In this video I am sharing what led to my Multiple Sclerosis (MS) diagnosis in 2023. I have scarring and lesions on my spine/spinal cord. At the time of filming this video my symptoms include numbness and tingling, occasional "jolts" or "shocks" on my left side, and fatigue. I forgot to mention that while I was getting imaging and tests done, I was also referred to a Neuro- Ophthalmologist due to a swollen optic nerve and an empty cella. Not exactly sure what that means, but I figured I would mention it lol.

~~WHERE IT ALL STARTED~~

In 2020 my symptoms ranged from dizziness, trouble balancing and changes in vision to extreme limb weakness and trouble walking. I wish I could track the timeline of events better for you, however I wrote a detailed blog post in January 2021 which describes what I was going through at that time. You can read that post by clicking here: https://www.jenfindsgems.com/more-tha...

PART 2 of this video includes video diaries of myself during that time and a reading from a blog post I wrote. We’re moving to Saturday morning uploads, which means that Part 2 will drop on 2/24.

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++ Boundary alert: Friends and family I love you and I appreciate you-- but please know that I am strong and I am fine. I appreciate your love and support. The best medicine for me is not your worries, but your prayers. :) With Love, Jen.

I am sharing my story with the intention of helping someone that was diagnosed with MS and may want to hear a similar story or see someone that looks like them. When I was doing research, I found a lot of people that had lesions on their brain or lesions on both their brain and their spine, but not a lot of cases where only spinal lesions were indicated. MS is often referred to as the "snowflake" illness where no two cases are the same, and while I believe this is true, I know how comforting it can be to hear a story that may sound like your own. If you're reading this, I want you to know that healing is not linear but with the right medical care, lifestyle changes and faith, I believe that anything is possible. When I was at my WORST in 2020, I didn't see myself being "me" again. I recovered then and that gives me faith that I will get through the toughest of times ahead. I also want you to know that you are beautiful, you are stronger than you realize, and God is good. Not all of my journey has been scary and I've really learned a lot about myself and how my body operates, and for that I am grateful. I am living and learning everyday, with so much motivation to do all the things (in moderation) lol. I hope that you see that within me because I will be out here LIVING LIFE, okay? LOL.

I am also tracking my journey because one of the "unseen" symptoms of MS is brain fog and a decrease in cognitive function like memory and retention. I want to document my journey to help others, and to help myself.

Tags: MS, livingwithms, msdiagnosis, MS patient, MS symptoms, multiple sclerosis symptoms, multiple sclerosis treatment