After being on the AIP for two and half years, I knew it was time I had a follow up appointment with a neurologist. I had been putting it off for quite some time, considering my last experience with one as not good. I was just dreading, firstly the possibility that my MS had worsened and secondly that I would once again be told that I must go on the Interferon medication. But I knew that I needed to have a follow up to assess my progress, and to know that I did actually have a doctor on hand, if the need arose and I might need one. Luckily I didn’t have any symptoms, but I knew that I could only put if for so long.
I quite liked him. For sure, he was by no means warm and fuzzy, but I wasn’t looking for that in a doctor. He asked so many questions and asked a lot about my history, especially my fibromyalgia and headaches. He asked a lot about the medications I had previously been on, including anti-depressants, and when I said I didn’t want to go back on them, he said that’s ok, he was just trying to understand my brain!
On examination, neurologically I was 100 % fine. He even stopped the exam, mid-way and said “ok it’s enough”.

He was quite positive and said that because my MS has taken such an unusual course, ie that I’ve such long gaps between flare ups and I’m symptoms free, that its possible my MS is benign.
A benign MS diagnosis cannot be given at the outset of diagnosis but is in fact only a retrospective view of the course of the disease. Quite a weird concept as it is. It’s a milder form of the disease and there is no lasting damage or progression of the disease after flare ups.
This is a really interesting but quite controversial diagnosis. The reason is controversial is that because no one can ever quite know what course MS might take. There is no way for sure to know if it truly is benign, or if in fact just currently remitting and a big relapse is around the corner.

I had the dreaded MRI-scan follow up. I had a mild panic as after the contrast dye was injected (this is to help them see active lesions), it did show up one lesion.  The Neurologist assured me though that this was one of the old lesions and there were luckily no new lesions! He said if I have no symptoms, there is no reason to treat that one lesion. So that was awesome news! My neck showed no lesions in the spine (also a good sign) but there was a herniated disc in my neck, which probably explained my neck pain and chronic headaches. So the question remains, is it in fact a mild form of MS, or has the AIP actually helped by lessening the inflammation and reducing my body’s attack on my nerves protective covering, the myelin?

At this stage, I’ll happily take it either way!
Neurologist Tick.

Next step Gastroenterologist.