It’s been two years already! And I still feel fantastic as I continue with my MS plan: DMT, diet, and exercise. I have made some updates to improve consistency for possible followers in my MS anniversary recap.
- I have added a few posts focusing on traveling and adventures without explaining how these fit into this blog. I consider these essential, though, and I think these belong in the mental health section. Traveling with my family and doing things together gives me a lot of joy and a sense of stability.
- I would also like to include a small recap here from a technical standpoint. It will now be the second time I have switched health insurance providers. I have encountered numerous problems that could very easily lead to missing medication doses, losing access to the medication, or even completely losing health coverage. This can, of course, have severe consequences for anyone with MS or similar chronic conditions, and it deserves more attention.
- I have gathered a lot of MS-related research information over the years. While there is a lot of overlap with excellent websites by the National Society of Multiple Sclerosis and others, I came across numerous grey areas that are not covered or addressed at all. I will try to start putting together this information in a separate section. This will complement the big sites and fill possible gaps – or at least what I see as gaps.
My Health Recap Notes
Here are a few bullet points on my health and MS-related observations.
- I have probably encountered the first fallout of side effects of my DMT – Kesimpta. An abscess formed in one of my gums underneath a root canal that was filled about 17 years ago. My dentist took care of it, gave me some antibiotics, and referred me to an endodontist. The root canal was disinfected and filled properly, and the tooth was saved and restored. However, I do not think this has been just a coincidence; I believe this has to do with immunosuppression.
- What I found interesting was that the endodontist was convinced that this was just a badly done root canal and that this had nothing to do with the immunosuppressive medication. I don’t think there was any bad intent. It is a mere conviction of a simple order of things and that no medication that is doing something good could also start something bad. Anyway, the truth is that the root canal probably was done in a sloppy way, but it was definitely stable as long as I was healthy and not on DMT. Infection would not take 17 years to break out otherwise!
- I guess this is one of the many things that any MS patient on immunosuppressants has to be prepared for. Some things that are seemingly stable can start crumbling in the new reality of MS. One should better stay alert!
- Other than the root canal misfortune, I was not sick at all within the last two years. This is despite everyone in my family attending school or working in person. And yeah, they have to stay at home sick sometimes because of an elevated temperature, cough, etc. In fact, I am getting fewer infections from cold or flu than ever. This is counterintuitive to being on a treatment that suppresses my immune system. I am not getting sick because I consistently take all flu and COVID shots, I think. Also, I am now convinced that the immune-modulating supplement I am taking helps to fend off most of the infections that come by.
Outlook
Overall, there were a lot of positives in the last two years. My MS is stable, and we get to soak up some heat in Mexico at the beginning of December. My intention is to complete a scuba diving course and get an open water certification. I only have a basic pre-certification I finished 15 years ago and will need a training refresher. Another question is, to what extent can MS complicate things underwater? My assumption is that one of the problems might be that many of the MS symptoms can look very similar to a disease resulting from depressurization, ascending too fast, or simply staying deep underwater for too long.
I am going to find out pretty soon! Things are looking up, and I feel very positive! I included an image of a rainbow to depict my current mood: there are still some stormy clouds, but I hope it will clear out soon!
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