hope

my last entry was lengthy and overwhelming if you don't know me. today i have better news, though it is not concrete.

a week ago i started a new treatment - tysabri. it's the latest, greatest invention for modifying MS. of course, it's only been studied on relapsing patients, but some of us progressive patients are trying it anyway. in relapsing patients, tysabri has been shown to reduce relapses, reduce new brain lesions AND slow disease progression. this last one is what i wish for most. some people think it can also IMPROVE symptoms which would be fantastic.

the reason that i feel hope today is because 3 days after my 1st infusion (it's a monthly IV infusion) i spent 3 very busy days and i did not feel exhausted afterward. this is a huge improvement for me. i usually have to spend a full day recuperating if i've had a very active day. i thought i'd have to recuperate for days after my long weekend. instead, i got a good 9 hours of sleep, took it easy the next morning, and i felt no fatigue.

i should mention though, the 1st 2 days after the infusion i was extremely fatigued. yet, i was then able to spend 3 days traveling and visiting with family.

if this treatment can prevent fatigue, i'm hopeful that it can do other good things. we'll see.

again, don't take my word on good or bad treatments. research and talk to your doctor before you try anything new. especially tysabri, as it can be very risky.