Getting an MS diagnosis

Getting a multiple sclerosis, or MS, diagnosis can be overwhelming, but you can still live a full life. In this video, Eliz Martin bravely shares her diagnosis story and her commitment to managing her symptoms of MS for the past seven years.

Transcript

00:00

My life has changed in every way because of MS. And you can either choose to be victimized by it

00:06

or become a warrior and fight against it. The day I was diagnosed with MS was supposed

00:13

to be just like any other day. And then all of a sudden, I realized something wasn't right. I couldn't feel my legs.

00:19

So I went to the hospital. Before entering the ER, I actually sat in my car for a long time--

00:26

about 20, 30 minutes-- because somewhere deep inside, I knew

00:32

that if I walked through those doors, my life would be changed forever.

00:39

And I was diagnosed with MS that evening. I googled it.

00:45

Didn't know how to spell it. I do now. My expectations were like, I got this. Now that wasn't exactly how my journey played out,

00:54

but my expectations in the beginning were exactly what they are now. But despite the disease, I still was

01:01

going to be able to live fully.

01:10

And then a really tough symptom was actually dysarthria.

01:17

What happens is is it interrupts your ability to talk. For eight full months, I could not speak the way

01:24

that I'm speaking now. The transition from to RR MS to SP MS is not something that necessarily happens overnight.

01:32

For me personally, it played out over two to three years where it was like maybe you've progressed to this,

01:39

maybe you haven't. Let's see how the MRIs turn out, and let's see how your disease progression goes.