Desiree Lama, who lives in Texas, was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in 2016. She shares what she wishes she had done differently during her diagnosis process, and the lessons she’s still learning today.
Transcript
I think I waited too long to get to the doctor. I started experiencing symptoms very early on because I was diagnosed when I was 17. So at an early age, I was experiencing migraines, fatigue, and then I had low vitamin D and low iron. And my first episode was optic neuritis, and I waited like a couple of weeks to actually go to the doctor.
So I don’t know if that, like, wait would have made a difference if I went to the doctor immediately. So that’s kind of something I regret. So I would say going to the doctor as soon as, like, any issue or problem arises would be something I would change.
I wish I researched MS a little bit more. I was 17 when I was diagnosed, so my mom was a really big advocate for me at the time. But I wish I had prepared kind of just lifestyle changes — whether that be, like, diet, exercise, making my schedule more flexible.
I wish I had prepared that because I’m still, like, trying to learn how to do those things right now, even though it’s been years since I was diagnosed. But that’s something I would have wanted to prepare better.
