Well, I'm still housebound but have been on a little shuffle around the garden with two walking sticks. It's a fabulously sunny day but a bit windy and dizziness is still causing the world to spin so the time was brief yet enjoyable. I noticed that the recycling crates needed collecting from the drive and thought about climbing the steep surface to collect them. Better to stay safe indoors I conceded.
I have been to see a neurologist now but he's very pro-Pharma. He suggested another MRI of my brain, some steroids for the inflammation and some disease modifying drugs. I asked him for the names of drugs he would suggest so I could research. He did so but was a bit dismissive when I asked for information about Sativex. He described it as nothing more than complementary. Hardly a surprise. I've been using nothing but organic, herbal cannabis but am aware that Big Pharma does get it right sometimes so I keep abreast of any progress.
Here is a list of a few of them, none of which I feel compelled to try. I didn't disagree with the doctor's enthusiasm as you can't often change opinion at that level so why even try. I've learned you can sometimes get the most from a person if you let them have their way. Fighting is just too exhausting to even contemplate these days.
Beta interferon 1a (Avonex)
Beta interferon 1b (Betaferon)
Glatiramer acetate (Copaxone)
Natalizumab (Tysabri)
If you are considering these drugs then please do as much research of your own as possible. I believe cannabis provides as much, if not more medication than those listed above but come to your own conclusions based on then a abundance of research available. I researched the medicines on the
MS Trust website but
Google is also a good starting point.
I'm looking forward to the MRI scan as it will be instructive to know of any further damage to my brain. I'm all for a course of steroids as it has proved beneficial in the past. Introduced intravenously, it lifted me out of my first dreadful relapse in 2003. I'm all for this short term treatment.
The neurologist suspects that I have gone through several minor relapses and eventually a flue like illness triggering a big one. Neither myself or my husband agree. I have been going through low patches which are part of the disease and learning to manage stresses as a result. These just sent my health on a downward spiral but I'm working things out now. Basically, I think I know what needs to be done to deal with this illness now and I'm the expert of me. There is too much profit in Pharma and, for that reason, I don't feel comfortable and that's before considering any side effects.
I'm concentrating so hard to type this that I've let my mug of tea go cold. My health has improved to a point where I find trips to the kitchen less daunting so it's a comparatively easy fix. It's another journey downstairs, providing exercise that I am in need of. It seems that writing even this small piece has tired me out but at least my moods are improving and that always helps the energy levels.
Using cannabis to get out of this relapse has been instructive. I steeped some twigs and stalks in olive oil and have been soaking cotton wool and applying it to my skull in various places. There's little if any THC to be found in these plant parts. I'm not interested in pain relief as I am reducing any inflammation and so prefer the other cannabinoids. You would be right in thinking that I've been high the whole time. I'm so used to the feeling now and, as the only negative side effect for me, it's easy to deal with. In fact, it's hard to tell if I'm experiencing a high or some MS dizziness. All I know is that, a few days of total saturation with cannabinoids has left me with less dizziness, better balance and more optimism as a result. I vaporised, ate and applied it directly to my head and, although recovery has been slow, its clearly on it's way.
