Hi Everyone,

Lovely to meet all of you. The only thing I was bummed out about last year was my 50th birthday coming up in October - until I was dx with MS in September...that put things in a new perspective. So I'm still trying to get used to it (having MS, not turning 50). It began suddenly last August (07) when I woke up with numbness on the left side of my body, and after a couple of weeks of researching symptoms, and having my regular GP do a check-up and some blood tests that were unremarkable, a new doctor I saw was able to get me in for an MRI on the same day. The MRI revealed a 2.5 cm "mass" as it was called, and it sent me straight to the nearest hospital emergency room. From there, all were in agreement that I had a brain tumor (cancer). Long story short, within a month of that dx I was admitted to UCLA for resection of my cancerous tumor. Alas, after I was given a 2-5 year death sentence, put on steroids and anti-seizure meds (never had one seizure), admitted, prepped, knocked out, head shaved and all, the biopsy that was performed just before they took the real big chunk out of my skull came back negative for cancer, probable for MS.

Since then, I've gotten a definite dx of MS - tumefactive style. Newer MRI's have shown the lesion has shrunk to about half it's original size, but my symptoms of numbness have remained the same. At least no new ones - well, except for the fatigue and this ridiculous drunken brain fog I walk around with 24-7. I still don't know if it's because of having air hit my brain or from the MS? My neuro put me on Tysabri - my 3rd infusion is coming up in a couple of weeks. Nothing to tell yet.

Before I got MS I never spent time on websites or chat rooms or anything like this and I'm afraid I'm terrible at it, so please give me a little room to grow here - I will learn! I am sooo glad you're here. I don't know anyone else personally who has this stupid disease and I don't walk around talking about it, and I don't look sick, so it's been a rather isolating experience these past few months, but for the web. On the inside I'm scared to death and frequently break into tears when I'm alone.

I'm married, and have a 24-year old daughter and a 15-year-old son, I was born and have lived in So Cal my whole life, - I live in Mission Viejo, (Orange County) CA currently, and run a family owned offset & digital printing company in Irvine, CA with my husband and brother-in-law. I also have a liver and white English Springer Spaniel.

Bye for now - thanks for allowing me to tell you about myself.