The Path to Australia

Times of unusually high stress are often associated with the onset of MS symptoms.  Significant medical events or lifestyle changes can also play a part in the onset of any disease.  Looking back, it's not hard to make the case that Tammy experienced a number of unusually stressful or otherwise significant events around the time when her auto-immune problems began in 2004:

Beginning of Sorrows? ; )

March '03 - became engaged (oh no, not to that jerk!)

March '03 - transitioned to fully vegetarian (was mostly veg before, anyway)

Mar to Aug '03 - planned a wedding (most stressful part?  invitation list!)

July '03 - began using oral contraceptive

Aug '03 - moved to [industrial] Sault Ste. Marie

Aug '03 - changed jobs

By mid-2004 Tammy was diagnosed with ITP, an autoimmune condition where the body attacks the platelets, which are the blood's clotting agents.  An MRI done as part of the medical investigation of the ITP showed some lesions characteristic of MS.  Tammy's first neurological episode came in the form of double vision in one eye in 2005; other episodes followed intermittently over the next few years.  By 2009, when we first saw a neurologist at St. Michael's MS clinic in Toronto, Tammy had progressed to "probable MS" and we were told she needed only one more neurological episode to confirm the diagnosis.  

Stress management is very important for MS patients and Tammy and I have been absolute disasters in this area as we've continually taken on stressful challenges:

March '07 - went to Senegal, Africa for 5 months to work in a remote clinic, alone!

Disaster House #1

Sep '07- bought an absolute disaster of a house and renovated it top-to-bottom

Aug '09 - some challenging personal issues, lasting almost 2 years

Apr '10 - sold our 2007 reno home and bought one in even worse shape! (still working on this one)

Jan-May '11 - Tammy attended a 6 month lifestyle educator program in Alabama

May '12 - learned and implemented some detox techniques including juicing and raw foods

Tammy's symptoms really began progressing during her time in Alabama where her mobility first began to be noticeably impaired.  Progression of her symptoms began to accelerate in the spring of 2012 as we began to try various detox techniques.  We visited St. Michael's again late August 2012 for the first time since '09 and the neurologist was scandalized by the progression, let alone that it had mostly happened since the spring!  He estimated that Tammy may not be able to walk within 6 months if we didn't "act now".  We've decided to forego his prescription of Tysabri and pursue a course that offers hope instead.

  

All of that has brought us to 'today'.  We've become convinced that toxicity plays some kind of major part in MS because of how significantly Tammy's symptoms have been progressed while we've 'experimented' with detox techniques.  Believing that we must be releasing toxins back into Tammy's bloodstream but not effectively removing them, we've decided to come to Living Valley Springs where we could get some help to do detox the right way.  

Everything we've learned so far reassures us that we've come to the right place!