My MS Journey: Chapter 9-Fifteen Years, One Decision, and Learning to Fight Back

Understanding Multiple Sclerosis: A Brief Overview

If I had to sum up the fifteen years that followed my diagnosis, I would say this. MS showed me every card in its deck. Over that stretch of time I experienced the full range of what this disease is capable of: balance issues, fatigue, numbness, tingling, bladder issues, and cognitive challenges that would sometimes catch me off guard in the middle of an otherwise normal day. None of it was easy and none of it was something I could simply will away, no matter how strong my mindset was.

Of all the symptoms I have experienced over the years, fatigue has been the absolute worst. Not just because of how it feels physically, but because of what it costs you in daily life. As my children got older we kept them busy and active, which meant I was busy and active too. There was a lot of driving, a lot of showing up, and a lot of being present for the moments that mattered. Fatigue made all of that harder than it should have been, but I showed up anyway because that is simply who I am.

A Moment in Downtown Atlanta

There is one experience from this season that I think about often because of how it made me feel and what it ultimately pushed me to do. I was on a trip to downtown Atlanta with a group of about eight people. We were walking around, taking in the city, enjoying the kind of outing I have always loved. But there was only so much walking my body could handle before it started sending me clear signals that it needed to stop. We had to cut our visits to certain places short because of me, and I remember standing there in the middle of that trip feeling embarrassed and genuinely hurt.

I was holding people back. And I hated that feeling more than I can express. I am someone who loves going out, loves being around friends and family, loves being in the middle of the energy and the laughter and the experience of life. Having MS slow that down felt like a kind of loss that was hard to sit with.

But looking back now I think that moment was exactly what I needed. I was the type of person who had always been everywhere, every event, every gathering, every occasion. Maybe MS was trying to tell me something I wasn't ready to hear on my own. That sometimes slowing down isn't a punishment. Sometimes it's a redirection.

I made a decision after that trip. I could keep letting this illness get me down, or I could do something about the things I actually had control over. I chose to do something about it.

Making Changes That Mattered

I went back to researching, not just reading about MS in general but specifically looking for ways to manage fatigue and boost my energy levels naturally. What I found pointed me toward the same things I had heard before but hadn't fully committed to: diet, stress management, and keeping my body moving even when it didn't feel like it.

I started cutting back significantly on fried foods. Pork chops, fried chicken, the kinds of comfort foods I had grown up enjoying, I pulled back on all of it. I added more vegetables and fruit to my daily eating and the difference I felt was noticeable. My energy levels improved in a way that felt real and sustainable, not just temporary. Managing stress became just as important as managing what I ate, because I had learned the hard way that stress has a direct relationship with how my MS symptoms behave. And keeping my body moving even slowly helped more than sitting still ever did.

These weren't dramatic overnight changes. They were small consistent decisions that added up over time to something meaningful.

Showing Up For My Kids

The reason I fought so hard to make those changes was sitting right in front of me every day. My children needed me present and I was determined to be exactly that.

My son was involved in basketball, soccer, and track. My daughter danced for years before switching to volleyball, basketball, and track. Both of them were doing well academically and both participated in the Spelling Bee — which became one of my proudest recurring memories as a mother. My daughter won first place in second grade and I celebrated like she had won a championship. My son consistently made it to the final round every single time, and we were just as proud of him because making it that far takes real dedication and skill.

Those moments the games, the recitals, the competitions, the spelling bees, those are the moments I made lifestyle changes for. And being able to show up for them fully, without my body forcing me to leave early or sit on the sidelines, meant everything to me.

The Shift I Had Been Waiting For

Around 2017 something changed in a meaningful way. My neurologist transitioned me from weekly injections to a six month infusion treatment, and it was a game changer. If you have read from the beginning of this series you already know how I feel about needles, so trading weekly injections for a treatment I only had to do twice a year was a significant improvement in my quality of life on its own. But beyond the practical relief, I simply felt better overall. My symptoms didn't disappear entirely, but they became less frequent and I found myself having more good days than hard ones.

That felt like winning. Not winning over MS, because this disease will always be part of my story. But winning at life in spite of it. And that is a distinction that matters deeply to me.

In Chapter 10, the final chapter of this series, I'll share where I am today and how MS shaped the woman, the advocate, and the purpose driven life I now live.

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