MS Awareness. My Story. Your Story. Our Stories.

March 5, 2026

Hi this is AJ!

This blog past is to help others by compiling stories of our beginning, unique, journeys with Multiple Sclerosis. Each story is compiled here from those who were diagnosed and the beginning experiences to help others just simply know they aren't alone.

In 2015 I realized that something wasn't right. I struggled with my activity levels and things I could easily do before, I simply couldn't. I have been a runner most of my life off and on and never did I have issues with just jumping on the treadmill and throwin in a mile or two. Early 2015, I tried after not running for about a year. I could barely get to 1/4 mile. I tried again, and again. I couldn't. With time I started seeing my body failing me and I had really terrible migraines and I was just always exhausted. I started getting this odd numbness in my temple. It was very off and weird and scary. And it kept getting worse. I spent about a year battling this thing with my head not knowing what was going on. We didn't have health insurance. After Nick ( my husband) changed jobs in August of 2018, I was finally able to go to the Dr and start figuring things out. The first Dr I went to just told me I was depressed and sent me home with antidepressants. But I knew that wasn't it. So I went to another dr, who sent me to someone else and that's when I actually got someone to listen. After an hour of exams and chatting, I was sent to have an MRI of my brain. She simply wanted to start there for a baseline to try to figure out the migraines. By October, I was told that it appeared I had MS. I sat in front of my dr and cried. Not because I was upset of the diagnoses, it was because I was relieved that the weird sensation in my head was nothing but an MS feature. (I call symptoms "features" now. It sounds more fun!!). I was sent to a neurologist where then I got another MRI and a spinal puncture. I had a definitive diagnosis on November 26 that year. There is a lot more detail to my story if you read more of my blog. I go in depth of it all. But the one thing I want to add in helping those with those beginnings, if a dr sends you home with an antidepressant when your whole body is telling you its more, go find another dr. As hard as it is, you must be your own advocate. You have to dig in and really set your boundaries and don't let anyone negate your feelings and emotions of what you know isn't right with your body. Go figure it out and start to forge your own path. We all have different but similar stories and experiences when it comes to MS. Don't let anyone tell you how you need to work through this. You have to find what works for you.

The rest of my story is under the blog category The Silva & Ore Story. Parts 9 and 10.

-AJ, Silva & Ore