Category Archives: MS and Bill Walker

MS Obamacare: My Story

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Foothills Of Washington State

 

     For many people The Affordable Care Act, otherwise known As Obamacare, has been nothing more then big government attempting to take control of their lives, for myself on the other hand, it’s been nothing less then a Godsend.

     After losing my job in 2010 to the recession, I discovered that the job market was not going to be kind for someone with my limitations due to a Multiple Sclerosis disability. As the weeks, months, and eventually years wore on the task of finding new employment drained me to the point of depression and despair. Of course, along with losing my job, I also lost my healthcare plan which only added to my frustration and deepening depression.

     As my blood pressure began to spike, my prescription to control it ran out, I was left with only one other option for my future care and my sanity. With my stress levels careening out of control I had no other option but to apply for Social Security Disability. However, much to my surprise, even after being found legally disabled I also found out that does not automatically mean that you have health care coverage.

     I was amazed to find that I had somehow fallen into a black hole where I made to much money from disability to qualify for Medicaid coverage but not enough to be able to afford any other health care coverage.

     All of that changed in January of 2014 when The Affordable Care Act was fully implemented. The new rules did make me eligible for Medicaid. I was finally able to afford to see a Doctor and get my blood pressure medication restarted along with having an operation for a Hernia that had been painfully getting worse for months on end.

    Obamacare worked for me, please give it a chance!

MS And A Patient Bill of Rights

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Orange Sunset by Bill Walker

      I presume that just about everyone has heard the rumors or conspiracy theories about large drug manufacturers finding and then suppressing cures for diseases like Cancer and even Multiple Sclerosis. I’ve even heard, though there is no proof of this, that the American Cancer Society has been guilty of this kind of fraud for the simple reason that a true cure to cancer would not only put the drug manufacturers, and their various assorted treatments, out of business, but would also in effect put everyone at the ACS out of their respective jobs as well.

     And I’m pretty sure that anyone who had one of these currently incurable diseases would be as shocked as I would if this ever became a reality. I just can’t fathom that anyone could be that heartless and soulless as to permit this kind of tragedy for the sole purpose of individual or corporate greed. And yet, as much as I don’t want to believe that such a thing could really happen, I am left with the reality that such a scenario has probably already come to pass if not in medicine then in some other field like automobiles. Where there seems to be some evidence that a major oil company bought the patent to a carburetor that was capable of getting a hundred miles to a gallon of gas and then destroyed those blueprints to ensure higher oil sales and profits while our environment continues to decay.

     With all of that said, I can’t help but to wonder if a Patient Bill of Rights, that would include all incurable diseases, might help to dissuade any research company, or corporation, from ever letting this happen. At the very least, one would hope, that a whistle blower might step forward because of a Patient Bill of Rights and expose a large research corporation when their personal conscious could no longer remain silent with such a horrific crime against humanity.

   In short, I think we need to combine our resources, and get a Law Firm to write some kind of binding Bill of Rights to protect those of us who have these devastating diseases. And to offer a large financial bounty paid to any whistle blower who could provide proof of such a scenario as the ones I’ve outlined above!

Bill Walker

SUBWAY

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     I wonder how many people are aware that Subway Sub Shops were created by a group of health conscious Doctors who were disgusted with the fast food choices that Americans had to choose from without a real single healthy choice among the entire bunch. Subway set out to prove that you could get a wholesome low fat, low sugar, and low cholesterol meal for a reasonable price in the same amount of time that most fast food restaurants take to prepare a meal. I applaud Subways conscious effort to help and create a healthier lifestyle for all of the people who visit their unique restaurants and 100_0409offer their own customer support to a healthier world.

     And now I would like to ask Subway to do me a favor, I really want this incredible company to take a stand against Multiple Sclerosis and all of the autoimmune disorders like Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Crohn’s Disease, as well as all of the other devastating diseases that fall into this category.

     And I have created a unique way of asking Subway for their help and support in the 100_0412battle against these terrible disorders that many of us fight on a daily basis. And it starts by asking you to support them by ordering one of their new Flatizza’s the next time you visit one their restaurants. But instead of having them use Marinara sauce for the base ask them to substitute it with Ranch Dressing instead of Marinara and I sincerely doubt that you will be disappointed with this switch, in fact, I like them even better with Ranch Dressing.

