I remember the end of my breast cancer journey the best and I remember the beginning of my MS journey the best. Here is the beginning:
Friday, January 23, 2015 was a very productive day. It had been almost 2 years since my last radiation treatment. I wasn't feeling the drag on my energy and my life anymore. On this day, I cleaned my house, watched a movie, had 2 meetings, exercised, and took my dog for a long walk. It felt good to be productive and to enjoy it.
That evening my daughters and I played Just Dance. The 3 of us danced in the basement for hours and had a great time. I worked hard to match the dancer on the screen so I could win. I didn't make a big deal about it, but I was good at winning. I'm not sure I was good at dancing, but I knew how to get points. I felt amazing!
I woke up on Saturday morning drooling and lacking the power to keep the drool from spilling down my chin. Brushing my teeth was tricky, the toothpaste kept falling out of my mouth. I giggled a little, not completely aware of all that was happening. It wasn't until I tried to talk that I noticed the real problem. There was a weakness in my lips preventing me from controlling them. I couldn't form words. I later realized it was the entire left side of my face. It wouldn't move. I was sitting in a chair doing a Sudoku puzzle, carefully drinking my coffee and assuring my husband this couldn't be too bad because I was still actively using my brain.
He looked worried. He kept asking me how I was doing. I thought it would get better. He knew something was wrong. I simply felt a little funky. I don't think I thought it would go away. I was certain I would end up at the doctor, but I was relaxed about it, probably because I couldn't look at myself and see what was happening.
We went to Urgent Care. As soon as they saw my sagging face, they sent me to the ER. Everyone kept saying it was probably Bell's Palsy. It goes away after a few days, they said. However, there were some inconsistencies. My face wasn't numb. I could still feel it, I just couldn't move it. I had not had a virus previous to this. Usually Bell's Palsy is brought on by a virus.
Because of my medical history (breast cancer and a father with MS) they decided to do an MRI just to be sure. They were not pleased with the results. There were some lesions in my brain. They said they could be caused by cancer or MS. They believed it was more likely MS and I was immediately scheduled with a neurologist on Monday morning.
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