Part Two of MS Story

From Norma: here is part two of my boring story, but it helps me so much just to put all this down. You know that going back in time has made me realize that I have done fairly well..all things considered that is lol

This is how the first part, entitled Webpals, ended....................

And amigos the Monster has attacked over and over in ways that you are familiar with and then some. But I have decided not to let it gobble me up and I am going to give it a run for it's money. I have been doing this now for the past 16 years..yep I know I said I was dxd 18 years ago, but the first year or so I was in mourning for myself, later I went into denial and finally I decided that it was time to stop messing around by feeling sorry for moi and started the war. I have not won this war, but I can tell you about the many many battles that I have won.

Beginning part two>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

OMG!!! I'm going to DIE!!

I am going to try and be completely honest with all of you. I have to do this because some of you have met me and seem to think that I am a "trooper," dealing oh so well with MS, a fighter, oh sooo so brave, strong..and I could keep on listing all the nice labels placed on me, but then I would be bragging wouldn't I?? LOL ;-) I don't do that too well.. no really, I don't.. I am very very modest.. honest.. cross my heart.. heehee ok ok ok; I am blushing here you just can't see it ;-) Sorry my friends, but it is always best to deal with these things lightly, sort of "tongue in cheek." This works for me best.

Well the truth is that I took the long route to just begin to accept this Monster that has been tagging along beside me, behind me.. hell ON TOP OF ME!! Now let me just say that when I was a teenager I HAD to accept my baby brother having to tag along on my dates with Luis, my husband of 30 years.. and counting lol, butttt, this thing called MS is unbearable, and just cannot be bribed with a quarter. Yes.. I know.. a quarter went a long long way then. Try offering a kid a quarter now, he'll pull out his ATM card and offer YOU some "REAL" money LOL.

I was dxd right after the birth of my daughter, and it was done by someone that had absolutely no bedside manner at all. He said it's either a brain tumor or MS.. and I just pray its not MS! Well O..M..G!! I had just been given my death sentence. Ok now I am going to reveal how savvy I was.. NOT!! I am sort of embarrassed to admit this, but I had no idea what MS was, and I figured that if it was worse than a brain tumor, which to me, was a death sentence, of course that meant I only had days to live. Louie and I thought that this was IT, KERPLOP, THE END, NO MORE DUNKIN DOUGHNUTS.. I WAS GOING TO KICK THE BUCKET!! Woe is me! (I am trying for an Oscar here so place your votes) My poor husband would be a widower with three little ones and (sob sob) my babies would not have a mom...and the Oscar goes toooo!

Needless to say, I zoomed into the deepest depression and lived the next year or so like there was no tomorrow. Of course to me, there was no tomorrow! I was dxd in November, and that Christmas I PARTIED PARTIED PARTIED. I mean I danced in the street.. we had a block party to celebrate Christmas. Louie's idea (we are New Yorkers at heart), and it was great. He played Santa and we had something for all ages. Well I didn't care anymore, so I danced and drank Pitorro (Puerto Rican moonshine) and danced and danced, and Luis and the neighbors helped watch the kids.. and I danced and danced and went from house to house with the "parranda" and drank some more.. I normally am not a drinker so just imagine how I ended up, oh my..not a pretty sight!! But I didn't care, after all.. I might not be alive next week and being a goody-two-shoes had only gotten me an early visit by the Grim Reaper.

Now here again I am making light of the situation, because it is best just to say I was DEPRESSED BIG TIME! I'm pretty sure you know what I mean. My husband decided that we needed a second opinion, and I am so glad that he was smarter than I was. Now notice I said WAS lol!! We found a doctor that on a Saturday morning sat in his office for almost three hours and explained MS to us completely. He even said he was going to get in touch with the other docter and give him a piece of his mind for not informing us better. As I said earlier this angel of a man, Dr. Freyre sat there for a few hours answering all my impertinent questions in his shorts and sneakers and t-shirt.. no, I am not nuts, just wait till you hear why. One of the things he advised us was to make sure and have a great medical plan because we would need it. Ok, we figured.. oh oh, here it comes! Luis asked "How much do we owe you doctor, we still don't have a medical plan."

And he replied...ok make sure you are sitting down for this one! "Señor Sanchez, it is nothing."

And my hubby being the proud latino man that he is asked, "How could it be, we took up a lot of your time, and if what I have is not enough, my mother is with us and will help us."

"Señor Sanchez.. may I call you Luis.. si muy bien, I am not charging you because I do not work on Saturdays, but please make sure you get a good medical plan asap!" After lots of thank yous and much relief, we stepped into the outer office and sure enough, there was no one there and my mother in law was sitting there alone and with a worried look on her face. Unfortunately, this kind gentleman was killed in a robbery in his own home. We found out through the newspapers. Gone, but not forgotten.

You will be happy to know that I didn't die that Christmas, nor the next, and even though Dr. Freyre had clearly explained that I was not dying, I was still greatly depressed. After all I had MS, and you didn't die from it, it was just an incurable progressive and disabling disease. Well that to me at that time meant a "slow death" mentally and emotionally speaking. But I do believe in a higher power, in God, and I remember my grandmother always saying, "Dios ayuda a...." in other words, God helps those who help themselves. And after I had a little "divine intervention" (a story in itself, to be told later), I got up one day and mentally slapped myself silly and decided it was time to go out and kick some MS Monster butt! First by informing myself more and doing whatever it took to stay as well as I could for as long as I could. I took Dr. Fryre's advice about diet and vitamins and I began to look in the phone book hoping to find some sort of Association or Foundation. I came across the MS Ass. of PR and there manning the phones all by herself, I found the most wonderful woman that was willing to give me a couple of hours of her time and experience with MS. She answered all my questions, even the stupid ones and trust me there were many of those. I finally found someone else that had this "thing".. and she sounded fairly normal LOL! We made arrangements to meet and talk some more. I was ecstatic.. one more person like me! Now you have to keep in mind that this was before the ABC meds were in use and when doctors advised full bed rest and NO exercise! And....depending on the doctor, not much hope.

sooooooo amigos, that will have to be in part three, that is if you can stand listening to me go on and on and on! LOL Jeepers just imagine if we were TALKING!!! LOL

Reach Norma by email to comment: norlusan@coqui.net

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