Getting to know me

[cupcakeg]

Hey, my name is Des. I am turning 30 this year and was diagnosed in 2004 with Relapsing Remitting Ms. I am from Ca, originally from Northern Ca, but have lived in Southern Ca for almost 3 years. I have been on Avonex for the majority of my diagnosis. I was originally on Copaxone, but had an allergic reaction to it. Over the last year I have had an increase with symptoms and presence of lesions. Overall I do fairly well with managing my MS. I have constant tingling and numbness in my right hand and arm and spasticity in my legs and every so often vision problems. Recently I have started developing migraines after my injections.

My home life is simple. I'm a Montessori teacher, teaching pre-school ages 2 1/2-5 year olds. I love being a teacher, but it definitely wears me out by the end of the day. My boyfriend, Josh, and I have been together for 10 1/2 years. We have a 10 year old Golden Retriever and a 4 year old cat. We love Disneyland, music, movies, beer and being outside. Some of my hobbies include singing, amateur photography, gardening and finding ways to be creative. I love checking out the message boards on here. It helps me remember that I am not the only person dealing with this stuff. I would love to make friends.

[Camsue]

Hi Desiree and welcome

A fellow So Cal MSers, welcome! I feel very fortunate for our mild climate...rarely 'too' hot..
This is a great place to come with questions or help someone new..or just to say Hello... Hope the Avonex continues to keep you from getting worse and you are able to continue your current lifestyle. Take care

[peatree]

Hi Desiree,

Nice to meet you! I am 36 and live in Texas but was actually born in Southern CA and grew up on Northern CA in the Bay area. I have taught second grade for the last seven years. I was recently diagnosed (a month ago) with RRMS and have not returned to work yet. I have numbness, tingling, burning, and my senses are all out of whack. Cold water burns and warm water stings. I have muscle spasms as well in my forearms and legs, not to the point where they are painful. T

hey were before I started taking baclofen. The only place where I think I feel temperature accurately is on my face. I totally understand about the work load of teaching! I worry about that once I return...all of the extra tutoring, Sat. schools, meetings, paper work etc., but most importantly want to make sure I am present for my kiddos. I love cooking and have gotten back into it after this last (but was actually my first major) episode. I would like to try gardening one day but for now I have pots of basil on my porch. Hope you have a good week!

[cupcakeg]

Nice to meet you guys. Hope you are doing well. Texas, let me know how it goes when you go back to teaching. I'm starting to have some problems. Mostly stressful parents, making my dad extra difficult and that weighing on my body

[peatree]

Will do! That's so tough and I completely understand. I think you have it harder because parents are getting used to their kiddos being in school whereas by second grade they have it down a bit more. How do you manage the fatigue?

[CaroleL]

Hello and Welcome Desiree!

[cupcakeg]

Peatree,
I totally agree. Some parents just get it and let their kids move through the schooling process and others make it so much harder than it needs to be. As far as fatigue goes, I really work hard to make sure I get 9-10 hours of sleep regularly. I know that's probably hard for most people, but fortunately I don't have kids yet, so I can make it work. I also do yoga regularly before I go to bed and it really helps get rid of stress, calm my body, get in exercise and helps me sleep. One of the hardest things I deal with is not getting sick all of the time. I find it hard for parents and co-workers to understand that it is so important for them to stay home/keep their kids home if they're sick. My co-teacher came to work last week with pneumonia and this morning I woke up sick with it. How are you staying/trying to stay healthy?