Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 6440 msfocusmagazine.org A Family’s Love: When Your Thoughts Are Not Your Own By Janet Yost I was diagnosed with MS 18 years ago, and coincidentally, I also happen to have bipolar disorder. When I was diagnosed with MS, I was a successful public health nurse and happily married with a newborn daughter and three-year-old son. For the most part, I have managed my MS fairly well until four years ago when I experienced a flare-up, and I was given a treatment that affected me in a way no one expected. I was given high-dose IV steroids, and soon after completing the course of steroids, I began to experience delusional thoughts - specifically delusions of grandeur. These thoughts began when I awoke one morning and believed that the staff of Publishers Clearinghouse and “Extreme Home Makeover” were coming to our home to shower my family and me with lavish gifts and lots of money. Also, I believed they were going to send us on a trip to Florida while they remodeled our entire home. Think- ing these people were coming to our home, I bought lots of food to prepare a great meal for them, and I bought new clothes to wear in Florida. I arrived home with all the food and new clothes and explained to my family about the guests I was expecting. They were dumb- founded, confused, and even frightened because I had never acted this way before. They wondered why I was acting this way now. They tried to convince me that no one was coming to our home, but I would not believe them. Trying to find an explanation for my behavior, my husband contacted the psychiatrist who treats my bipolar disorder. The psychiatrist explained that the delusional thoughts and behaviors I was experiencing could have been related to the steroids I was given. Afterhearing the psychiatrist’s explanation, my familywas relieved to know that there was a medical reason forwhat I was experiencing. However, as hard as my family tried to convince me that my grandiose thoughts were caused by a medical condition and were not real, I refused to believe them. The most difficult time for me was at night when I realized no one was coming to our home that day. Instead of feeling foolish for thinking that such things were going to happen, I went to bed sobbing. I was also angry at God, because I believed He had spoken to me directly and told me these things were going to happen. Seeing me so distraught and being unable to convince me that my delusions were just that, my family took me to our local hospital and I was admitted to their psychiatric unit. At first, I believed that I was being admitted so that plans could be made for a great party for me when I was discharged. Life with MS