b'Life with MSHHuummoorriinntthheeffaacceeooffyyoouurrMMSSBy Yvonne deSousaHumor in the face of your multiple sclerosisand I burst into giggles. Inappropriate giggles, diagnosis is not only possible but crucial. Thesure.Buttinyburstsofsmilingjoyamid best part of it all - giggles are good for you.agony. And it helped. The morning I received my diagnosis, IAs the days following my diagnosis continued, went to work as usual without knowing whatthe bizarre circumstances of a MS diagnosis was coming at me. Hours later, I was walkingcontinued too, and I just had to giggle more. out of a brand-new hospital, having met a newOfcourse,therewerealsotears.Iswear, doctor with a life-changing medical diagnosis.Kleenex stock must have tripled during those My 24-year-old little brother, who happeneddifficult months. If you had investment holdings in to be a semipro dirt bike rider and had givenKleenex in 2009, you are likely quite wealthy me a ride to the new hospital, suggested, Youtoday. You are most welcome.could totally get one of those handicappedLaughter became a release as my new MS parking things now. Even if you dont want toworld was just too absurd to be believed. The use it, you could give it to me.new drug I had to give myself in the form As his wiser older sister, I should haveof injections, Rebif, had the words Chinese lectured him about the rights of the disabled,Hamster Ovary Cells written right on the the importance of parking spots, and why webox. The local pharmacist refused to ll my shouldnt be selsh and abuse our privilegesprescription for a high dose of vitamin D by cheating someone out of a much-neededbecause it seemed excessivemaking me spot close to a buildings entrance. But my mindreturn to the drugstore three times for a weeks wasstruggling withterrorandexhaustingdose so I didnt abuse it. Really? It was a vitamin! questions. Whats going to happen to me? DidA woman in the grocery store confused the they say I have to start giving myself shots?gossip she heard about my diagnosis with the How did this happen to me? How can I affordgossip she heard about another woman getting this on my crappy insurance? Should I tellmarried and congratulated me. Perpetually anyone? If so, who should I tell? What aboutsingle, with several crushes and a brain not my job and the office? quite working, I followed her through the store As I tried to get my head around theseto hear who she heard I was marrying. A girl majorconcerns,Isuddenlypicturedmycan hope.brothers Ford F150 with two dirt bikes in theAny time I could make fun of my life bed backing into an accessible parking spot,postdiagnosis of MS, it felt like I was ghting msfocusmagazine.org 46'