| This is the story of a ham and egger. A | | | | would work well these days in our |
| close friend of mine uses that term | | | | politically correct world but back then |
| quite often and his definition of a ham | | | | it was OK. I myself was diagnosed at |
| and egger is someone who's out in the | | | | the age of 33. It's ironic that I now |
| real world grunting out a living. I | | | | have the disease and I can still |
| wish I could say I'm rich and famous but | | | | remember that commercial 40 years ago.MS |
| I'm not. I'm just like 90% of the | | | | is a very humbling disease. When a man |
| population out there grunting out a | | | | has to buy his first pair of Depends |
| living with one exception. In 1991 I | | | | underwear at the age of 47 you are |
| was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. | | | | HUMBLED! Believe me your ARE humbled. |
| It's hard to believe it's been 14 years | | | | My friend Eric was going into Fargo one |
| already. I love to talk and when you're | | | | day and I asked him to pick me up a bag |
| reading this if it seems like I'm | | | | of Depends just to see what he would |
| rambling from one topic to another I | | | | say. He's 39, laughed, and said "no |
| probably am. That's a part of my MS | | | | thanks, I can't do that! I gave him |
| called disinhibition.I love to have fun | | | | some grief and then laughed with him. |
| and I've been told I have a great | | | | When your 4-year old can run faster than |
| personality. I'm very honest and | | | | you you're humbled. People with |
| trustworthy. I would give the shirt off | | | | diseases like MS just have to adjust |
| my back to someone that needed it. Next | | | | their lives accordingly.When I finally |
| summer will be 15 years since my | | | | went in to see a neurologist in 1991 I |
| diagnosis and I'm still out there | | | | was unsure what the heck was wrong with |
| grunting! At times I get down but I | | | | me. I had eyesight problems, numbness |
| don't stay that way very long. There is | | | | and tingling all over my body, I was |
| so much to do in life. If you can get | | | | having trouble urinating, I wasn't |
| over the fact that you're going to be | | | | sleeping too well, I had a slight limp |
| doing those things sitting down helps | | | | and a myriad of other problems happening |
| you accept your disease. In my ebook I | | | | to my body. What could be wrong with me |
| want to explain MS some of my MS | | | | I asked? It had taken me a year to get |
| symptoms. I also want to tell you about | | | | in to see an eye doctor and it would be |
| a new business that I just started on | | | | another 3-6 months before I finally had |
| the internet. It's very inexpensive to | | | | the diagnosis I was looking for. |
| get started and although I'm going to | | | | Believe it or not by the end I was |
| market it to everyone I'm especially | | | | actually relieved that I had MS! I |
| going to target it towards disabled | | | | didn't know what course it would take |
| people.I'm 47 now and I can trace my | | | | but at least I had a name for all my |
| symptons back to at least 1980. I've | | | | symptoms. I also knew that I didn't |
| had this disease in my body for half of | | | | have a stroke, cancer, ALS, or any other |
| my life. I remember when I was a little | | | | major problem. I had been on a roller |
| boy growing up in Rochester, Minnesota. | | | | coaster ride for over a year wondering |
| A commercial on TV (this was the 60's) | | | | what was wrong but now I knew!Jon Wegner |
| showed people in wheelchairs with the | | | | is a lifelong Minnesota resident who now |
| tag line, "MS, the crippler of young | | | | lives in Fargo, North Dakota. |
| adults". I don't think that tag line | | | | |