b'Life with MSFFrroommNNuurrsseettooPPaattiieenntt::NNaavviiggaattiinnggLLiiffeeaassaaNNuurrsseewwiitthhMMSSBy Nicolas OvertonOn Jan. 30, 2023, my life took a dramaticCountless questionsturn. Im Nicolas Overton, a nurse and now aMy heart sank. MS? The diagnosis seemed patient living with multiple sclerosis. Whileimpossible to me. How could I, a nurse, have I have spent years caring for others, my ownmissed the signs? I had been trained to recognize diagnosis has reshaped how I view life, health,neurological symptoms, and yet here I was, and the healthcare system itself. What startedblindsided by a disease I hadnt considered. as an ordinary day suddenly spiraled into aLooking back, there were signs. Just a few journey I never expected to takea journeymonths earlier, I had been in the ER with that made me go from the provider of care tocomplete numbness in my right leg. It was the recipient.dismissed as a temporary issue of sciatica at the It all began when I woke up and realized Itime, but now it made sense. That numbness had almost completely lost all vision in mywas likely my rst signicant MS are-up. I left eye. As a nurse, I knew that vision loss wascouldnt help but wonder how long my body a red ag, but I didnt yet grasp the signicance.had been trying to warn me and why neither Panicking, I called an Uber and rushed to theI nor the doctors had made the connection. hospital. During the ride, I tried to stay calm,The night after receiving my preliminary reviewing what might have caused this. Mydiagnosis, I couldnt sleep. My mind was racing mind went to issues with my optic nerve orwith fear, uncertainty, and countless questions. blood vessels, but the thought of MS neverWould I still be able to work as a nurse? What crossed my mind.would my future look like with a progressive At the ER, the initial concern was that Ineurological disease? My friends and family might be having a stroke. A CT scan quicklyrallied around me to reassure me I wasnt alone ruled that out, but because the hospital was inand that we would get through this together. a rural area, they had to consult a telehealthTheir words gave me the strength to face the neurologist who ordered an MRI to search forcoming days. I was discharged with a treatment other potential causes. I was placed in Traumaplan for MS and began learning to live with Room 1, and after hours of waiting for test results,the unpredictability of this disease. a doctor came in with a somber expression.NMO or MS?She told me the MRI showed abnormalities suggesting MS. I would need to be admittedThe next few months brought more questions for further testing and to see the neurologythan answers. In March 2024, the picture team the following morning.became even more complicated. After having msfocusmagazine.org 18'