The Big Reveal - One Year MS Clinic follow-up

1. My brain is still there.
2. MRI comparison between September 2010 and April 2013 is stable; no new lesions visible, brain mass remains unchanged.
3. Improvement noted in gross motor skills on my left side, though some deficits continue with my small motor skills on the left side.
4. No change in left side weakness.
5. No change in spasticity in my legs.
6. Improvement noted in nerve sensitivity in my hands and feet.

My neuro gave me a list of six (6) recommendations for my next year with MS.

These suggestions are based on the known best practices for people with MS and based on the findings presented last weekend at a conference of MS research academics. I think you will be surprised by some of them.

1. A multi-vitamin daily.
2. RDI levels of Omega-3 (animal based, not veggie derived) daily.
3. 1000 IU of vitamin D daily.
4. Mediterranean diet at least 5 days a week, 50 weeks of the year.
5. AT LEAST (bold AND underlined) 15 minutes of exercise - cardio activity - every day.
6. Get back on Copaxone until I can afford Tecfidera.

EDIT, 1:57 PM: I missed this part of my notes... My neuro did some balance testing and recommended I get a bike. A REAL BIKE, with just two wheels.

Thus ended The 2013 State of The Brain Address, with a hug and best wishes.

Of the few things I will miss about British Columbia, my neurologist is one of them. She's been amazing and awesome and I am so fortunate to have been a patient of hers. She will be taking some new patients at the MS Clinic. If you want to change, or you're looking for a new MS specialist neurologist in Vancouver, BC, I could totally hook you up).

So, it's nice to know that my disease seems to having taken another year off. It's been four years since I was diagnosed, so we'll see what happens in this next year.