The beginnings of Toodle Pip.

First Blog post. Tradition states, I should explain why on earth I'm Blogging at all.

"Blogging: Never before have so many, had so much to say, about so little, to so few."

My name is Cookie, I am 27, and I am about to be diagnosed with MS (Cue legal argument regarding why this may not be entirely accurate but we believe it to be at this time blah blahblahblah)

I've had symptoms for just over a decade now, Which I put down to a variety of other causes, excuses, convinced myself I was making a fuss, imagining it, etc.

Following an attack? relapse? general jumble of symptoms? in the last week or two, I was forced to admit to myself this wasn't just 'over-doing it'. When my eyesight in my right eye went from 'fine' to 'extremely blurred and washed out colour' I went to my opticians, who after checking there was nothing wrong with the eye itself, sent me to the Hospital.

The hospital confirmed there was nothing wrong with the eye itself, and referred me for an MRI within the next month or so. I went home, having had eyedrops that made my pupils dilate to the point where I spent the trip going "wow, everything is so sparkley" (my mum was driving as I wasn't allowed).

Two days later, I woke up, barely able to feel the right side of my body. Shooting pains, pins and needles, numbness, heavy and weak.

I did what any normal adult woman of nearly thirty would do.

Burst into tears and called my mum.

I owe a massive debt of Gratitude to my local NHS Hospital. A & E took me straight in, took a history, contacted MRI to get my scan bumped forwards to the next day, Moved me to an assessment ward, took a battery of blood tests, a CT scan, and passed me through 4 different doctors and two specialists.

 As such the usual route for MS diagnosis, a process known as 'Limboland' to many MS suffers, long process of elimination that normally takes weeks to months of referrals too all the different departments, was completed in around thirty hours.

After all this one of the doctors came and spoke to me before I was discharged. It was explained I would have another MRI scan (including brain, neck and full spinal cord), and an "Evoked Potential" test, which measures signals through nerves with electrodes and SCIENCE.

These two, the doctors are "hoping" will rule out MS. If they don't, it will be confirmed.

My past history, symptoms, and increase in relapses strongly suggest MS, and all the other more common causes have been ruled out. Leaving MS, or the really rare things.

So now I'm home.

In my flat, with my old lady walking stick, and a sense of humour still somehow intact.

So this is how I came to be writing this, this blog will track (hopefully) where I go from here.

Looking forward to finding out.

- Cookie.