31 Days of MS: Only you know how you truly feel

Chloe Murphy fought for years to understand the cause of her physical and mental struggles. (Courtesy of Chloe Murphy)

Day 15 of 31

This is Chloe Murphy‘s story:

I am 27, from Cork, Ireland. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in April 2021, but truly believe I had this illness for much longer than my official MS diagnosis.

My fight for answers started four years ago, when I was constantly ill. I’ve always struggled with my mental health, even from a young age, but it began to worsen. In addition, I started to become quite run down and excessively tired; I had skin infections, rashes, gained weight, and struggled with concentrating and processing my thoughts. I went to different doctors on an almost weekly basis, but all I was told was that I “needed to rest.” I knew, deep down, there was more to it than that.

Next came double vision, a tingling in my legs, an inability to stay awake, and hearing loss in one ear. I went to the hospital, but again no one heard me. Two weeks later, I woke up to complete numbness in the lower half of my body, unable to walk without assistance. This finally led to me being heard, getting the diagnosis I was fighting for. I am lucky that my hearing, vision, and feeling in my lower half have returned.

Learning I had multiple sclerosis was devastating. I was angry, but I was also relieved to know what was wrong and proud of myself for standing up for my health. I did as much research as possible, set up an Instagram page to raise awareness, and started speaking to the amazing MS community. I am still learning to this day. I have given myself the tools to continue fighting for my health and my MS journey. My MS can be quite aggressive, but I will fight for what I believe in, even choosing my own disease-modifying treatment against doctors’ advice. The result: no new activity.

I will do everything I can to raise MS awareness and advocate for those fighting for their health. Listen to and trust your body. To anyone feeling unheard — do not take no for an answer. No one knows your mind and body like you do!

Multiple Sclerosis News Today’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.