Kristin's Trip To Israel - Stopping MS: +12 Days

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

+12 Days - I am back!

I woke up last Friday, May 15th with a fever of 38.8. Marilyn called the clinic and we went
right up. They don't mess around here! Within about 20 minutes of me waking up, I had
fluids going in my PICC line and antibiotics were started. I spent the next few hours in
the clinic. The next thing I heard was that they were sending me to Hadassah Hospital
in Jerusalem.

That is where I have been for the last 5 days. I am in a private room that is in the
Bone Marrow Transplant wing. The care of the nurses and doctors has been nothing
short of amazing. They have been testing for everything! I did get some kind of
infection in my blood that caused the fever. That is under control now.

When the doctors (there are usually 2 or more) came in today they gave me good news.
My blood counts are starting to rise! I am not sure how many more days I will be
in the hospital until I get to go back to Tel Aviv. But, I am so thankful to be here.

Yesterday I walked 2 laps around the unit in the morning and then 2 more laps last night.
It feels so good to move! I did a little more today and my appetite is coming back.
I am bald now. My husband and I will be bald together for awhile!

Since I am feeling much better now I'll be posting every couple of days. I know this
post is short, but wanted to let you know that I am doing really well. I am so
thankful for all of the good thoughts and prayers from everyone!

2 comments:

UnknownMay 19, 2015 at 11:07 AM
I am happy, relieved and encouraged to learn of the level of care you are receiving, Kristin. Four laps is awesome; your are a true Warrior Woman! Continued prayers for perfect healing🌹❤️🌹 Denise Lester
ReplyDelete
Replies
UnknownMay 19, 2015 at 9:43 PM
Wilma is always bugging us to keep her updated on how "Krissy" is. Glad we can report to her that you are on the way back up!
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment

What is MS

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic degenerative disorder affecting the Central
Nervous System: the Brain and Spinal cord. MS is one of the leading causes of
neurological disabilities in young adults. MS affects both genders, more
commonly in women than men.

The Mayo Clinic lists four main patterns of Multiple Sclerosis:

Relapsing remitting: This type of MS is characterized by clearly defined flare-ups,
followed by periods of remission. The flare-ups typically appear suddenly, last a
few weeks or months, and then gradually disappear. Most people with MS have
this form at the time of diagnosis.

Primary Progressive: People with this less common form of MS experience a
gradual decline, without periods of remission. People with this form of MS are
usually older than 40 when symptoms begin.

Secondary Progressive: More than half the people with relapsing remitting MS
eventually enter a stage of continuous deterioration referred to as secondary
progressive MS. Sudden relapses may occur, superimposed upon the continuous
deterioration that characterizes this type of MS.

Progressive relapsing: This is primary progressive MS with the addition of
sudden episodes of new symptoms or worsened existing ones. This form is
relatively rare. (MayoClinic.com 1998, 2004).

The signs and symptoms of MS are fatigue, weakness, numbness, and difficulty
with coordination and loss of balance. A percentage of patients complained of
visual disturbances including blurry vision, patchy blindness and total blindness.

The disease process of MS involves the nerve cells called neurons. In Multiple
Sclerosis nerves are hardened in multiple locations of the body, the breakdown is
scattered irregularly throughout the body, decreasing aspect of functional abilities,
depending on which nerves are affected.

The cause of MS is unclear at this time. Presently research is done in the areas
of viral, immunology and genetic factors. Autoimmune response triggered by the
exposure to a virus or environmental trigger in genetically susceptible individuals.
The exposure to a virus causes reactions that form antibodies to fight the virus.
Antibodies attack the myelin instead of the virus- an autoimmune response.

There is no cure for MS. The medications given to the patient are for pain
management and relief of symptoms. Side effects of these medications are:
weakness, fatigue, grogginess, decrease in alertness, all these symptoms can
interfere with the performance of Activity of Daily Living (ADL).