I've been inspired by MS Week to move the MS part of my life to its own blog. Everyone has a unique experience of this disease and I find it helpful to share my experiences and to read those of others.
My MS began (as far as I can tell) back in 1998. I started to experience visual disturbances in one eye. I found it most peculiar as there was no pain - the experience was rather like on a sunny day when you walk out of bright sunshine into a dark room, and for a moment you can see nothing whilst your eyes adjust. At the same time I lost all perception of the colour red - and indeed any aspect of the spectrum involving red. This went on for some weeks before I decided that enough was enough and took myself off to the doctor.
My doctor confessed himself not to be an eye specialist, although his probable diagnosis was optic neuritis (ON), and wrote me a referral to the eye casualty unit at the nearby hospital. I asked him what might cause ON and he told me most likely a virus, or 'just one of those things', although a remote possibility was Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Like a lot of people I didn't know much about MS but immediately thought of disability and wheelchairs. When I asked about the MS the doctor told me it was most unlikely and that as the tests involved a lumbar puncture (which is very painful) I really shouldn't worry about it.
Next - Visits to Eye Casualty
My MS began (as far as I can tell) back in 1998. I started to experience visual disturbances in one eye. I found it most peculiar as there was no pain - the experience was rather like on a sunny day when you walk out of bright sunshine into a dark room, and for a moment you can see nothing whilst your eyes adjust. At the same time I lost all perception of the colour red - and indeed any aspect of the spectrum involving red. This went on for some weeks before I decided that enough was enough and took myself off to the doctor.
My doctor confessed himself not to be an eye specialist, although his probable diagnosis was optic neuritis (ON), and wrote me a referral to the eye casualty unit at the nearby hospital. I asked him what might cause ON and he told me most likely a virus, or 'just one of those things', although a remote possibility was Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Like a lot of people I didn't know much about MS but immediately thought of disability and wheelchairs. When I asked about the MS the doctor told me it was most unlikely and that as the tests involved a lumbar puncture (which is very painful) I really shouldn't worry about it.
Next - Visits to Eye Casualty
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