31 Days of MS: My RRMS diagnosis forced me to truly look at myself

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A closeup shows a white woman with long, blond hair, blue eyes, a white blouse, and white and black decorative earrings sitting on a couch in front of a white, wooden wall. She stares intensely and inquisitively into the camera and wears an expression with a slight smile.

Photo courtesy of Kerry Walkins

Day 13 of 31

This is Kerry Walkins‘ story:

At 36, I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Looking back now, I realize I had symptoms for a few years before that.

In early 2021, I began to notice odd sensations in my legs that I couldnā€™t quite describe. I was also struggling with extreme fatigue that I chalked up to being a tired mother of three young kids. Then, on March 2 of that year, a few weeks after a big fall, I woke to an intense case of vertigo, balance issues, and what I now know was Lhermitteā€™s sign. I saw three doctors and a physiotherapist, and after eight months of waiting, I finally got an MRI.

On Dec. 8, 2021, I found myself in the neurologist’s office, and that was when he diagnosed me with MS. I took the time I needed to grieve my diagnosis, and when I came to accept it, I knew I couldnā€™t continue to sit around and feel sorry for myself. I decided I needed to change how I was living my life.

Though MS can be unpredictable, and we all experience it differently, I knew that I needed to control everything I could and really start to listen to my body and understand what it needed.

I started doing exercises I could handle and that made me feel good. Next, I took the time to look at my diet and really pay attention to how my body felt after I ate. I eliminated foods that didnā€™t make me feel great, and slowly, but surely, I felt things change.

I discovered that these lifestyle changes, coupled with my disease-modifying therapy, made me feel like a new person. I had energy and focus again, I was sleeping better, my moods were steady, and the tingling in my legs was gone.

These days, I have learned to love myself again, which I attribute to the diagnosis that forced me to stop and truly look at myself. I work out regularly and even went back to work doing something I enjoy.

Although MS isnā€™t a welcome diagnosis for anyone, today I am thankful for mine, and for how itā€™s pushed me to live more intentionally and to love myself again. I wonā€™t take any of my good days for granted, because none of us know what tomorrow will bring.

Multiple Sclerosis News Todayā€™s 31 Days of MS campaign will publish one story per day for MS Awareness Month in March. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more stories like this, using the hashtag #31DaysofMS, or read the full series.