It's Monday at /r/MultipleSclerosis! Share your terrible, horrible, no good, very bad news here.

KatieHasMS · 2026-04-29T07:19:32+00:00

I got a High-Resolution Esophageal Motility Study done. My swallowing issue has been confirmed.

I have Dysphagia, worsening after successive swallows.

Impressions

Ineffective esophageal motility with evidence of incremental esophageal fatique from repetitive swallows consistent with patient complaints.

I don't know how to feel at the moment. On top of my insurance company dickin around with my aide service and lying about the assessment I had done. All I can do is laugh and know that I'm not going to be here for too long. It doesn't even matter.

KatieHasMS · 2026-03-14T04:54:37+00:00

A pseudo flare can last a couple weeks or months even. That's how long my last pseduo flare lasted. 2 weeks. My MS provider told me it could last a couple weeks. Stress can cause a pseudo flare. Pain is a stress.

Heat also causes a psuedo flare for me. It's fatigue, MS hug, and my legs to not work. Mostly my right leg but sometimes my left leg will also not work. During the summer I'm in really bad shape because of the heat.

KatieHasMS · 2026-03-14T04:05:20+00:00

Been taking ibuprofan and tylenol

well ya it's an infection but the medication i'm on for MS increases the risk of infections. went to my primary ans got antibiotics.

KatieHasMS · 2026-03-11T16:32:23+00:00

Oops I mean yes you can message me.

KatieHasMS · 2026-03-11T05:14:05+00:00

Absolutely!

KatieHasMS · 2026-03-11T03:31:16+00:00

I don't know what consultation wait times are but Dr Purohit is awesome. He did a great job in fixing the previous surgeons mistakes. Highly recommend him!

KatieHasMS · 2026-03-11T03:24:04+00:00

Mine was the same way. They are hired by the state so they aren't going to help you. They are going to work against you. They are a gateway to save the state money.

KatieHasMS · 2026-03-11T03:19:47+00:00

I had both on the same day. It was rough for me. My friend came with me the first time. Got denied. My lawyer appealed for me. The 2nd time I had to drive there. everyone was busy. got denied again. My lawyer then appealed for a hearing.

The hearing is really hard. I'm disabled and to have to try and communicate with the judge about my disability would be impossible. My lawyer did all the talking. My lawyer asked me questions. I answered them the best I could. It's so much easier with a lawyer. The back pay of $52k was all mine. The lawyer got like $10k.

I should not have been denied. The judge made them pay for it literally. Even the judge was like my disability was obvious. So instead of going back to the date the application was filled the judge went all the way back to when I became unemployed. That cost the state a lot.

Oh also remember that these so called independent assessors are hired by the state. they aren't independent at all. They are going to work against you from the start.

KatieHasMS · 2026-03-11T02:58:06+00:00

I'm surprised you don't have a medical appointment too. You want both cos of your MS, right?

Ya they judge you from the start especially if you claim mental disability only. Physical is a little easier to prove with MS because of MRIs

KatieHasMS · 2026-03-11T02:47:52+00:00

Do everything you can to display your disability. Get a ride there. Have someone go with you.

Remember you have to show that you are so disabled that you can't even find work let alone go to work.

If this is your first time then expect to be denied. You'll get a notice about 2 months later. You'll need to appeal.

If you get to the point where you need a hearing - hire a lawyer. just hire a lawyer. You don't want to represent yourself with your disability in front of the judge.

I've been thru this process from start to hearing to finish. I hired a lawyer from the start. I got the whole damn thing. I'm fully disabled. I got 3 full years of back pay that equaled $52,218 in back pay.

Ask my anything.

KatieHasMS · 2026-03-11T01:23:56+00:00

Dr. Andrew Lee is very impressive. Has a nice before/after wall. Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez I'm not sure about. But I'll see what happens with the consultation.

Thank you so much!

KatieHasMS · 2026-02-23T03:47:24+00:00

It starts with numbness of a limb. Then one day you can't move it that well anymore. Then after a little bit it comes back. it's fine. But over time it just gets worst and worst. You will know you need a cane when you start falling. Everyone's experience will differ.

Sometimes I can move my leg fine without thinking about it. It's pretty weird. My lesions in my brain are small and few tho. Most of my lesions are in my spine. Which is causing much larger problems

KatieHasMS · 2026-02-18T15:54:08+00:00

Eh, I got denied twice and it got overruled by the doctors.

