Friday, January 12, 2007

Beads & LDN

I wanted to give a LDN/MS update. I stopped the Betaseron in late October 2006. I have posted previously in detail why I quit taking the Betaseron. Please read that post if you want to know more detailed information. I started LDN about a week after I stopped the Betaseron. I ordered my first refill this week, so I have been on the LDN for almost 3 months. I still can't believe the difference in my quality of life. Right now I am sick with a cold/bronchitis thing that has been going around. I seem to have it the same as everyone else. I don't seem to be as sick as I usually am when I was on Betaseron. I hope to be able to heal like another person without having to go to the doctor for antibiotics. We will see....

Meanwhile, this is an LDN update! The cold/bronchitis has slowed me down a bit (mostly because of not being able to breath) but my MS symptoms are pretty much much non-existent. If I am not in a major attack (optic neuritis, not being able hold a pen, or something worse) I have certain effects from Multiple Sclerosis that I live with. Some of the more serious ones are left side numbness with pain sensations, difficulty walking because my legs are "heavy", hard time holding a pen or doing other small motor skills, foggy thinking, bladder trouble, I'm sure there are more if I think harder. Anyway, you see I have a real disease with real struggles. The pain numbness sensations in my leg is the most amazing positive side effect of LDN, or lack of pain numbness in my legs. At night I would be in such pain I would try anything. I tried Vioxx, (they took it off the market) then Bextra (they took it off the market), then various other things like Celebrex, which didn't work, and viocoden, which is not something you want to take all the time.

Well, I take none of that now. I don't have that pain anymore. I do notice I still have a hypersensitivity in the nerves because when I take a shower the water hitting my left side makes my side feel numb and tingling, it is a cool sensation like using a peppermint wash. But it isn't bad or bothersome. One attack I had years ago did this but so bad that I couldn't even take a shower without crying because of the pain. I think there must be some damage left over from that attack.

My "heavy" legs are light! I can walk fast and long and rarely stumble. The bladder control is greatly improved. I can hold a pen fine and the foggy thinking is much better. (probably foggy today because of the cold)

So, in just about 3 months I have gone from a quality of life that made me very depressed to a very positive outlook on the future. I am pretty much pain free and functioning much more like a 50 year old. I am on less medication and never run a fever. (I ran a low fever pretty much all the time)

So if anyone is reading and are considering switching from their interferon treatment to LDN, please try it. I am so happy I did.

So why the title Beads and LDN? I don't know. I thought this picture of my beaded roses is lovely and wanted to use it on my post. A year or so ago I read an article on french beaded flowers and I started looking for them. I ended up finding a great source, (you guessed it) eBay! The light dances off the beads and brings a smile to my face!

Have a great weekend!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

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good post!

i never have anything to say on mine.

i love you.