{{{{ Chris }}}},, we do the best we can, thats all God wants us to do,, I wish , this disease made it easier for everyone to deal with life as it is,,

hang in there,,

my horse Don Ho,, { he loves water}, a quarter horse,, my husband found him, and trained him for me,, put him through the paces for me, to make sure, he was safe,, water, hills, timber,, he passed with flying colors, so far, he hasn't let me down,, cept the time, we both fell off a cliff, { ground was dry, and it crumbled} and Don Ho, rolled down the hill,, kicking me, breaking my ankle,, ,, his fault ?? naaaahhh,,,,

The great thing about a life lived with horses, as mine has been, is that I unconsciously began understanding how to get into the now and live each day as it happens. Of course, when working with horses, if a person isn't in the moment happening bodily injury (or even death) can happen. This way of thinking became a habit and has been a great help to me in coping with my life with MS. My frustration, grief, and anger levels are, at times, so high it's insane, and I sometimes wonder why I'm not insane -- or at least clinically depressed. That I'm not either I attribute to my parents, whose solid upbringing grounded me emotionally, and the horses, who taught me not to dwell on or in the past, get in the now, and not worry overmuch about the future.

I've had many horses in my life but my last horse, a TB named Magic Hero (that's his picture above), is the horse in my heart.

Chris

Hi Michael,
My husband was diagnoised with MS. 8 months ago having a real hard
time with the energy problem he has been on--AMANTADINE 100mg. capsules
was taken 4 a day-- he is now on RITALIN 5mg. 2t.a day--he is crawling- if
any one out there has any suggestion's would really appreciate it-- he was
never sick a day in his life till this--he is 57yrs. old really doing a number on
him--he is on the REBIF injections 3T a week.would appreciate any in put.
TAKE CARE
SUSAN

Hi Susan:

In my experience there are two different kinds of fatigue. The first is what I call "hit you over the head and put you to sleep" fatigue, and this is the fatigue that seems to be helped by meds such as Amatadine, Ritalin, and Provigil. It is this sort of fatigue that most PWMS seem to experience.

The second sort of fatigue is neurological muscular fatigue, which is closely related to weakness and has no element of sleepiness in it. This is the sort of fatigue that affects me. When I crash, it's difficult for me to even lift my elbows up to my WC's armrests, hold my head up, or accomplish a transfer from my WC to the couch. Sadly, no med I've ever taken for fatigue (and I've tried them all) touches this fatigue. The only thing that helps even a little is simply to remain still for several hours.

Chris

Susan,
If anyone solved the MS fatigue problem, you would hear an MS cheer around the world. In the MS support group I went to, it was acknowledged as the worst of all symptoms, even the guy in the wheelchair thought so. I took Amantadine too but it had little effect on me. I have also taken ritalin , and now I take Strattera, it has the same type effect as ritalin, but is non narcotic. It changes the mix of neurochemicals in the brain. It is also smoother, without the jitters of ritalin and one pill works for the entire day. In my case it also clears up the brain fog which I greatly appreciate.
In a lot of ways, the first days of MS are almost the hardest. And I sympathize with your husband. I too was very healthy when it hit me in my late 50's.
Actually, I hate to mention it, but at your husband's age he is considered too old to get MS, just like I was.
If he has other indicators pointing away from MS, like a clean spinal tap, he might want to get a second opinion at an MS specialty clinic...but, be warned, the alternatives to MS, the other white matter diseases, are almost worse than MS. They are usually fatal, and they have no treatments. On the positive side, though, they are usually very slow moving so the fatality only applies to the younger people who get them, and not having a treatment makes life so much simpler, there are no worries about what you're taking and whether it works or not. Good luck to you. P.S. You should go with your husband to a MS support group in your area.

Miserable,
If anyone would solve the energy/fatigue problem, everyone with MS would cheer. It is one of the worst symptoms, and meds usually cannot deal with it. Sorry.

Ooh, another Strattera user! Don't you love it? I previously took Provigil and then Ritalin--not (primarily) for fatigue but for "brain fog" related to dizziness--but Strattera is far and away better, in my case at least. It's given me back my head, and thus my career!

REgarding horses--have all you horse lovers read Jane Smiley's work, especially her book "Horse Heaven"? In that book, horses are characters. She really gets into the minds of horses. I never knew anything about horses, nor how amazing they are, but I have learned a lot from reading her books. She's a fantastic author.

Nancy T.

I'd just like to add that there are some out there who just want an answer.

For two months now (and from reading, I know some have been waiting longer for a dx), I've been having neurological problems. I think I have some things that go back further than that (ie - numbness & tingling on my right side). Every test I've had has came back within normal ranges -- and I've had MRIs, spinal tap, and EEG.

My life has came to a much different place and that's been the hard part. Because of my tremors, fatigue, and balance problems, I'm unable to work at the moment.

I don't wish MS on anyone -- but according to a specialist at Duke I saw, my symptoms are most closely inline with that prognosis. I don't care what it is, I just want to know what it is so I can know how to live my life...

thanks for letting me vent and add my two cents...

Welcome to Neurotalk, MrsWufie.

I hear you and I understand your frustration in waiting for a DX. Some wimpy damn Neuros, need to get with the program and use everything at their disposal to DX their patients, instead of dismissing thm as headcases.

Good luck Mrs and let us know how it goes.

Thanks Sally!

You are completely right.....

Yes, mine started as a dx of a complicated migraine at the end of February....and by this point I'm questioning everything I know but the Lord!