     If we can get enough people to order Flatizzas in this manner I’m hopping that Subway will commit to helping to end these incredibly debilitating diseases in our lifetime. And I am also sending a copy of this letter to Subway Corporate so they are aware of our fight and why we would like their support.

    100_0414 Please help me in this endeavor and order a Flatizza today with Ranch Dressing and enjoy something different that I hope will symbolize a new beginning and the end to these awful diseases!

Bill Walker

MS Cancer Diabetes Anything Else?

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Ferry Ring or the Circle of Life

    

     Roughly fifteen years ago I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and I was instantly thrust into a new way of life that, I might add, I had not asked for. And then about four years ago a lesion on my neck, just to the right and below my right ear, was diagnosed as being pre-melanoma and required a surgical procedure to remove it. I so far, have been fortunate enough not to have had any more of these kinds of lesions. However now I will always have to be, especially since I have very fair skin, very careful about any skin anomaly that I, or my doctor, may find. Yep, just one more thing that I have to worry about as I get older.

     You know, it seems to me that anyone who is diagnosed with something like Multiple Sclerosis or Cancer should never again have to face a life changing health issue of the same magnitude. And now I’m two for two as I travel into my twilight years of this lifetime. And now I am more then totally convinced that the Eleventh Commandment should have been, If thou suffers from one terrible disease then thou shall not have to ever face another one in this lifetime.

     And for me, unfortunately, it doesn’t end there either. My family is just loaded with diabetics and pre-diabetics as far as the family tree can be traced. And I was aware of that when I was first diagnosed with MS so I read what I could find out about this on the internet which of course is not always the most reliable of sources but when I was looking, all those years ago, I was lucky just to be able to figure out how to get onto the internet in the first place so questioning what I was reading wasn’t exactly a concern at the time.

     At any rate, I was quite relieved when I stumbled across an article, or opinion, you decide, about people who had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis rarely ever being diagnosed with Diabetes from that point on. Which, of course, isn’t true but there is a strange ending to my story here in the present day. While everyone else in my families blood sugar soars after they eat mine does not. And this has left a couple my doctors quite perplexed, so in my case, maybe the MS Diabetic thing is true after all? Well, I can only hope so, because there is also a fair amount of Cardiac Disease in my family as well. But that’s another story, and another worry, for another day. Right now, I’m just happy that all I have is just MS!

Bill Walker

MS Me and facebook

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                                              book

     Recently I was cruising around the internet super highway, otherwise known as the World Wide Web, when I suddenly stumbled into the facebook police upon entering my home page. I soon realized that facebook had issued a cease and desist order for using the friend request button on too many occasions where I didn’t personally know these individuals outside of facebook.

     Alright let me be honest here, and admit, that I really didn’t know the people I was friending on a personal level. But this kind of leaves me wondering just what social media is if you can’t go out and meet and socially interact with other people in this manner? I have used facebook and other similar sites to make friends with people from all walks of life from all around the world which is what I thought this was all about in the first place, am I wrong in this assumption?

     In my opinion, I feel that I had a very good reason to make the requests that I was making to the people that I was making them too, we all belong to the same exclusive club in that, we all suffer from the debilitating disease called Multiple Sclerosis. And anyone who shares the MS experience with me, I consider a friend, no matter if I have met them personally or not. When I say, “I feel your pain!” to anyone in this group they know I literally mean it! And that brings a little bit of peace and understanding to all of us who share this unfortunate autoimmune disorder.

     Many years ago I was told that if you don’t have a solution to the problem you’re complaining about then it’s just whining. And so, here is what I would like to suggest to facebook as my solution, please add a second option like a, consider request, where the person can accept you as a friend or just ignore your request and after, let’s say 48 hours, the request would just automatically drop off of their page. That way no ones feelings get hurt but still leaves the door open for people to make new and lasting friends with others from around the world.

     Finally, just so everyone knows, you can friend me no matter who you are and I will accept your request, and if someday we end up having a difference of opinion, that’s ok because we would never have had the chance to find a solution if we were never allowed to meet in the first place. And to me, that is what social media is all about. Friend me all you want, and if you choose to unfriend me in the future, that’s ok too!

