I will share the joys, pains,
and dirty little secrets of my life with multiple sclerosis. My goal is to find
a reason to convince you to support/share my fight against MS. Please donate
today: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/eleanor.
I require more than 30
Efforts, less would create an unsubstantial portrait of the man who needs your
support. 30 days is an unrealistic timeline — once discovered, neither accurate
words nor the courage to write them, develop so quickly. How many efforts will this take, and how much
time will require to share them? I don’t know the answer, so I will just
continue writing.
This is Effort Number 30…
September 30, 1999.
It was a Thursday.
My first storm formed.
After quite a bit of
deliberation with my not-quite-yet-formed inside voice, I decided to go to see
my flight surgeon. I was a US Army Captain, in command of 135 soldiers in D
Troop, 1/6 Cavalry Squadron (Camp Eagle, Wonju, South Korea). I was a pilot,
flying the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. I didn’t have time for this shit.
For a few months, I had had
this tingling sensation in my fingertips and toes. It was kind of annoying, but
I chose to ignore it since there seemed to be no effect at all. After a while,
the tingling went up my right arm, up my neck, and into my head (literally and
figuratively). I no longer felt comfortable flying — I had canceled my flight
scheduled two days before. Even though I was sure to be grounded from flying
for a few days, I had no other choice.
I went to see my doctor.
My medical records from that
date noted a “complaint of ‘tingling in the hands and toes’ and feeling
‘like having a head rush’ which he finds difficult to describe in other words.”
I’ve had that feeling for 20 years now – I know how to describe it. Did you ever
lay on your arm uncomfortably, and remain in that position while it “fell asleep”
on you? Back in 1999, if I were to pull my hand free just as the sensation came
on, I would expect to feel a slight tingling. That’s what it felt like. (FYI:
in 2019, you must keep your arm pinned until it is completely numb. The
aftereffect, the sharp stinging you feel when finally moving the hand is what I
feel every day.)
The conversation between two
medical professionals did not go the way I wanted.
[You’re not a medical
professional.]
That’s why I lost the
argument.
After a review of my complaint,
my medical records, and a physical exam, Seth sat down with me and talked about
what he wanted to do next. In his opinion, I needed to go to Seoul and see one
of the neurologists there. I thought the 2 1/2-hour trip was unnecessary; this
was a circulation issue, not a nerve thing.
“Go see a neurologist. We can
talk after that.”
“No.”
“Go see the neurologist.”
“No.”
I knew Seth even before he was
my flight surgeon in Korea. We’re in the same company at West Point. I
graduated a year ahead of him, so, of course, I knew more than he did – medical
school or no medical school. Extend the conversation for a while, toss in a
little Air Cav vocabulary, and you pretty much get the gist.
I was pissed off beyond belief
that I had no control over what happens next.
Before my appointment early
the next week, I would spend every day seething in frustration.
1: I was grounded now
2: I never got whatever
medication I would need to fix my circulation issue
3: I had to drive into Seoul
and meet with another doctor who is going to waste my time
It wouldn’t take very long for
me to lose faith in the belief I had any control over my future at all – quite some time before I would fight to take my life back.
I hope the stories will
inspire your donation to my fight.
Because it is a fight.
The fight is not over and it won’t be over until a cure is found.
It will never stop…nor will we
It will never quit…nor will we
This is why we ride!
Please
donate today: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/eleanor
100%
of the royalties earned from my books go to the National MS Society, to support
our fight: http://neverstopneverquit.com/books
Never Stop… Never Quit…®
Kevin
Byrne
Portland,
OR
Never Stop…
Never Quit…
Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off.
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