聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 Sometimes life deals you an unexpected hand. For Stephanie Gress of Arcola (24), a teacher at Ocean Man Education Centre, this came with the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) last year on June 24.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 was diagnosed quickly,鈥� Gress explained. 鈥淚t was scary and overwhelming, but they identified it quickly which was good.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 It was at the end of May last year when Gress began to feel odd, 鈥淚 felt like someone went inside my brain and switched everything over. My brain still worked, but my balance was completely off.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Focused on needing to work and making money she ignored the symptom continuing on with her days driving to school and teaching. This lasted for 15 days and ended with a trip to the emergency in Arcola.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 looked like I had had a stroke,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was paralyzed and numb on my left side, I couldn鈥檛 close my eye, couldn鈥檛 smile. At the emergency they determined it wasn鈥檛 a stroke, they had been preparing to send me by ambulance to Regina, but it was not a stroke and they told me I had to get to the emergency in Regina in the morning.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 A neurologist then met with Gress ordering a CAT scan and an MRI. Within one week these were completed and she was asked to meet with the neurologist. On June 24, with her parents and her boyfriend, she was told she was dealing with Clinically Isolated Syndrome of MS. There were 10 lesions in her brain and four in her neck that the neurologist could see on the x-rays.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The 15-day attack was actually a relapse; Gress had been dealing with MS since university. Stress triggers her relapses and university is a stressful place, but the three-day attack she had experienced was chalked up to migraines at the time.
As soon as Gress was diagnosed she went onto Google, which she now says is a bad idea for someone first diagnosed because as she attempted to learn more about the illness she was bombarded with photos of people in wheelchairs and the worst case scenarios. In the first few months Gress was constantly asking 鈥淲hy me?鈥� and became depressed as she focused on this.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 jumped to conclusions and was focusing on the 鈥榃hat if鈥檚,鈥欌�� Gress explained. 鈥淚 hid in my room and cried lots.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 With support from her parents, her boyfriend, her boyfriend鈥檚 family, and three close friends her outlook began to change. Gress began to focus on the positives in her life and the people in her life who would do anything for her.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Gress鈥� mother-in-law has been wonderful through the process of being diagnosed and helping Gress as she was diagnosed with MS years ago.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 As Gress spoke with The Observer she explained that she was having a relapse and was on day 54, but was finally feeling a little bit better.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淵ou know when your arm falls asleep?鈥� Gress asked, 鈥淚t tingles and can be painful, that鈥檚 kind of what it feels like right now, only across my entire body.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭he best way to describe it, because it鈥檚 tough to explain to someone who doesn鈥檛 have MS, is that it feels like I want to unzip my skin and rip it off because it feels like I鈥檓 going crazy. The sensation of something rubbing against my skin is irritating, it hurts to wear clothing or lay in bed. You鈥檙e uncomfortable in your own skin.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Since first being diagnosed with Clinically Isolated Syndrome, which is where MS attacks may not occur in individuals for years, Gress鈥� has progressed to Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS).
