School Problems!

[quotefanatic]

Hello,

So I am not yet diagnosed, but seeing my nuero every six months. Been tested for many things, some including: B12 deficiency, seizures, brain tumors, lupus, lyme disease, hemochromatosis, and several cancers.

All came back clean, but experiencing symptoms daily.
Recently, I have been having slurred speech and trouble walking. My speech happens to be worsened by stress! So when going to present in school or in a stressful situation, often times I will start slurring my words. Which to my fellow students, comes off as drunkeness. Then, if I try to go to the nurse I stumble, since I've been having muscle weakness in my legs..

Any advice? I don't know what to do!

[SingOut12]

Hi!
First of all, I just wanna say I hope everything gets better!
I was diagnosed when I was 13. It only took maybe 3 months for my diagnosis. During that time, I was failing almost every class. My speech was slurred, I couldn't walk straight, and I couldn't see very well, among other things. The majority of the people in my school and my friends even thought I dropped off the face of the earth. The best thing to do, from my experience at least, when things seem to be getting worse is be positive! My doctor told me that from the get go I always seemed extremely positive, my parents took it worse than I did. In my mind, it was just a little bump in the road. Told myself that I can do anything, and I did just that. I yanked my grades out of the gutter, and am now in National Honor Society. I also started horseback riding, which a lot my friends never thought I could do because a part of having MS is the balancing problems. I've been riding for a year and now I'm jumping. I've been on my medicine for a little over 4 years, and I'm 18 now. A senior in high school and a freshman in college. I like to think that my mixture of being positive and never giving up has helped a lot! My lesions have actually decreased.
I am not upset that I have MS. I think of it as an unfair advantage sort of. Unfair because I, like so many others, have to suffer through it, but an advantage because I know that there is so much worse in the world and I'm a lucky one.
Stay positive and never give up! It's a mental fight as well as a physical one!
If you ever wanna talk, feel free to message whenever!

[quotefanatic]

Thanks so much for the advice!

Yeah, I've had the symptoms for over a year now. And am always adapting to new ones Working toward a 4.0 currently (ended with one last year.) Have a lot of good friends, one of which helps me to walk frequently at school. By the way, good for you! (With the honors society)

That's kind of funny, because the last couple of months I've been pressuring my parents to have me start horseback riding. Is it helping with symptoms at all? (That's not only why I want to start riding, I love horses.)

Currently, I volunteer at an animal shelter, work with kids with disabilities, and volunteer for the Make a Wish Foundation. Absolutely love volunteering in my spare time, and when not doing that I'm busy with something else.

Trying to balance everything is insane, but there is always someone out there who has it worse than you.

One of my favorite quotes is:
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's learning to dance in the rain."

[SingOut12]

Riding has helped a lot, for sure!
I've had days where I felt terrible and I went to the barn. As soon as I got on the horse I ride I felt better immediately! Animals in general have helped me so much! They're a major part of why my diagnosis was so easy. I volunteered at a horse farm for over 2 years and they always made me feel better. and I have 4 dogs and 3 cats. I don't know where I'd be without them.

My doctor was actually surprised by the change in my MRI's. Before, my brain scans were lit up like a Christmas tree. They looked at it again in January 2011 I think, and they thought it was a bad MRI because it was almost completely clear, almost. Just turns out that the lesions are decreasing. I don't know what I would be doing if I didn't have my friend at the barn, even though he's not mine. The horses and animals in general have helped so much!

Stay busy!