Last Friday I had my first MRI since my diagnosis. It was a LONG day. But, I received the best news possible! My scan didn’t show any new or active lesions. PRAISE THE LORD! You can bet that we celebrated with burgers and milkshakes last Friday! Haha.
What does this mean for me? Right now, it means that I get to keep breastfeeding Audrey! There is no urgency for me to start treatment because it looks as if breastfeeding is serving as a form of protection against the MS for now. I am so excited about this blessing. I was trying to mentally prepare that I was going to have to stop breastfeeding Audrey early. I am also blessed by having an oversupply and in just 4 months I have been able to save over 2,300 ounces (on top of feeding Audrey what she needs every day). Babies drink about 25-30 ounces a day and I am saving about 20 ounces a day. Technically, my body makes enough to feed twins and I haven’t told it to stop. I plan to start donating milk soon. And, my plan is to probably stop breastfeeding a little shy of 1 year and use some of the stored milk to get her to 1 year. I am hoping that I won’t have another relapse and I can get back on meds before I do. I am also trying to really appreciate every minute I get breastfeeding Audrey because I realize what a gift it is to be able to do so.
Unfortunately, I will need to do another MRI before I start my meds for a baseline. They want to make sure they know if my meds are working or not so they need to be sure my scan is still clear. I am expecting that to be sometime in January.
It is starting to feel normal that I will have an MRI scan at least once a year. Before last year’s MRI I was just counting down the years until I was “done”. But now, I know I will have to have one every year for the rest of my life, unfortunately. They are exhausting. The stress leading up to the scan, laying completely still, the loud machine beeping, getting an IV placed for the contrast, and waiting for the results. It just wipes me out. I felt tired all weekend long. Thankfully, this last scan was only about 30 minutes long. The last three had been about 1 hour long. And, some people have to do scans that are 5 hours long. Can you imagine? I hope that I don’t get to that point for a very long time. That sounds just awful.
Not only was it nice that this scan was shorter, but it wasn’t at the hospital this year. For some reason, it just felt nicer to walk into a doctor’s office to do the scan. It was also the first year I was offered to listen to music while doing a scan. I couldn’t hear the music perfectly because those machines are so obnoxious, but there were moments I could. Also, the lady getting me all prepped for the scan was much more skilled at putting in IVs than some I have had in the past. I also found this year that I was paying less attention to counting down the minutes until it was over and I tried to just relax, pray, and listen to the music. Overall, this year’s scan was easier.
For some reason even after hearing my scan was clear, I was a bit nervous to perform all the typical nerve response tests at my neurologist’s office. Some of the tests include balancing on one foot, walking in a straight line, field of vision tests, and tapping between fingers. I passed all the tests!
I am thankful for this good news and I am praising Jesus for a clear scan. And, more importantly, I feel great and am able to relax and enjoy running around, playing, and caring for my sweet babies. I still love going for walks every day and am grateful for the ability and energy to do so. Thank you all for your prayers!
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
Psalm 95:1-11