5 years ago, I was dizzy (not in the fun kind). After a bunch of tests, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. It sucks. I have 2 little kids, a great husband a job I love, friends, family and a chronic, progressive, autoimmune disease that has no predictability. Great! OK, so I am not dying, but with all the weird crap that goes along with an autoimmune disease (fatigue, depression, fatigue, dizziness, fatigue and OH the FATIGUE! but I will get into the fatigue part some other time) it was tough to deal with.
Basically, I felt awful for 4 and a half years.
Then, for 6 months I felt great. OK, not the way most people feel great, but great on the MS scale (ya know, being able to stay up past 8pm). On April 12th I was at a bookstore with my 8 year old son and I started having aura's or what I affectionately like to call them, "flashy things". Long story short, I had a grand mal seizure, right there in the bookstore, right in front of my son, right in front of the sports book section. EMS, FD, ER, EKG, EEG, MRI = TCS If you don't have a siezure from the tests of flashing lights and heavy breathing, you can get one from all the acronyms (there is a blog of acronyms, I swear!).
So now, if you are keeping up, I have Multiple Sclerosis & Tonic-Clonic Epilepsy.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME????
ARE YOU KIDDING ME????
My brain surgeon doctors (I mean they really are brain surgeons) tell me that these are two chronic, unpredictable diseases that BOTH affect the brain, MY brain. Seriously? Oh yea, and the best part.......THEY ARE NOT RELATED! Yea, I just happen to have them BOTH. Well, aren't I the little petri dish!
Thus, the blog, 1 Year To Health. I decided to take a year off of paid work and see what it would be like to let my body rule my life rather than forcing my body to live my current life. I mean, who wouldn't want to take a year off work and try and focus on personal health and wellbeing and who wouldn't want to read about it? :-)
Thanks for reading!
Kris
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6 comments:
Yay Kris! Here's hoping your year of health is the healthiest it can be.
I love that we'll be able to "see" you this year even without your being at school!!!
Hi Ya Kris,
Start enjoying your time off on August 21st and keeping enjoying it all thru WASC and the opening of school.
I'm not sure this is the life you're cut out for after working all these years, but what the heck, give it a try! If you like it, I might even thing about retiring.
Cheers to you and the best for the year....
Kris,
Great blog! Awesome way to share, stay connected and not keep repeating yourself, eh?! Speaking from experience I've been home for almost a year now, the first time not working in 27 years. It is an adjustment -- there are tradeoffs, you know? The awesome up-sides are you find a "new normal", get to projects that you never had time for, you're not so wound-up and spend more quality time with the family, and hopefully you will find a peace with a slightly slower pace that you will come to enjoy and will help you feel better. It sounds like you've made the right decision. Did you get my package? Go Bucks!
Kris - when I grow up (if that ever happens), I want your personality and spirit!!!!) I hope during the year you will take your blog notes and write a book - you are truly an inspiration with the best sense of humor I have every witnessed. I do think of you often and my prayers are sent up. Kama is truly blessed to have a sister like you - take care and enjoy!
Love,
Jaci Holland (Kama's friend from Columbus, Ohio)
Hi Kris,
I don't know you but I can relate. I have been working as a home health nurse for 16 years, married, 3 kids, and then one day -grand mal seizure. I loose my drivers licence, my job and my life, really. Trying meds now - make me dizzy, nauzious, etc.. FUN. Everybody tells me to enjoy my time off, but I, like you, enjoy structure, money is nice and freedom - which I now lost as we live in the country. I get some respite in running (only if I give exact locations to my hubby so he can find me if I don't come home, ie drop from a seizure). I also like to bike but was advised not to for 6 months. I am very frustrated and everybody is suffering. Thanks for the blog, at least I know that I am not alone. Good luck to you - MS and seizures - prayers that a year off will give your body the rest that it needs, regards, Michelle.
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