Sam's Healthful Journey through MS

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Diagnosis

Treatment

Lifestyle

Navigate Sam’s Journey with MS

6:51 — Discovery of a Brain Mass

I was like the only patient in that wing of the hospital, but I was pretty calm.

And they did a brain CT scan [a scan that creates detailed images of the brain], and they came back to me and they said, “We found something.”

And those are the words I’ll never forget hearing: “We found something.”

Some kind of mass [an abnormal growth].

They decided to set me up with a neurosurgeon [a surgeon specializing in the brain and nervous system] and send me home.

8:33 — Persistent Back Pain

It felt a lot like I pulled a muscle or something in my lower back.

Interviewer: By chronic, do you mean constant?

Sam: It was just always there.

So a few weeks of consistent, not severe, but concerning back pain.

9:47 — Diagnosis: Weight Loss

I wouldn’t say the weight loss was unintentional, but it was certainly enough that a lot of people noticed and commented on it.

Some even thought it was too much weight, but I was happy. I felt confident. I felt like I looked good.

Interviewer: How much weight had you lost over what period of time?

Sam: Maybe 25 or 30 pounds over six months, so not a huge amount.

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