What Doesn't Kill You

When I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the end of 2007, my family was more afraid than I was.  None of us knew anything about the disease or what the prognosis would be.  I knew that my chance of having the disease was 50% by then because I started having problems about 9 months before my diagnosis. During one trip to the emergency room a doctor mentioned that she believed I might have MS.  Once I heard that word, I went home and did as much research as I could on the subject.  The only thing I knew about MS before that was that Montel Williams had it but I never gave it much thought until there was a possibility that I might have it myself.  The first thing I wanted to know is, "Will this kill me?"  I was very relieved to find out that most people with MS go on to lead a somewhat normal life and no it would not "kill" me.  That was a relief.  I am blessed to have a great circle of family and friends that support me.  My husband and 3 daughters even learned how to administer my nightly shot for the first 6 months but the shots weren't keeping the disease at bay so I now receive my treatments via IV at an infusion center once a month.  This approach is more aggressive because as an African American,  MS is more aggressive for us.  I will post more about that at a later time.  My main symptoms are numbness in my right foot and periodically other areas below the waist, fatigue (more about that later as well), brain fog and muscle aches.  This disease is teaching me a lot about life in general.  I believe that God is using me in one of His mysterious ways to shed as much light as I can to as many people as I can reach and bring Him glory in the process.  Not only that but "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger right?"  I believe that without a doubt just as surely as I know that there is a God in heaven who loves me.