Thank you everyone for your concern.

[Guest guest]

----- Original Message -----

>

> Hi!

>

> I just wanted to ask you how you do on the Aktins diet with the MS?

Well, at this point in time I have not been DXed with MS...and as my life

has drastically improved in the last year and a half, I no longer seriously

suspect it. But, I have been tested, and all kinds of tests I've never had

before - A.E.P., V.E.R., M.R.I., E.E.G, and all kinds I can't even remember.

The bottom line is that niether myself nor my neurologist really even

suspect it anymore. It seems that my symptoms were caused from a variety of

factors, such as:

1) My occupation - I worked afternoon maintenance in a meat processing

plant. Not only was the job physically demanding, but working in a 30-40f

(-1 to +5c) environment just sucks the life out of you. The fact that on a

regular basis I was working with an ammonia-based refigeration system, and

was frequently in a situation where one wrong move, one slip of the foot

could have broken a line, and put me in a situation where I may not have

been able to escape before being overcome with ammonia fumes. That is a

sobering thought.

2) My weight - In addition to the problems I stated with my job duties was

the fact that I was about 135 pounds overweight. Our plant was housed in a

building that was originally built in 1927 as a slaughterhouse. I walked a

good 700-800 stairs per day. It was three flights of stairs from the

maintenance office to the production floor, another flight to the parts

storage area, and two more to additional equipment that had to be checked on

a daily basis. Thanks to the Atkins diet and the good people on this list,

despite several relapses I am now down to 265 pounds and feel MUCH better.

3) During the time I was going through the testing for MS, I developed

another problem - cellulitis and a severe systemic infection. I didn't

think it was too serious but my wife insisted it was and I needed to get to

a hospital. To make matters worse, when it was found I was out of state

(anyone ever heard of Chesterfield, Missouri?) where a doctor ran several

tests and told me that if I didn't get to a hospital soon, it was highly

probable I may not live long enough to make it home. It is possible that

had my wife NOT insisted, I may not be here today. I feel she saved my

life. Well, after almost 2 days in the hospital I felt MUCH better.

4) Also, during that time my wife was still working, and since she was still

working but unable to take care of herself, I had to shower her, get her

dressed, and sometimes drive her to and from work. As it is, she hasn't had

a valid drivers license since Sept. 1999 - due to diabetic retinopathy, she

can't pass the vision test to renew her license.

5) She seemed to be on a downward spiral through life...not doing what she

needed to live, and not much caring about it. At one point it was obvious

that what she was doing could have only one result, and it bothered me a

great deal. I started seeing a psychologist, who called it " passive

suicide " , and explained the best way to deal with it. I did, she took

notice, and since that point she has been doing much better

6) In all the testing, it was also discovered I have sleep apnea. In the

last couple of months I found out another few things about sleep apnea:

a) A person with sleep apnea does not necessairily snore. I don't

snore, my only effect is that I shake. My wife describes it as being almost

like convulsions, but she agrees I do not snore.

A person doesn't have to sleep on their back to have sleep apnea. I

sleep on my side.

7) I have a deviated septum in my nose, the cartalidge(sp?) is twisted and

reduces my nasal passages. It makes it harder for me to breathe, and I am

working with Rynatan and Flonase to help improve flow, but most likely will

require surgery to achieve long-term results.

So, all in all, where MS can be a disease that looks like many different

problems, many different problems together can look like MS. I thank God

that I have a neurologist who is so thorough, a doctor who is extremely

Atkins-friendly, a psychologist who has an excellent outlook on life and

helps brighten my world, a wife that is so supportive, and the friends

around the world I have met through MSers_Online, Atkins_Support_List and

Atkins_Fun.

>My new Mominlaw has MS and does the Atkins on and off..I think it is

>just too much for her on " bad " days to try and stick with it. She lost

nearly

>30 pounds 15 years ago on it, before MS.

The problem is that there is so little consensus of what really helps MS,

just as symptoms and effects can vary from person to person, what relieves

can vary just as much. Some say diet plays a big part, others downplay its

importance.

> Do you feel that any of the meds you may take interfere with ketosis?

I don't think so...but I don't take any MS meds. All that keeps me out of

ketosis can be traced to what I eat.

> I referred her to the support list btw. Thanks!

No problem - it is a really wonderful group of people, as good for the issue

of MS as this list is for people following Atkins.

Huggy Bear

Life is like a good book - the more you get into it, the more it makes

sense.