Among them: numbness, muscle weakness, nausea, vertigo, and facial paralysis.
It turns out Tennyson didnt have an ear infection; she hasmultiple sclerosis(M.S.
One important thing to understand about M.S.
Nikola via Adobe Stock
is that it cant be diagnosed using a single test.
Tennysons experience isnt exactly unique; an M.S.
diagnosis can be challenging, and many M.S.
symptoms overlap with those of other conditions.
This is her story, as told to health writer Beth Krietsch.
I learned I have M.S.
when I was 26, but the road to an accurate diagnosis was a long one.
The next year I startedgetting really dizzyand nauseated, and I also had vertigo.
I would lie down and not be able to move.
If I got up, I would throw up.
They flushed my ears and sent me on my way, but the relief didnt last too long.
While there, the nausea and vomiting returned, and my mom assumed I was pregnant.
But I knew that couldnt be the casethis was the same nausea Id been experiencing for a while.
The next year I experienced paralysis on one side of my face.
It was so bad that I couldnt even smile or clear my nostril on that side.
Previously so many of my invisible symptoms were things I could only feel.
But that was short-lived.
My symptoms didnt fully add up, and my doctor soon realized I didnt have Bells palsy.
I started to feel like something was really wrong with me.
I was going to the E.R.
I even told my boyfriend that I didnt want to think about marriage until I figured out my health.
The spots were sort of like floaters, and I assumed they werent a big deal.
I was around 25 or 26 at the time, so I really didnt expect anything more than that.
I went to my regular optometrist, and he referred me to an ophthalmologist.
I went in for a vision test, and immediately afterward he said, I think you have M.S.
Has anyone ever told you that before?
So basically an eye doctor diagnosed me with M.S.
Between meeting with the ophthalmologist andgoing for the MRI, my vision kept deteriorating.
I couldnt see anything in my peripheral vision, and it was completely disorienting.
I had to walk with a cane because I could barely see anything.
I even had to miss a work event because I just couldnt see properly.
My primary care doctor then referred me to a neurologist.
Instead, its a series of tests and involves ruling out other illnesses.
I had an MRI, a spinal tap, a pregnancy test, and many other exams.
It was a lot of appointments and a lot of waiting.
I finally got diagnosed with M.S.
in April of 1997.
It took over a year to get diagnosed from the day that my ophthalmologist said he suspected M.S.
When I got the diagnosis, it was such a relief, and I was so thankful.
Previously it was all very scary, and I had no idea what was going to happen.
