I will be able to exercise more so I can try to naturally make my brain and body tired enough to fall asleep at night. Again, I guess only time will tell.

09-21-07 I keep forgetting that I even have this page...duh! I started the SF1019 treatment back in May and am doing quite well, I often find myself forgetting to use my cane when getting around in the house. The weather is getting hot again, but I'm sure it won't last very long after all it is almost October, I love the cool, comfortable weather.

02-01-07 I have been having a "delightful" exacerbation off and on since about November, primarily using manual wheelchair and lots of prednisone. It is better, have weaned off steroids, but still needing wheelchair most of the time for getting across the house. I don't feel my legs are strong enough for using the cane for getting all the way across the house. (I am afraid of falling and delaying my trip!) Though I am now doing laundry and washing dishes, which is how I gauge the strength of my legs and just how much to push it. I am very excited to be having the SF1019 vaccine in March! My hope is that I won't need steroids anymore with this treatment and that I will get strong enough to be able to start sewing and get my eBay store rolling again. Only time will tell. I am not going to be unrealistic and think after just a few shots I'll be all better and running around, I have not been able to run for decades! I think one day I will absolutely need stem cells to really help out, but that will have to wait for now. I have noticed on Alan Osmond's site that because of the FDA phase 3 trial he is only allowed to say certain things so as not to jeopardize the trial. I will presume this will apply to my website as well, so please be patient, it will all come to fruition soon! Cya

10-04-06 Of course we do not all have the same exact symptoms, since we are all at different stages and live in different climates but for me I like to have at least some idea of the symptoms of other MS patients who are trying a treatment I have not yet tried, or a treatment I'd like to try.

Most MS patients seem to start out relapsing remitting, I am no different. My parents divorced when I was 10, my first noticeable symptom of blindness in my right eye (I know there is a medical term for this, but I can't remember what it is, yet another symptom, forgetting words!) during summer at the age of 13. That resolved on it's own with no treatment. Over the years, I experienced double vision 2 times, those also resolved with no meds. Then I broke my ankle in am aerobics class, which was the beginning of many more symptoms, vertigo, numbness in hands, legs, feet. I was hospitalized for that one and put on ACTH IV therapy for about a week (1984), my body responded very well to the steroids, of course except for the bloating.

Blah, blah, blah, this is where I am now. I still have some numbness from the chest down, it is not dead numb, but I can feel a pin prick with no problem, hands, chest, stomach, buttocks, legs, and feet. I have insomnia nearly every night, that I hate the most.