On June 27th 2005 I woke up in the morning to go to work like I normally do and noticed that the right side of my face was slightly numb. At that time I did not think anything of it. I figured that I just slept on it wrong and had a pinched nerve. After a week of this I was convinced by Michael that I need to go to the hospital for some tests. I was giving several MRI scans and alot of blood work. They came back with that they had found some scars on the surface of my brain. They were not sure what they were so they admitted me to the hospital that night for a Lumbar Puncture, which by the way is very painfull. They then presented me with the diagnosis that I may have Multiple Sclerosis. This really freaked me out because the first thing that popped into my head was that I was one of Jerrys Kids, with a little research I realized that MD and MS are very different. MD (Muscular Dystrophy) is a birth defect, March of Dimes. In multiple sclerosis, the immune sytem attacks the nerves of the brain and spinal cord that compose the central nervous system.
The name "multiple sclerosis" signifies both the number (multiple) and condition (sclerosis, or scarring) of the damaged areas in the central nervous system.
Specifically, the autoimmune response causes inflammation that results in scarring of the fatty covering that surrounds and protects nerve fibers, called the myelin sheath, as well as damage to the underlying nerve.
The myelin sheath insulates and protects nerve cell fibers in the brain and spinal cord, acting like the insulation around an electrical cord.
Myelin insures the swift transmission of nerve impulses from brain to muscle, and when it's damaged, the neurological transmission of messages back and forth between the brain to the body may be slowed or blocked completely, leading to diminished or lost function.
The type of neurological symptoms that a person with MS experiences are directly related to the location of the damage within the central nervous system.
Body movements may become slow or uncoordinated because signals from the brain to the muscles deteriorate, or arms and legs may feel numb because sensations from the extremities no longer reach the brain.
More to come.....
