Living with MS Naturally: The October That Changed Everything

October always brings memories flooding back. Memories of a horrible MS flare that changed my life. Living with MS naturally wasn’t something I planned—it became my only option. In a weird way, MS changed my life for the better.

I’ve been living with MS the majority of my life. I’ve hit rock bottom, thinking my life was over. I know how scary it is to be paralyzed. Unable to roll over in bed because of a fever. I know what it’s like tripping over a crack in the sidewalk. Then I went crashing down to the ground, hoping I didn’t break another bone. 

When I say I’ve been there—I have!

My MS Diagnosis Story

I went blind in my left eye when I was 15. My mom took me to an ophthalmologist, who told us, “It might be MS.” Unfortunately, he was right. This was before neurologists used MRIs to test for MS (in my area, at least). It was before DMTs, too.

You may be wondering how I was diagnosed.

The neurologist had me walk across the floor. I walked straight. He tapped my knee with that little hammer. My foot almost touched the ceiling. Not really, but it kicked higher than normal. Then he ran a sharp stick across the bottom of my foot. Because my toes stretched up instead of curling down, I had MS.

I’m sure you remember those words “You have MS” like it was yesterday. I think “MS” was the last thing I heard. As I sat shocked, the neurologist left me alone for a few minutes. I just sat there. Tears were building up in my eyes, but I honestly didn’t know what to think. I knew people with MS ended up in wheelchairs. I knew they became bed-bound. That was all I knew. 

When the neurologist came back in, he didn’t explain what MS was. He didn’t tell me what would happen to me. He told me to go to a bookstore and buy a book. This was before the Internet. Then he said, “Hope for the best, and plan for the worst.”  That was it! No pamphlets. No follow-up visit. I was on my own. I did find another neurologist, but all he did was push drugs. I used to joke, he was my drug pusher. He eventually convinced me to start one of the interferons, and for years, I trusted him.

The Day Everything Changed

I love October. Perfect daytime temperatures. Beautiful fall leaves. It’s always been one of my favorite times of year. That day in October 2004, I was in a super good mood. I was working on my Halloween costume for an upcoming party. Enjoying the perfectly beautiful weather. Then I felt it. Numbness in my thumb. Not the kind of numbness that clears up once your circulation is better. It was MS numbness. I’d felt it before. I knew this was my body signaling what was about to happen. “Oh no, please don’t do this,” I remember thinking. 

But MS doesn’t listen to please.

I woke up the next morning looking like I had a stroke. I also felt like I had a stroke. Unable to walk. Double vision. Slurred speech. It was terrifying. A nurse came to my house each day to hook me up to steroid IVs. The treatments went on for what felt like forever. I honestly felt like my life was over. That flare was my rock bottom. It was also my turning point.

Breaking Free from the Medical System

Unfortunately, I had bad luck with doctors. They weren’t helpful. They lectured me instead of listening. The only future they promised was one full of doom and gloom. I learned my neurologist was making money from pharmaceutical companies. He was paid to push their drugs. How could I trust a doctor who was only trying to make more money?

After he lectured me and my husband, I fired him. I have not seen a neurologist since. That was the end of 2005. And no, I don’t get MRIs. I don’t need them to tell me my MS is getting better or worse. I can tell by how I feel. My family doctor once asked me why I didn’t see a neurologist. I asked her, “Do they have a cure?” That was the end of the conversation as she typed on her laptop.

Taking Back Control

I realized something crucial after that October flare. I was living like a typical American, taking my body completely for granted. I ate processed foods and very little fruit and vegetables. I thrived on stress from work, not realizing what it was doing to my body. I didn’t exercise. And I expected a doctor and a drug to fix everything for me. That wasn’t working.

So in 2005, I made a choice. I quit all MS drugs and started managing my MS naturally. I began taking care of my body physically and emotionally. I was no longer going to rely on someone else to do it. 

I took charge of my life.

My Natural Approach to MS

I ate an anti-inflammatory diet. No dairy—it may cause people with MS to have more flares. No gluten because of inflammation. No heavily processed foods. I made sure I ate 6-8 cups of leafy greens daily. Plus cruciferous vegetables. I added flaxseeds for omega-3s, and drank enough water. And, started exercising 5-6 days a week, even if it was just bed exercises. Stretching counted.

Over the years, I tried many different MS diets. Hoping one would be THE ONE. The one that would help me reverse my symptoms. That never happened. But something better did. I learned to listen to my body. 

That’s when I realized there is no perfect diet. Now, I eat foods that fit MY needs. For example, foods high in histamine cause my skin to break out. As soon as I see a slight rash beginning on my finger, I know I need to back off.

To learn more about what I did to reverse my symptoms, read my Nourish and Heal series.

The Mental Shift

I worked extremely hard on lowering stress. Research shows stress can trigger MS flares. Especially the way I talked to myself. The constant negative thoughts that used to run through my head needed to stop. Instead, I started talking to myself like I was talking to a good friend. 

That shift changed everything.

I need to be honest with you. This didn’t happen overnight. This took me years to get where I am today. Years of trial and error, setbacks, frustrations, and some progress. There were days I wanted to give up. Days when I wondered if any of it mattered. But slowly, steadily, things started to shift. My body responded. My mindset changed. And eventually, I found myself happy. Genuinely happy—despite having MS. The physical changes were only part of living with MS naturally. 

What I’ve Gained

Living in a rural area, I spend a lot of time outside enjoying nature. I love my life despite living with MS. Actually, let me rephrase that—I love my life, period. MS is just part of it. Every October, I see those beautiful fall leaves and feel that perfect temperature. I’m also reminded of that day in 2004. But instead of feeling defeated, I feel grateful. That horrible flare pushed me to become an expert on my own body. It forced me to take responsibility for my health in a way I never had before.

MS has stolen a lot from me—I won’t pretend it hasn’t. It’s stolen friends who didn’t understand. It’s taken the ease I once moved through life with. It’s stolen the luxury of taking my body for granted. But in taking those things, it also gave me something. It’s given me resilience and the determination to live life on my own terms.

Your Path Forward

This is my experience with living with MS naturally. I do NOT expect you to do what I did. You might have an awesome neurologist, and I hope you do. I just felt that I slipped through the medical cracks, so I took charge of my own health. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against doctors. Doctors saved my son’s life when he was two and again at 16, so I am very grateful for what they can do.

What I am against is giving up. What I’m against is accepting that someone else knows your body better than you do. What I’m against is living in fear of the next flare instead of living your life right now.

You know your body better than anyone else ever will. You know when something feels off. You know what makes you feel better or worse. Trust that knowledge. Build on it. Whether you choose medication or not. Whether you see a neurologist or not. Whether you follow a specific diet or not. Make it YOUR choice based on what YOUR body is telling you.

You Are Stronger Than You Think

MS is hard. Living with a chronic illness is exhausting in ways people who don’t have one will never understand. But you are stronger than you think. You’ve already survived every flare you’ve had so far. You’re still here, still fighting, still living. That October flare in 2004 was the worst MS flare I’ve ever had. But in a strange way, it became one of the most important turning points in my life. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but I also wouldn’t trade what I learned from it.

Every October, I’m reminded: you can hit rock bottom and still climb back up. You can take back control. You can love your life, even with MS. Living with MS naturally doesn’t mean perfection. It means listening to yourself and never giving up.

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