Re-Post: Starting my Journey

I’m still in a holding pattern over here (blog post to be written soon).

While I wait it out, I figured I’d go back and re-post the start of this journey. (disclaimer: I made some edits to the verbiage).

It's so interesting to read about how my life has played out so far. A digital journal of sorts (duh).

If I'm being transparent here (which I usually am) I have been lamenting the last few days about how things could have been if I hadn't gone through all this. I find myself at times really upset and sad.

Yet, there's a part of me that is so grateful to be in this place.

Anywho, I digress (as usual).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The beginning of this journey starts October 6, 2015. Fairly long backstory here but have to pick a starting point.

Alright, let's get to it.

6.Ocober.2015, 0700,  I have an appointment to discuss recent MRIs with a neurologist. 

The doctor comes in the room, sits down next to me and says, "Well, it looks like you have MS". 

Two things happened in my thoughts at the same moment and I can't really remember which came first, but I'm going with "Well THAT explains it! I'm not a crazy person/hypochondriac!" and then "F. Wait, what did you say? MS? That's no good". 

He showed me the "lesions" in my brain, cervical and thoracic spine on the MRIs. He chatted about his recommendations to start a daily injectable medication, he gave me some information about MS/the medication and said I should follow-up soon.

I got into my car and called my husband and said, "well, you're not going to believe this. The Neurologist said I have MS". 

He replied, "oh sh*$t. Now what?".

I had no idea. 

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body.  National MS society

I was NOT having life altering symptoms, I completed TWO half Ironman's (one 4 months pregnant), a full distance Ironman and had my fist child at home that year, so on I went. I had races to compete in and a daughter to take care of.

Summing up/fast forward the remainder of 2015 to 2018, I brought my films and story to two "MS Specialists". They both recommended I start the same medication as the neurologist who diagnosed me, didn't provided me much in terms of educational resources, support and basically said "your healthy lifestyle and athleticism has likely protected you for about 10 years. The disease will catch up to you. You need to start medication."

I gave up a little (OK completely) on the neurologist thing (hold comments to yourself please) and saw Dr. Emily Parke who is a functional medicine physician. She is amazing. Seriously, go see her.

After some diet changes and training/racing AquaBike I was feeling great (even got 2nd place overall in my first race)!

Because of pregnancy/nursing's protective nature for MS, we decided we'd give it a go at having another child (additional reason I didn't start medication at that point).

By August 2016, I was pregnant (and didn't know it.....yup, that lady).

My pregnancy was awesome again and Sasha LeeAnne Joyce was born April 10th, 2017 at our house in Fountain Hills (photo cred: Round Lens Photography).

Fast forward again (to save you from minutia of needless details of life) to August 24th, 2018. I picked Sasha up (16mos) and had sudden, sharp pain in my low back with my initial few steps accompanied by weakness in my right leg. 

Over the next couple days,  I experienced complete loss of sensation from my waist down (started with my right leg then moved to both, mostly the back of my legs, saddle, and toes). It honestly felt like squeezing, or what I imagined continuous claudication/cramping (minus a lot of pain) to feel like. Sunday morning I called emergency neurology at Mayo to see if I should go to the ED. The provider said it didn't sound like I needed to head to the ED, but should get some imaging at the beginning of the week.

Tuesday afternoon my mil graciously took me to my lumbar spine (LS) MRI. 


During the LS MRI, the neurology resident (btw, I established with  Dr. Wingerchuk at Mayo Clinic in 2017) called into radiology and advised the tech that Cerviacal & Thorasic spine MRIs needed to be done or send me to the ED. 

Thankfully I didn't have to go to the ED (that day; read HERE for that adventure).

The resident called me not long after we left to let me know there is a new (and active) "lesion" in my thoracic spine and I was being scheduled for 5 days of IV steroid (Solu-Medrol) infusion. My LS spine MRI appeared "the same" from the one I had in 2015 with mild arthritis and bulging discs at L4-L5 and L5-S1....

"Well, THAT wasn't what I expected".

I guess I needed a PUNCH in the face to share, my "journey" to "FEAR NO LESION" and continue the pursuit of an active lifestyle in spite of what the MRIs show.

It's not pain, it's excellence!

Thanks for reading.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you haven't, please read THIS POST to see how my life made a huge turn in my journey through all this!

💜 IronTina