I woke up on May 4, 2004 with what I thought to be a migraine headache. I saw spots in the right eye only but didn't think much of it. The headache was unlike any I had ever had and the spots remained in one eye only and did not go away no matter how many Excedrin or Tylenol I took. I went to my regular family doctor after the third day and he thought my headache and eye problem might be due to a sinus infection. He prescribed Bacrtrim rather than my usual Z-Pac. I was allergic to the Bactrim and broke out in hives and my joints were so swollen I could barely walk unassisted. I was totally scared. The local ER doc gave me a Z-Pac and a shot of steroids and said my eye problem was probably nothing. I went to a local ophthalmologist a few days later and he said I had optic neuritis but it was nothing to be concerned over.

I went home and looked up ON on the Internet and saw that it often means MS, especially in women my age. I saw him again another time and he still insisted I had nothing to worry about. My mother drove me to a larger clinic a couple of hours away and the doc there said I definitely had ON and that I probably had MS. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I cried (we both cried) all the way home.

My husband felt so bad that he hadn't gone to the opth. with me. I couldn't get in to see a neuro until Nov. but my aunt found a doctor who specializes in MS near her home. So, we drove to TX and I saw Dr. Loftus. He was very kind and encouraging. He told me if I did have MS that it did not mean my life was over. The MRI found six lesions on my brain and abnormal strands showed up in my LP.

I am not on any CRAB drugs as I am trying to get pregnant. We did get pregnant in Aug. but lost our baby at the end of Oct. I am having a more difficult time with the miscarriage than the ms diagnosis. By the way, I received a dx of "probable ms" since the ON is my only symptom to last more than 24 hours. My tingling, fatigue, and burning sensations last for a short time thankfully. I would love to correspond with others who have this dreadful disease. I do try my best to remain positive and thank God for my blessings. I hope he sends my hubby and I a baby soon!

tradingspacesfandlo@yahoo.com