I've had multiple sclerosis (MS) for almost 14 years. As far as the disease goes, I'm very blessed to be much healthier than many people who have this disease. Unfortunately though, I have been worse than usual over the last few months.
Here is my first disclaimer: I'm going to provide details on topics that most people would not care about. Because there is a chance that someone with MS or similar symptoms might be seeking some useful help, I will include that detail for them. Feel free to skip over if it seems superfluous to you! I'll clearly mark it so you can have a heads up.
*Extra Detailed Section*
So back to my symptoms. Over the last few months I've gradually experienced worsening fatigue to the point where I can hardly get through the day. I honestly cannot tell you how I make it to the end of a work day. It's a miracle and I've always been the type of person to suck it up and keep on kickin'. So I push through the fatigue but it's miserable. I've also had worsening nerve pain meaning the pain comes more often and when it does, it is more intense than usual. I have also been really weak. At one point I could not open a bag of chips or open a water bottle for example. I have been struggling cognitively as well. My memory seems to have completely gone to shit and I struggle to concentrate and think critically.
I have made MANY changes over the last few months which I think will make it easier for me to begin a juice fast and ensure that I can do in a healthy and safe manner. I share them in case going immediately into a juice fast seems too drastic for some people or your MD is not in favor of it. I make sure to work out every day now. About two months ago I started with an hour of yoga every day. I took it very easy on the stretching to get started, and with time I've worked my way up. I now do 30 min cardio every day in addition to my yoga. I have noticed small improvements in my strength and energy with this program and hope it will improve. I also went gluten free about 3 weeks ago (more on gluten free in relation to MS later). It was much easier than I thought it would be and I also noticed some improvement in my symptoms.
BUT NOT ENOUGH! I need to do even more for my body if I wanna feel like myself again. Forget feeling like myself even, I just want to feel like a functioning human being which I have not felt for a long time. A friend recently started a juice fast which I noticed on Facebook but didn't pay it much attention. Then I saw him in person! He had lost a substantial amount of weight and was on his 18th or 20th day of his juice fast. More importantly, he looks different. He doesn't just look thinner, he looks healthy. His skin looks great and he just seems 'heartier.' He said that he also feels great and he recommended I check out the movie Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead. BEST. ADVICE. EVER. (PS I never exaggerate.) I recommend you go watch this right now! I watched it the very next day (for free on Amazon Prime) and I was totally inspired. In the film, you watch a man with an autoimmune disease completely turn the course of his disease around. I was ALL IN! I watched the film Saturday night, and here I am, just a couple days later, writing this blog about my pending juice fast...and I am so excited to get healthy!
I encourage you to take this journey with me - whether you watch from the sidelines or join me on the adventure, I think this will be valuable. The rest of the blog posts will most likely be much shorter; I just wanted to give some background as to why I even considered this in the first place. Happy juicing!
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