United Spinal Association’s MS Scene Web site requested from you, our Web visitors and Multiple Sclerosis Quarterly Report readers, to share your  personal experiences of being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and how you have coped with and overcome these challenges in your life.

By sharing with others we can  all learn a lot. So let’s defeat MS together.

We are happy to have received feedback and the permission to share some of the stories of people just like you, that are not about to let MS stop them from enjoying all aspects of their life.

Below, Shelley Drnek shares her story with MS Scene. Maybe some of you can relate to her  battle with MS. Please comment on this post and let Shelley know that she isn’t alone. Thank you!

The MS Scene Team

I was a healthy, 56-year old woman the first part of 2002.  My oldest daughter and husband had purchased a 1923 Spanish Revival home.  We considered it  ”tear down” but they wanted to restore it to it’s original state.  I spent much of that summer chipping off and sanding the paint on their doors, baseboards, etc.  In September, I returned to teaching at my elementary school and found myself EXTREMELY tired.  The first day back to work I took a 3-hour nap when I came home.  The second day it was a four-hour nap and the following it was a five-hour nap.  The next morning I awoke VERY nauseous.  My husband took me to ER.  They admitted me and submitted me to numerous tests.  They initially suspected poisoning from the paint I had been removing.   I was there for five weeks and they were unable to determine my illness, other than saying I had contracted Coxsackie Type B2 .  Back at home I continued to experience constant gagging.  The following five months I had physical therapy to help me gain my strength and balance.  I hurt and ached from head to toe but nothing seemed to alleviate the pain.  I continued to be very, very sick.

The end of March 2003 I saw the infectious disease doctor regarding the Coxsackie diagnosis.  He ordered a brain MRI for me.  Upon driving home my husband received a call from the doctor telling him to get me IMMEDIATELY back to the hospital.  I remember NOTHING about that day nor anything for the next six weeks.  I was released from that hospital two weeks later only to find my husband taking me off to UCLA emergency two days later where I was admitted to ICU.  I spent two-and-a-half weeks in ICU apparently almost dying.   I was intubated and put on IVs.  I was unable to swallow or breath on my own.  At some point after being released from ICU I was aware of my ICU team asking me numerous questions about feeling any numbness, etc.  I answered “no” to EVERY question that would suggest I had “signs” that would indicate MS.  I NEVER had any indications of a neurological disorder.  I underwent a brain biopsy, had a feeding tube inserted, had a pic line put into my arm because of all the bruising I was having from the hundreds of blood tests and was allowed no food.  I was unable to swallow safely for the five to six weeks.  I lost a tremendous amount of weight and was unable to talk above a VERY, VERY soft whisper.  

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 1st, 2009 at 11:45 am and is filed under Featured, Techguide Newsticker, United Homepage. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.