Hang in there. You'll be amazed at how much better you will feel once the aspartame is out of your system. It will get better but you'll probably be pretty miserable for a couple of days while it exits your body.

I've been looking for a good Stevia product and have finally found one. It's called KAL Pure Stevia Extract. Here's a link where you can purchase it: http://www.amazon.com/KAL-Stevia-Ext.../dp/B00014J2UO. It is the only Stevia product I have found that doesn't leave a bitter aftertaste and sweetens just like sugar. I love it. You only use a tiny bit (there is a teeny-tiny scoop in the container) so it lasts forever.

Good luck coming off the diet drinks. You will be so glad you did.

Its amazing what happens when you add chemicals to your body. Sugar free stuff give so many of us with MS bad headaches. Be patient with yourself while your body detoxes. I am so proud of you for figureing it out.

Joelle - Good luck! I hope it works well for you and your tummy as well as everything else starts to feel better soon.

mrsD - Thanks for the link. That is rather interesting. Of course, I have heard many times over that most diseases start in the gut. So it makes sense to me to do what you can to keep a healthy gut. I limit my gluten as I found that some things really bother my stomach, like pretzels. And I love pretzels.

Mariel - So true on the canned pears. I don't know what it is. The only thing I could think of is that they are soft and easier to digest than fresh pears. Canned pears have become my new friend and a staple in this house.

How are you doing today Dej?

I wanted to know what are the symptoms of MS? I have pernicious Anemia...with constipation and have to take align, which is a probiotic to rid my body of the bad bacteria in tummy and intestines.

Most importantly, I am getting pain in my upper arms...light shooting nerve pain, in my fingers, in my legs...but I caught a cold...a virus.....! I do have cervical herniated disk, and 2 lumbar herniated disks. I experience lights in my eyes which distort my vision so I close my eyes to let them fade. I get pain on the crown of my head and doctor has said my spine is going through muscle spasms...and I don't know why? I get pain in the lower back of my head and then feel stabbing pain to the crown of my head....I don't know how long I can deal with this as I have been living with it for 12 years now ever since I had colarbone surgery. 2 weeks after the surgery, I started to get the pain on the crown of the head. When I came home from the hospital with my arm in a sling, I went to lie down on my recliner and started to cry. My daughter asked me what was wrong and I told her my brain was telling me to lift my head, but I couldn't move it. I told my daughter to cup her hand under my head so that I could lift it. I think I injured my neck when I fell off my bicycle onto the pavement.

I also get blurry vision when I get the pain on the crown of my head. When I don't have the pain....it's not blurry!

Last month, I drove myself to the gastro doc to get a B12 shot and I don't know how I got there because I seriously was not feeling well. The pain on my head was so bad and then I felt like my chest was going numb and felt like I was going to die. I had the nurse take my blood pressure and it was 146 over 79.

My regular doc is in denial that I have pernicious anemia and doesn't think my symptoms are related to the low B12 at the end of the month. He's telling me it could be fibromyalgia which I was diagnosed with, but not all of this is fibromyalgia, especially the pain I get in my upper right arm...(feels like nerve pain) as my arm is leaning forward slightly and healed incorrectly when the colarbone was healing. He was telling my husband for me to go on antidepressants and I was there and did that and would not consider it as I had problems with paxil. I believe my arms is pulling my neck and my thoracic causing spasms and nerve throbbing. Docs say they wouldn't consider rebreaking the colarbone at my age.

I've been taking muscle relaxants that help but I can't be on those the rest of my life, I guess? I've been told since I have pernicious anemia that there is an autoimmune disease lurking in my body, but which one is the question?

I don't know what to do as the pain in my head is terrible and I have to lie down on my back to stop the throbbing in my spine. I can't seem to function very well because of this!

Does anyone have an suggestions?

Oh Happy, it breaks my heart to hear you in such pain. For many of us MS was a process to be diagnosed. it wasnt something instant where we walked into the MD office, and were told "oh its only MS" Many of us were a mess for years while we were dismissed and told its stress, or depression or some of us were even told we were making stuff up to get out of work, or pill seeking.

Do you think you have MS? is that why you sought out an MS message board? Several of us have MS and other issues.

If you feel your MD is dismissive, and not listening to you please seek a new one. I am sure there are MS centers in your area. Please seek one out. Have your MD set up the appointment for you. They will do a whole battery of tests, and have you do MRIs, blood work, physical exams, and a complete history. They will talk about family history, and your own history.

MS is a disease of having things ruled out. Generally there are more than 100 diseases that can mimic MS including the brain lesions, and symptoms. This includes, but isnt limited to vitamin def, lupus, lyme, sjoghrens, and fibromyalgia. The MDs will take what can be ruled out with blood work, and do that. What can be ruled out with physical exams and do that. Take what can be ruled out with MRIs and do that. In the end they will be left with a handful of diseases that cannot be proven, but must be determined by what is left. MS is one of those that doesnt have a blood test that tags it. Its best to have the big boys do the work up.

Many regular MDs dont see some of these rarer diseases come thru their doors, and when they do, quite frequently dont know what to do with them. Since its more likely than not to be a normal headache, and not a migraine they will jump their first. Please see a rhuemetologist and an MS center. Between the two, they should be able to put you on the road to better health.