WOW WHAT A YEAR

The past year has been one for the history books, we are still living through this global pandemic and it's coming up to one year since it all kicked off in the UK.

I’m not going to put on the rose tinted glasses for this one, as personally the end of last year was a shit one but still a blessing in disguise.

For those who don't know I was diagnosed with MS early september after inquiring about symptoms back in January 2020. The news was told to me over the phone.

All I can remember from the conversation was me asking ‘are you sure?’ about 10 times during the call. It ended with me in a mess not knowing what to do. I had never experienced anxiety or stress like this before. I had 101 questions and not a day went by without thinking of my MS, it consumed me.

Anxiety brought on a new relapse of a multitude of symptoms. These lasted for 2-4 weeks after being diagnosed. I continued to work through them trying not to acknowledge them.

I came out with the news on my Instagram stories in early october, while still experiencing some symptoms one being the ‘MS hug’ a very uncomfortable squeezing as if my bra was 4 sizes too small. I can’t believe the amount of support I received from you all. I'm so thankful as it helped me see that it's an important subject to talk about.

My MS nurse and neurologist have been amazing, they fast tracked my treatment and answered all my questions and gave me much needed words of encouragement.

After my last visit to my neurologist in mid October, I left with a smile on my face. When I returned home I said to my Eddy, “I finally feel like me again”.

That's when I realised how much I had been affected.

Jumping to the end of November I started my first course of ‘Cladribine’, it came in the form of a small tablet. Now I’m not going to go into too much of the science behind it - mainly as I don't understand it myself but here are the basics -

Cladribine is an immunosuppressant, meaning it works by gradually reducing the numbers of certain types of white blood cells (T and B lymphocytes). These are thought to be involved in the abnormal immune response which attacks the myelin coating of nerve cells that causes the damage associated with MS by 58%.

After finishing my second course at the end of December, this currently places me on the extremely critically vulnerable in our current climate, so now I’m shielding at home - hence the new blog!

I'm grateful I have my diagnoses, I'd rather have it that be left without knowing.

I'm grateful for receiving treatment as fast as I did. I will definitely be sharing more of my MS journey in future posts, including how I suspected it and what symptoms I experienced.

If you have any questions or just fancy a chat please feel free to DM me on my Instagram @harttcakes

Talk to you soon!

xx Becky