This is a process that is very different for everyone. It is not easy to face the monster. It is often a lonely quest. Questions, nervousness, unknowns, anger and shock tend to be its odor. Stinky.
My story is too long to write. You would get bored. It was so long ago and re-living it does not help me much. It changes and we change with it. Faith, for me, has been my only rock.
It started when I was 16 and involved nine months of Continue reading
Living with multiple sclerosis, I find I repeatedly need to accept my diagnosis and reality. I have moments where I feel great and totally at ease with my health, life and possible future decline. Other times I have symptoms ramp up, and frustration and fear can leave me rattled.
I’ve been living with my diagnosis ten years, have likely had MS at least another 15, and Continue reading
The MS hug is a symptom many individuals with multiple sclerosis are all too familiar with. It’s a hug that is not only uncomfortable but also undesired. The MS hug can be described as chest pain, rib pain, or a band of tightness around the chest and/or torso. It can be felt anywhere between the neck and the waist, and might occasionally feel so tight, that the individual experiencing it has pain or difficulty breathing. For many, it can be excruciating, frightening, and resilient. Recently, Continue reading
As a MSer, I’m not one for change. Change brings uncertainty, anxiety and undue stress that my tattered nerves don’t need. But this change in season, I welcome.
I LOVE fall. And so does my multiple sclerosis. Cooler temps. Tolerable humidity. And stable barometric pressure that isn’t Continue reading
This morning I made an absolute mess of things. I was making my morning coffee, and for the umpteenth time, I spilled the coffee grounds all over the floor and myself because my hands fumbled and wouldn’t cooperate. I cleaned myself up and turned the coffee pot on so it could brew me a cup, but left the mess all over the floor for later.
As I’m writing this, I’m sipping on a freshly brewed cup of coffee while sitting in my bed knowing that there’s a mess in the kitchen waiting for me to tackle, but do you know what? Continue reading
When summer turns to fall, a sense of routine and normalcy seems to return to my life. Kids are back in school, my coworkers and I are done with big vacations, and we’re all ready to get back to work. This year it occurred to me to start reflecting on this year and planning for next year earlier than usual. I think this might be Continue reading
Here it comes! Cooler weather (hopefully) and the munchkins go back to school, as fall arrives. Smell the crispy leaves (or not) and hear the silence. It also means for many of us, no help.
Most of us are masters at adaptation. Embrace the Continue reading
By Penelope Conway
Doctors are smart. They have gone through years and years of study, had hands on experience, seen the good bad and ugly, and want the best for their patients. We’ve been told over the years to trust them because they know what they’re doing, but in today’s day and time, we have access to vast amounts of information that many times even doctors haven’t researched for themselves which gives us more choices and options in how we manage our own health.
My first neurologist, the one that diagnosed me after MRI’s and a spinal tap, wasn’t Continue reading
By Scott Cremeans
Some of my doctors have been confusing, to say the least. My recent doctor appointment was one of those perfectly perplexing pop-ins. When I recently saw this new neurologist things started off as most initial doctor visits do. It was just like every appointment for a new doctor that most of us have experienced. They cut off the blood circulation in your arm while testing your blood pressure. Then a thermometer is slipped under your tongue, and a pulse oximeter is simultaneously popped onto your finger.
They check where you are on the depression scale by asking Continue reading
By Alene Brennan
“Eat whatever you want, it’s not going to make a difference.”
I had heard the line from doctors before but this time it was different. This time there was so much more on the line.
I had just heard the words “you have multiple sclerosis.”
I needed something within my control to begin to reclaim my health.
As a nutrition coach, food was the obvious choice.
It was also the obvious choice because Dr. Terry Wahls – a physician diagnosed with progressive MS – created a nutrition protocol that was reversing the effects of the disease for her and many participants in her clinical trial.
Why then was I being discouraged to improve the quality of foods on my plate by the doctor who’s supposed to support me in feeling my best? It didn’t make sense and if this was his message to me, it meant that others were likely being told the same thing.
I pursued the conversation and my doctor began to pack peddle saying that nutrition wasn’t going to hurt me but I just wasn’t going to cure MS.
This is a conversation that many of us having with our medical care team and I’ve found it incredibly important to approach the conversation in the right way.
The following are strategies in talking to healthcare professionals that I’ve found to be helpful and share with many of my nutrition clients to do the same.
Before you go to your appointment, do some research to understand the various nutritional approaches that may be helpful for your diagnosis.You don’t have to look up scientific studies – although if you have access to that, it’ll be a tremendous help – but simply be informed about how others are finding success through dietary changes.
Doing your homework can consist of:
You’ll likely discover that there are two main dietary approaches being studied for MS – the Swank diet (low-fat, minimal animal products) and the Wahls Protocol (organized paleo approach). This background enables you to have a more specific and productive conversation with your healthcare professionals now.
This step is key!
“What do you think about nutrition?” is way too broad of a question for even the savviest of physicians to answer. It’s also the type of question that will deliver the response that I received in that nutrition doesn’t make a difference.
Consider the outcome you want to achieve and ask targeted questions accordingly.
Do you want to try a nutrition plan before starting medication?
Ask: “I’m seeing a lot of information on the benefits of nutrition in managing MS, based on my diagnosis and recent test results, would you be agreeable to me starting with this plan for three to six months before starting on a medication?”
Do you want to ensure your desire nutrition plan doesn’t conflict with your medical care?
Ask: “I’d like to follow this nutrition plan to help reduce my symptoms – fatigue, brain fog, etc. – given my overall health and medical plan, do you have any concerns or foresee any contraindications?”
These questions are far more specific and will yield clearer direction on next steps for you. It also lets your healthcare professionals know that you’re taking it seriously.
Keep in mind, medical school still doesn’t include much beyond one or two classes on nutrition. They’re trained in hard science and using standardized medications to treat patients. We cannot always fault them for not speaking to something they’re not trained in.
Understand the context of the conversation and ask questions accordingly.
Continue to gather information until you feel confident in a plan that resonates best with you.
At the end of the day, you have to be comfortable with your approach. And know that you don’t have to do it on your own. Making dietary changes can he hard. If engaging the support of a health or nutrition coach will help you in succeeding, go for it. You and your health are worth it.
*Alene Brennan works with individuals living with MS and other autoimmune diseases to create a diet and lifestyle that will support their healing and disease management. She holds four certifications: nutrition coach, yoga instructor, personal trainer, and natural food chef. You can learn more about her work and follow her blog, recipes, and more at www.alenebrennan.com. Check her out on Instagram and Facebook, too!