Living with Multiple Sclerosis

I am presently 55 years old. I was diagnosed as having polio at 18 months of age (I was diagnosed after the fact). The polio vaccine was not widely available when I was born (June/53). I was left with a wasted left leg but I was able to become a nurse (RN) and work in hospitals and the community for 15 years.

I skiied and played raquetball, allbeit not too gracefully. When I was 35 I got a flu that knocked me on my butt. The drs thought I had post polio/chronic fatique/depression/spinal cancer? I was left with weakness in my good leg, fatigue, poor concentration/slurred speech when I got tired/depression. I was called depressed by my employer’s health provider and received no long term benefits from them but I did qualify for a disability benefit from the Canadian government. I received very little help from my fellow nurses.

I must admit that the union now seems to be supporting the nurses now, but it is a bit late for me. I muddled along until I got a sudden numbness on my right cheek about 3 years ago. I had thought perhaps I was having little TIA’s. Saw the dr. and she referred me to another neurologist who figured it was a virus and would go away in a year. Over a year later my doctor and I talked and I paid for a private MRI and the result showed numerous plaques in my brain. I saw a new neurologist and he figured I probably had the MS since I had been 35 and had the attack initially in ‘88. He ordered an MRI of my spine which showed no spinal involvement.

While I don’t have a definitive diagnosis, the neurologist feels the areas affected are typical of MS and my gait, numbness etc. are typical of the disease. Just because I have had polio, it doesn’t preclude me from having MS–I’m just ‘lucky’ to have both. I’m finding that my good leg strength is weakening at a more rapid rate and I have a degenerative knee on my ‘good’ leg. So far I am having limited vision changes. Fatigue and depression seem to be recurring problems. I am presently on Amantadine 100 mg daily/twice daily.

Anyone else out there have the same luck?