Purpose of this blog

This is mostly just for me.  It's a spot for me to record my efforts in my battle against Multiple Sclerosis.  It may be that at some point I'll see connection ( s ) between input variables (what I'm doing) and output variables (how I'm feeling / functioning).

I was diagnosed in March of 2003 at the age of 29.  That was pretty scary.  I was immediately put on Copaxone, which was well tolerated.  During the 1^st year or two I had some very minor relapses (increases in numbness) which I would now probably consider fluctuations.  No steroids beyond late 2004 (I think).  I was lightly exposed to the Swank diet, though I didn’t read Swank’s book and only loosely embraced the diet.  I cut out cheese, butter, red meat (bacon was given a pass as “the other white meat” and chips were eaten in limitless quantities since they contained acceptable (total:saturated) ratios.  This went on for a while.  During 2007 I was depressed (I hated my job) and ended up dropping the diet altogether.  Fat and happy, I trusted Copaxone to keep symptoms at bay.

Around 2010 or so I was playing tennis with my oldest (16 at the time) son when I noticed I was tripping all over the place and just generally not playing very well.  Clearly my shoes must be to blame I reasoned, however I discovered that I had the same problem barefooted.  My right foot simply didn’t want to lift as high as my brain instructed.  Wow.  Now I was actually losing function.  This is about when I started to take MS a little more seriously.  I got back on the Swank diet, but still the abbreviated version.  I started researching various supplements and alternative “cures” for MS.  Around this time I added Padma Basic, Circumin (turmeric), and Vitamin D to my regimen.

In the summer of 2013 I decided to take more aggressive steps to combat MS, which was now having a noticeable impact on my gait, especially when I was tired or tried to play sports.  I switch from Copaxone to Tecfidera, which my neurologist said was stronger in August of 2013.  I added R-alpha lipoic acid, cod liver oil, vitamin b-12, and niacin to my daily vitamin regimen.  In summer of 2014 I began seeing a NUCCA chiropractor.  I had to switch back to Copaxone due to sustained lymphopenia (against neurologist’s wishes since it was working for MS).  Throughout 2014 I had been getting stricter and stricter on the Swank diet as well.

All the dieting took a toll.  From 2011 to the end of 2014 I had shed about 50 pounds.  My wife thought I looked like I was wasting away.  I added a rowing machine, then an exercise bike, then a weight bench, then a bowflex.  From Thanksgiving of 2014 through the end of summer 2015 I averaged about 5 times per week exercising (3 weight training, 2 aerobic).  I dropped the aerobics during Q4 2015 but kept the weight training days.  I am back up to six days per week in 2016.  I added a vegetable protein shake per day to try to gain weight.  Still fell from 170 to 160.  Upped it to three shakes (60 grams) per day and got up to 165 where I have plateaued.  2015 also saw a nine (9) month over the counter biotin trial which I eventually abandoned.  I have also recently started stretching 1-2 times per day for 10 minutes.

Based on the combination of my research and my experience, I currently rate the importance of my tools for battling MS:

·         Swank diet (considering Jelinek’s OMS as a continuation of Swank’s research)

·         Vitamin D3 & Cold Liver Oil (sort of attached to diet, also adding flaxseed oil per Jelinek)

·         Exercise (considering adding MS Yoga and increased stretching).

·         Sleep – Haven’t prioritized but both Swank and Jelinek think it’s important

·         Copaxone

·         Padma

·         NUCCA (saw definite improvement after last adjustment, but this is not a cure-all)

·         Circumin

·         Other listed vitamins / supplements

Based on recent research I am considering adding:

·         Intermittent fasting to induce HGH production (plan to do the 19 day fast in March this year)

·         Workout on an empty stomach followed by protein without sugar or fructose (also for HGH production)

·         Food and drink cutoff at 7PM to improve above and to reduce midnight urinating / allow deep sleep

The measureables that I am looking for improvements in are:

·         One leg stand times (currently 4-6 sec left, 1-4 sec right)

·         Walking without noticeable gait impairment

·         Improved performance in soccer games with sons

·         Weight – trying to get back up to 175

What I expect to post daily:

·         What exercising did I do?

·         Any departures for normal supplement regimen?

·         Any cheating on the diet?

·         Possibly detail out fats and proteins for the day

·         Anything noteworthy in how I felt / functioned