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲hen lesions flare up that鈥檚 when you experience symptoms and a new symptom means a new lesion is flaring up. Their location is what determines your symptoms and I have a new one in my neck flaring up, which is why I鈥檓 not unbalanced and am feeling that tingling feeling throughout my body.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚t鈥檚 progressing faster than my neurologist had thought, so I鈥檓 listening to my doctors, but now I鈥檓 also doing my own research to try and help.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 This includes changing her diet by cutting out dairy, gluten, and junk food. Focused on feeding her body only what it needs she has found that she no longer has stomach problems and has more energy.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚t鈥檚 odd because people with MS are always exhausted, but I鈥檝e found through changing my diet that I can make it through a day of teaching now without getting tired,鈥� Gress stated.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 This she picked up through the book, 鈥淭he Wahls Protocol,鈥� by Dr. Terry Wahls, a doctor who was diagnosed with MS, but none of the medication she was offered helped. Wahls began focusing on a holistic way to take care of the body and Gress has found this to be very helpful.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚t鈥檚 about taking care of your body,鈥� Gress said. 鈥淚t allows you to be a little bit selfish because you have to do what鈥檚 right for you.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚鈥檓 still learning and am trying different things, I鈥檝e even been to see someone who does body talk, a girl from Lampman鈥� it鈥檚 very different and some people don鈥檛 believe in it, I鈥檓 not sure if I fully believe in it but I鈥檓 also trying that.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Making a difference in people鈥檚 lives is something that Gress has a passion for, it鈥檚 why she became a teacher, and she has decided that she will use her illness to hopefully inspire and create a change.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淢y friends encouraged me and I really wanted to do something, so I鈥檝e started to write a blog,鈥� Gress explained. 鈥淚 want to make a difference, I want to make a positive difference, and it makes me feel better to be able to write about what I鈥檓 going through. People are welcome to talk to me, but they can also read my blog now to see what I have to say.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 This has been exciting for Gress as she has been contacted by people across the prairies who have been reading it, people she doesn鈥檛 know, who have been taking in her story and complimenting her for her strength in a difficult situation.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淎s a teacher, I like feeling like I鈥檝e made a difference, it鈥檚 why I don鈥檛 want to quit,鈥� she said. 鈥淭eaching is stressful and that is a trigger, but even on my bad days, the kids still hug me and say 鈥榊ou鈥檙e the best teacher.鈥� Or they come get me to read a poster that had been up in the hallway forever that they鈥檝e always seen, but have just learned to read. Any job comes with stress and it鈥檚 the way you deal with it that counts, so I remember the good and forget the bad.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing how the internet can connect us. I didn鈥檛 feel like that before and now I feel like I have a job to do. I鈥檓 excited for when I鈥檓 70-years-old and can look back and say I did something, I made a difference. And through this blog, through seeing people reach out to me that I don鈥檛 know, I already feel like it鈥檚 happening, like I鈥檓 making a difference.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Gress鈥� blog can be found at .
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Gress and Laura Dayman (her mother-in-law) are also going to be walking in the Estevan MS Walk to be held on Sunday, May 24, under the team name 鈥淢om & Steph,鈥� the initials being MS. They are fundraising for this and can be supported through visiting .
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 When asked about what she most wants people to know when it comes to MS, Gress says, 鈥淒on鈥檛 jump to conclusions. Everyone is different and MS affects people differently. It鈥檚 an invisible disease and lots of people say, 鈥極h, it鈥檚 all in your head.鈥� And no it鈥檚 not. The diet for example might help one person, but not the next. Medication may help this person, but not that person.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 She has found that the MS support group in Estevan has been fantastic, whether coming together for their monthly meeting or meeting in smaller groups for a cup of coffee it鈥檚 helping Gress to talk to people who understand what it feels like to have MS.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 One other thing Gress says people should be aware of is a question, though it shows concern, it鈥檚 actually something that is very difficult to answer; how are you feeling?
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淪ometimes the worst question you can ask someone is, 鈥楬ow are you feeling?鈥� Ask about their day or what they did, but 鈥楬ow are you feeling?鈥� is really hard to answer because it鈥檚 hard to describe or actually explain it to people. It鈥檚 nice that people care, I do appreciate that, but some days it can just be a really, very hard question to answer.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Taking it day-by-day, Gress is focused on living positively and using her illness to make a difference in the world.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The causes of MS are not yet completely understood. Symptoms, however, can range from tremors, to fatigue, loss of balance, impaired vision, impaired speech, and paralysis. It is explained by the University of Saskatchewan as being an unpredictable and frustrating illness, one that can go undetected as symptoms can be mild and ignored, attributed to something else.
Currently there is no cure and only some of the symptoms can be treated.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 According to the U of S, one in every 500 Canadians has the illness and Canada has the highest amount of people living with MS in the world. Within Saskatchewan there are over 2,500 people who have the illness, which is the most per capita across Canada. Why Saskatchewan has the highest rate is unknown.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Research continues to find a cure and to answer questions surrounding MS.