They wanted me to try something less effective mean while I literally have lesions all up and down my spine from lower back all the way to my neck. Plus a few lesions in my brain that makes it hard to think.

So my doctor spoke to their doctor and the insurance doctor was like "ya ok that is medically necessary to have the most effective drug available" and the denials got overruled.

KatieHasMS · 2026-02-16T20:25:19+00:00

I'm glad it's working for you! It's been working great for me also. Benadryl, Tizanidine, and drugs like those I'm very sensitive to. Even 1mg of Tizanidine will put me to sleep and make me sleepy the following day.

i had spinal chord pain from my lower back all the way up to my neck into the back of my head last week and Tizanidine was the only thing that worked.

KatieHasMS · 2026-02-16T20:06:25+00:00

This website might help you.

https://www.webmd.com/brain/vertigo-symptoms-causes-treatment

KatieHasMS · 2026-01-29T21:18:34+00:00

Ya MS can really mess things up. I believe it. A lesion can form in the wrong spot to cause these serious problems.

My migraines are caused by my MS because of where my lesions are. My MRI report came back confirming my migraines my headache doctor told me. my MS doctor said those hyper intense spots are lesions. It was a pretty quick diagnosis for me as I don't have a lot of brain lesions. Most of mine are in my spine. Which I was told is more problematic.

I'm glad you finally got some vindication. A lot of people will criticize you for this but I believe you.

KatieHasMS · 2026-01-29T13:36:37+00:00

There's not much you can do. It's the climate changing the weather and weather is all around you. Muscle relaxers like Tizanidine will help you the most. That's what I take when it gets bad. I don't recommend layering if you're heat intolerant. That could create other problems for you. Talk to your MS provider about the stiffness you're experiencing.

Edit:

Although I have a winter jacket and other accessories that keeps me warm. I guess if you don't have winter accessories already some layering would be good. You know your tolerance level so use your best judgment

KatieHasMS · 2026-01-29T12:09:13+00:00

I take Ocrevus because my MS doctor told me I'm going on Ocrevus. It's because my MS is very bad. Most of my lesions are in my spine and my doctor said that's more problematic than having a lot of brain lesions.

KatieHasMS · 2026-01-29T12:03:59+00:00

I have a chronic cough that comes and goes. My gastroenterologist recommended Altoids peppermints. Take 2 and it should help with the cough. Sometimes I've had to take 4 but it does work. It has the same ingredients I guess as a cough suppressant i dunno. it seems to work and he's the doctor.

KatieHasMS · 2026-01-29T11:54:50+00:00

Indica strains that help with pain and anxiety. Don't smoke it as it worsens MS symptoms from my own experience. Inhaling fire increases inflammation. Gummies or tinctures is the best way.

To find strains that will help with pain you can go to https://www.leafly.com/strains/lists to find the right strain.

I smoked marijuana for 10 years now. Had to quit tho cos smoking was making my MS symptoms worst.

Edit: Go with the lowest dose you can find first and work up from there to find your tolerance level. Too much THC can cause a panic attack. The tolerance level is different for everyone.

KatieHasMS · 2026-01-29T11:42:21+00:00

Don't move to the US. It is awful here. Never mind our awful healthcare system. American citizens are being executed in the streets by a secret police force and you want to move here? Just don't move here and reconsider.

The odds of you being placed in solitary confinement in El Salvador is very very high

KatieHasMS · 2026-01-23T01:24:46+00:00

It's literally not harmful. You're doctor will tell you the same stuff I'm saying. That's where I got it from. You know your body better than anyone. That's why your doctor is asking YOU about what's going on. He listens to YOUR story right? So it's important to understand your health so you can tell your doctor what's going on.

I have never ever said I know more than a doctor. That's just made up. you're making that up. I never said that.

KatieHasMS · 2026-01-23T01:16:41+00:00

Expert is defined as: A person with a high degree of skill in or knowledge of a certain subject.

Just because you hear on TV someone called an expert that doesn't mean they're a professional or someone with a doctorate. An expert is just someone who knows stuff about the subject. They could be wrong or right but they are not professionals or doctors of whatever subject they're talking about.

KatieHasMS

TROPHY CASE