5K FOR KATIE
Coming
Saturday, June 6th 2015!
To learn what it's like to have MS
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Hi I'm Katie and this is my story. . .
In 2010 at the age of 15 I suffered from the sudden onset of a sixth nerve eye palsy. I had never before experienced any problems with my vision. After visiting a Neuro-Ophthalmologist and receiving an MRI, I was sent to Primary Children's Medical Center to see a Neurologist there. MS was mentioned as a possible cause but ruled out because no lesions were visible on my MRI. It was determined that I had too much pressure in the spinal fluid surrounding my brain and that was causing the eye palsy. A Spinal Tap was ordered to remove some of the fluid and relieve the pressure. A day or two later I visited another Neuro-Ophthalmologist at the Moran Eye Center and underwent extensive tests to check the status of my vision and the palsy in my right eye. I started getting extreme headaches at this time and was told that the puncture didn't seal correctly. I was ordered to stay in bed to see if it would heal on it's own. A week after the original procedure I was back at Primary Children's for a procedure called a Spinal Patch in which they would draw blood from my arm and inject it into my back next to the spot where spinal fluid was leaking. The blood then clots sealing the leak until it repairs completely. Shortly after the procedure my vision returned to normal. The Neuro-Ophthalmologist at Moran Eye Center did another set of tests on my eyes. She told me that after reviewing the MRI and studying my eyes that she was 99% comfortable in telling me that I did NOT have MS. I thought I was home free! About a year later this same Neuro-Ophthalmologist recommended that I get a follow up MRI just to be sure there were no other issues. It was at this time that lesions were visible on my brain and I was diagnosed with Relapsing Remitting MS and referred to a Neurologist specializing in MS. I began treatment for the disease that fall. I take a daily injection of a medicine called Copaxone. It is painful to inject, leaves bruises wherever I take it, and sometimes I suffer from scary reactions afterward. My family and I began raising money for the National MS Society last year to help people suffering from this disease and to fund research for better treatments and maybe one day a cure. See my blog on the "Katie's Journey" page.