My MS Story ... part four

Well I ended my relationship w/ Dr. Jackass & started a new one w/ a chiropractor at the end of February. This was another option I had discussed w/ that doctor because I had fallen twice in the last year & thought maybe some things got out of alignment. He agreed & thought that could also be the case.

My first fall was April 13th, 2010. My friend George was moving away to San Francisco & we were having a going away party for him at Skate Daze, which I still like to refer to as Skateland. George loves pandas & we were having a Panda Party, if anyone remembers those from back in the Skateland days. I even found a t-shirt w/ a panda on it wearing roller skates. I wore this w/ my favorite lime green tutu because George & I both love tutu’s. I got the whole table set w/ panda stuff, including some panda cupcakes that Chris Janicek had custom made for the occasion. It was perfect! Time to skate!

I put my skates on & I was ready to roll, or so I thought. 30 seconds & 30 feet later I fell smack on my tail bone. I couldn’t grip my fall because I had my camera in one hand & my Flip(will anyone know what these are years from now?) in the other. I tried to skate again but it just wasn’t happening, not even w/ Fletch’s assistance. I just hung out at the table & consoled myself w/ cupcakes.




The next day I went to the doctor, who was in Tabor, Iowa that day. He wrote a prescription for Vicodin, and when I walked out of his office there was a Stoner Drug right across the street. I just had to get my Vicodin filled at Stoner Drug, how could I not?

The second fall was in Mexico over Thanksgiving. This definitely was not due to MS but caused by a deadly mix of rain & marble floor. The marble floor extends from the room & out onto the patio where the private pool is. This makes no sense at all & I can’t believe someone hasn’t died yet. My legs went all kinds of opposite & unnatural ways. But once again, I am resilient. There was no Stoner Drug around this time but there was plenty of tequila!

So I started thinking that maybe I was just out of alignment, as opposed to my usual just being out of line. I was really hoping & even convinced myself that all of this had to be due to 2 bad falls. I just needed a chiropractor to get everything back in the correct place.

The first appointment I had w/ the chiropractor I told him about my falls but I also told him about my MS concern. After looking me over & giving me several adjustments, he reassured me that I absolutely did NOT have MS. He said I was so out of alignment that I shouldn’t worry about that at all. I was delighted to hear this news & I really believed it to be true. For months I did. I went 3 times a week at the beginning, then twice a week and then once a week. He told me I was getting better & I felt like I was, until Mother’s Day that is.

On Mother’s Day, Fletch & I went to Lauritzen Gardens with his mother, Susan. It all started out fine, walking thru the gardens & enjoying the beautiful 86 degree weather. It’s really not that big of a place, the total walk is only about a mile & a half. About a quarter of a mile in, I felt my left leg getting weaker & I put my arm through Fletch’s arm for support. Shortly after that, Susan asked “Are you limping?” I mumbled “I don’t know” & shrugged it off. I didn’t wanna hold anybody up or focus on it too much. But about half way through the gardens it was clear to see that I was limping. Susan suggested we rest on the park bench in the shade. I was feeling the heat & the shade was nice. We were right next to the lilac bushes that were in full bloom & the slight breeze was blowing their beautiful scent our way. I could’ve rested there all day.

Not wanting to hold them up, I pushed on. With only about 100 yards to go, it became evident that I was having a big problem. I was using the wall to brace myself with my right hand and holding onto Fletch’s arm w/ my left hand & I literally could not take another step. Eventually, I slowly made it back to the entrance where I waited on a bench like an old woman for Fletch to go get the car. I sat there scared, wondering what the hell was happening to me.

We went to El Aguila for lunch, where it felt great to sit down in the air conditioning & just relax. The whole time we were there I couldn’t get it out of my mind what had just happened to me. Although I was able to walk without limping when we finished our lunch, I knew that what happened today was not normal and it was not minor.

After a trip to the zoo at the end of May, and another similar episode, where I struggled to get to my car after separating from my friends, I was convinced that I absolutely DID have MS.

Now that I was done with Dr. Jackass and I had no faith in what the chiropractor said, what was I supposed to do next?