Medication and Alternative Therapies
After I was officially diagnosed I immediately started praying for direction and looked to natural remedies, alternative therapies, and medication. I met with other people that I know that have MS and sought their opinion on the treatment option they chose. My neurologist strongly suggested the most aggressive treatment option, Tysabri. Here are the possible serious side effects:
Herpes Encephalitis and Meningitis. TYSABRI may increase your risk of getting an infection of the brain or the covering of your brain and spinal cord (encephalitis or meningitis) caused by herpes viruses that may lead to death. Infection of the eye caused by herpes viruses leading to blindness in some patients has occurred. Call your doctor right away if you have sudden fever, severe headache, or if you feel confused after receiving TYSABRI.
Liver damage. Symptoms may include:
Yellowing of the eyes and skin (jaundice), Nausea, Vomiting, Unusual darkening of the urine, Feeling weak or tired
Call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of liver damage. Your doctor can do blood tests to check for liver damage.
Allergic reactions. TYSABRI may cause allergic reactions, including serious allergic reactions (e.g., anaphylaxis). Symptoms can include:
Hives, Itching, Trouble breathing, Chest pain, Dizziness, Wheezing, Chills, Rash, Nausea, Flushing of skin, Low blood, pressure.
Serious allergic reactions usually happen within 2 hours of the start of the infusion, but they can happen at any time after receiving TYSABRI. Tell your doctor or nurse right away if you have any symptoms of an allergic reaction, even if it happens after you leave the infusion center. You may need treatment if you are having an allergic reaction.
Infections. TYSABRI may increase your chance of getting an unusual or serious infection because TYSABRI can weaken your immune system.
Other possible side effects
Headache, Feeling tired, Urinary tract infection, Joint pain, Lung infection, Nausea, Depression, Pain in your arms and legs, Diarrhea, Vaginitis, Rash, Nose and throat, infections, Stomach-area pain.
If you experience any side effect that bothers you or does not go away, tell your doctor. While you receive TYSABRI, and for 6 months after you stop receiving TYSABRI, it is important that you call your doctor right away if you have any new or worsening medical problems (such as problems with your thinking, eyesight, balance, or strength; weakness on 1 side of your body; and using your arms and legs) that have lasted several days.
The website for Tysabri will downplay the seriousness of this medication. I did not want the disease to progress and after much prayer and research I did not have a peace about doing the medication so I decided that I would not move forward with this medication. On my next visit, I discussed my decision with my neurologist and he was not happy. He offered other medication options but, even those medications had serious side effects.
Ultimately, I decided to try stem cell therapy. I felt it was the best option and if it went well it could possibly stop the attack on my nervous system. This treatment option was expensive and experimental. My youth group decided to have a fund raiser so that I would be able to do this therapy. The funds were raised in one day. My mom and I set out to Chicago to have the procedure done. Everything went well and within a week, I noticed my symptoms had subsided. My vision was more stable. My muscle spasms stopped. I was able to sleep though the night. I was optimistic that this was a good choice. That was in 2017. I was doing very well and I did not follow up with my neurologist. He was upset that I did an experimental therapy and that I was not taking medication. Maybe I should have found another neurologist but I was doing very well so I left it in God's hands.
Even though I had this treatment I kept looking at all of the information on diet and how people were stopping the progression with diet changes. The most helpful information I found was by Dr. Terry Wahls. She was able to stop the progression and recover from MS through proven dietary changes. Her information can be found here https://terrywahls.com/
Honestly, even though I stopped eating a lot of junk, I never followed her recommendations to the letter. I thought I was doing great, however by the fall of 2018 I started noticing some changes and some symptoms started to return although they were mild. In December of 2018 I had a minor car accident and the impact of that accident traveled right through my spine. As time went on, I had several x-rays and Chiropractic appointments but, by April of 2019 I found myself unable to walk.
Through the advice of a very good friend, I set up an appointment with Cleveland Clinic in May of 2019. With the help of friends and family, I regained the ability to walk with a cane until I had the appointment with the Clinic. I credit Jesus with this period of healing even though I know MS can cause intermittent disability. After my visit at Cleveland Clinic, I was told that I had a number of active lesions on my brain but, the one that was causing my disability was the length of my cervical spine. It ran the length of C1-C7. The neurologist recommended that I start Ocrevus. I took the paperwork and told him that I would take it into consideration. I also talked with him about having HSCT but he did not feel that I was a candidate because he felt that my MS could be controlled with medication.
I looked over all of the information for Ocrevus and after much prayer, I decided this was not a good choice for the long term. As I continued to pray, I decided that I needed to be more serious about my diet. I invested in Dr. Wahls book and committed to following it to the letter. If I wanted God to heal this body, I had to do the right thing and stop putting junk into my body. I wanted to do everything I could to give my body the opportunity to repair itself. I did not fully implement the diet until September of 2019. I was also introduced to Matt Embry on https://mshope.com/ .
After watching his documentary, it confirmed a few things that I new in my heart.
1. There are many theories but no one really knows the cause of MS.
2. The MS Society and pharmaceutical companies have failed all of us that are living with auto immune diseases because these drugs only suppress your immune system. They do not help your body heal and the long term side effects is not a life that anyone wants to live.
3. Taking these drugs will not change the the long term effect of the disease. Feel free to check out this link from Matt on the MSHope website https://youtu.be/Jy4b6nnx5yA
Things were moving forward and I had days were it was like I didn't even have MS. I continued in prayer and following the diet. I was seeing so much improvement. Muscle spasms and pain were disappearing. I was sleeping better. My vision started to stabilize again. I had a ton of energy even though my body didn't always cooperate. To help fuel my cells and feed them I also invested in https://liveo2.com/ system. I was feeling great!!
In December of 2019 I developed a bad urinary infection and that sent my immune system on a war with my body. It was like everything I was doing was undone in 3 days.
