My name is Kristen Hope.  I am 30 years old and live with my parents here in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.  I was living on my own, but then I got sick and Mother and Father both demanded that I move back with them so they could keep an eye on me.  I guess they had good intentions, but sometimes I feel as if I am being treated like an overgrown baby.

I sometimes feel as if I'm in a cave with a sleeping bear and wondering what I can do to keep from waking the Bear up.  My MS is like that.  I call my MS the Bear because you never know what it is going to do or how it is going to affect me.

For example, today I had issues with my walking.  I am learning to walk on my new crutches and I feel worse than a drunken sailor on a boat during a hurricane: my balance is giving me what for today.  I already have fallen twice today; I have already raised a nice knot upon my forehead and bruised my nose.  I am sure my face must look a fright!  And yesterday I could walk with relatively little problem, but my eyes were bothering me, so I stayed in bed, with the covers pulled up over me.  I was so dizzy and lightheaded it was not a bit funny!

I am taking it easy today.  Mother and Father are seeing to that.  They will not let me lift a finger.  I keep telling them I am not that fragile, but sometimes trying to talk to my folks ls like talking to a brick wall.  They insist they know what is best for me and ever since The Diagnosis, they have been extra overprotective, which drives me nuts!

I wanted to see the Northern Lights last night (they are fairly common here if the geomagnetic storms are strong enough); they were especially busy and bright.  In fact the storm was so strong at one point, Northern Light sightings were being reported as far south as Kansas and Arkansas in the continental United States, our neighbours to the south!

I couldn't watch them because of my dizzy spells and my double vision.  I was so disappointed; I absolutely love watching the Northern Lights!   

I jsut stayed in bed all day yesterday and felt sorry for myself.  It was not a good day for me.

I'm just thankful that all the testing and uncertainty is overwith; now that I have a diagnosis, maybe I can get some medications that will help ease some of the symptoms and force the Bear to go back into its cave, where it belongs!

~To be continued.~