Guest Blog- Jodi Buse
One of the coolest parts of starting Bread Co has been connecting with others who have been diagnosed with MS. This is the first of hopefully many guest blogs by a member of the MS Community, Jodi Buse. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
March is a significant month for me for several reasons but this year, the fact that it is MS Awareness month is so key.
I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2015. Since my diagnosis it opened my eyes to the fact that there are so many people in my life that have no idea what MS is.
WHAT IS MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS?
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and body. There is no cure, and anyone can present it.
MY STORY
I was diagnosed after I lost feeling from my waist down one day.
2015
December 2014 I became extremely sick. I had sharp debilitating pains in my abdomen. I thought that I had come down with a really bad stomach flu. I slept for not days but weeks on end. I could not eat and the only thing I wanted was ginger ale. At night I would awake to excruciating pains in my stomach and the only thing that would relieve the pain was to go in the hot tub and then lay on the cold floor afterward. It wasn’t until I woke up one morning and I had lost all the feeling from my waist down, that I thought this was more serious.
That scared me enough to drive myself to the emergency room.
That afternoon began the journey to my multiple sclerosis diagnosis and changed my life forever.
I was referred to a neurologist in Kelowna B.C. that same week. Upon arrival I was subjected to a couple of balance tests, visual tests, but the pain in my abdomen was more of a concern. I left that appointment with a referral for a CT Scan.
That same week I completed the CT Scan to have my results come back with no concerns. The weeks to follow the pain started to subside and my doctor explained that it could have been a viral infection.
My goal for the next sixteen weeks was to train for a local bodybuilding competition and I started to train end of January. I was feeling pretty good and there were no concerns. That was until middle of April when I started to have peripheral loss of vision in my left eye and was experiencing vertigo.
I visited the optometrist to which everything came back good.
I competed in May 2015 and felt great. At that time I had no symptoms and thought everything was fine until August I experienced severe shin splints and woke up the next morning, again, with no feeling from my waist down.
I was then referred to the neurologist who fast tracked me for an MRI. Three months later I received my diagnosis.
After my initial diagnosis, I continued on with life as I knew it. My feeling in my legs mostly came back, and I kind of tucked my diagnosis into the back of my mind. The rest of my life was moving so fast, I didn’t really deal with the diagnosis because I didn’t have to.
Until I did.
2016
Fast forward one year… I thought that I was doing better. I had convinced myself that I was o.k. and everything was normal. Deep down I was scared, felt alone, and was in denial. Why me?
I had my second MRI exam.
I remember getting home after the MRI and thinking that I couldn’t do that again. It was two and a half hours, and I was exhausted. My doctor read the MRI results and I had more lesions in my cervical, thoracic, and cranial. I felt defeated.
In the meantime, my sister in law had introduced me to the Wahls Protocol and it was something that gave me hope. The Wahls Protocol was a radical new way to treat all chronic autoimmune conditions using paleo principles. I began to dive right in.
Those who loved me were just concerned about me. I had decided that I was not going to take any disease-modifying drugs. Through diet and lifestyle I was going to battle. I wanted to heal from the inside out.
2020
March 2020 a global pandemic was declared. I had just completed my Health and Life coach certification through the Health Coach Institute. I then went on to complete my Wahls Practitioner Certification.
I’ve been able to more confidently coach people knowing that the Wahls Protocol is scientifically proven—such a good tool to have.
The Wahls Protocol focuses on feeding your mitochondria, the powerhouses of your cells. When your mitochondria aren’t functioning efficiently, your health can begin to deteriorate.
Dr. Wahls suggests skipping foods that can cause harm to cells such as sugar, processed foods, grains, soy, dairy, eggs, and legumes, while embracing veggies, grass-fed meat, fish, fruit, and plenty of healthy fats. It reads a lot like the Paleo diet (it is a variation of a Paleo diet) but there is a difference. The Wahls Protocol has a specific focus on veggies, six to nine cups of non-starchy vegetables a day, which Dr. Wahls says gives the mitochondria the power it needs to convert food to energy, healing the body in the process.
Dr. Wahls is now the author of The Wahls Protocol: How I Beat Progressive MS Using Paleo Principles and Functional Medicine, The Wahls Protocol: A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions Using Paleo Principles, and the cookbook The Wahls Protocol Cooking for Life: The Revolutionary Modern Paleo Plan to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions.
WHY AM I SHARING THIS?
Well, after all I have gone through, I realized this disease was not something I could push into the back of my mind as if I wasn’t living with it daily. I also realized there are so many people out there who know someone living with MS and I have a platform to share my MS story. My hope is that putting a face to the disease will take away some of the stigmas that may be associated with it. When I mentioned multiple sclerosis in my IG Post earlier this month, I promised I would share more about it after many responded they wanted to learn more.
My prayer is that if you’re reading this blog, my story will inspire you that you can still live the life of your dreams WITH multiple sclerosis. I hope 5 years from now I have even more victory to share and I appreciate each and every person that lives with and those who support someone living with a chronic disease.
HOW CAN WE SUPPORT A LOVED ONE WITH MS?
I can only speak from my point of view, but these five tips apply to anyone battling with this disease.
1. Consider accessibility - MS patients have varying symptoms but many have mobility challenges that impact their daily lives.
2. Be patient & apply understanding - Sometimes it takes time for them to be able to articulate what they need.
3. Don’t assume you know how they feel - You can’t know how they are until you ask.
4. Do not minimize their pain - Never estimate how much pain someone is in based on what you see.
5. Seek out information from credible sources - There are so many wonderful resources online to educate yourself. I’ve had to study for myself!
I will tell you that life is different with MS, but not over by a long shot. “You just have to accept a new normal and choose to move forward everyday!”
Now, it’s your turn! Have you been diagnosed with MS? Or, do you know someone with MS? Do you have questions? Comment below and we’ll get you a response!