 

Bill Walker

SPONTANEOUS REMISSION PART TWO

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From the top of Mount Erie Washington State

    

      Recently I wrote about a case of spontaneous remission that occurred with a friend from the past and I would love to be able to track her down and see how she’s doing now. But I doubt that’s ever going to happen as our life paths were quite different and she could be anywhere in the world.

     However writing that piece reminded me of something else that one of my Neurologist’s said a few years back during one of my appointments. She didn’t question at all that I had been diagnosed with MS as I had a few lesions in several of the Magnetic Resonance Image scans that I brought along with me to our first meeting. I was excited to have her as my Neurologist as multiple sclerosis was her specialty and she only took certain patients so I felt lucky to get her.

     It was something she said after looking at my brain scans that surprised me as we started talking at our appointment. The very first thing she said was that she was quite surprised that I had any symptoms of MS at all. Of course I was extremely curious to know why she felt this way so she explained that my MS lesions were all, as far as she could tell, deep brain lesions and that most people with these kinds of lesions did not have the typical MS symptoms. And in fact many of them didn’t have any symptoms at all. And in my case she guessed that I must also have some unseen damage in my spinal column as well that spinal scans didn’t show. She continued by adding that she wouldn’t be surprised if at some future point my MS might go into a long period of remission as this was something that she had encountered in other patients. Unfortunately that hasn’t happened yet but I’m still very hopeful that day will eventually come to pass.

     With all of that said, I think that it is very important for anyone who has Multiple Sclerosis to have a talk with their Neurologist about just where on their MRI’s their lesions are showing up and what that means for their own long term prognosis. It may not change anything but I do think that it’s important to know and may add some information about your future MS progression. Remember the information about Multiple Sclerosis is changing everyday so cross examining your Neurologist may be something to consider especially if you haven’t done so for awhile!  

Bill Walker

MS and Environmental Mercury Poisoning

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    100_0362 Researchers have contemplated for years that Multiple Sclerosis may have an environmental component to it. Whether or not it’s the main trigger or just one of many factors that happens to fall in just the right order to disrupt the immune system is what scientists are currently trying to determine in an effort to eventually be able to break the chain of this devastating disease.

     One thing that has gotten quite a bit of scrutiny is our body’s reaction to heavy metals in our environment with mercury being at the top of that list. The reason for that is simple; the symptoms of mercury poisoning are very similar to those of Multiple Sclerosis. And mercury is, and is becoming, ever more prevalent in our ecosystem. It’s in our water, our soil, and even in the air we breathe each and everyday. It’s becoming an environmental disaster as it combines with other compounds in the ocean as it increasingly builds up in the fish and the plants that we eat everyday. And the vast majority of this newly released mercury is being caused by one factor, the burning of coal for our vast energy needs.

     There are still some people who do not believe that coal is having a global effect on our weather patterns. But no matter how you view the climate exposure to the burning of coal, the end result does mean, pouring vast amounts of mercury and other heavy metals into the air where it finds its way into everything else that it comes into contact with. And if you are a person with MS this cannot be considered, by any means whatsoever, a good thing.

     I realize that we just can’t produce the energy that our country needs without burning some kind of fossil fuels but we have vast reserves of natural gas and still a healthy supply of oil that can be used until other alternatives can be developed and employed. But we have to learn to live without the worst of these environmental polluters, and that’s coal.

     The DVD’s in the picture above are about coal, its use, and its extraction, if you’re interested in seeing them. You can find most of them at any local library or they can order them if you ask. And if you have MS, or any autoimmune disease, this is as much about your personal health as it is about the planets!

Bill Walker

Can MS Burn Itself Out?

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Freeze MS in its Tracks!

     100_0260My very first Neurologist, and the one who eventually diagnosed me, made a comment during one of my appointments that perhaps my Multiple Sclerosis would just burn itself out eventually. At the time I kind of thought that he was just trying to give me some hope in the face of this awful diagnosis. And now, just a few days ago, I had my first appointment with my fourth Neurologist since that time sixteen years ago. And he also stated that there was some evidence that MS can perhaps burn itself out over time.

     Recently I was reading a report out of Australia where a man with a diagnosis of both Multiple Sclerosis and HIV was given one of the new generation antiviral drugs that are currently in the trial phase of their studies. And a remarkable thing happened, not only did it knock out his HIV which is what it was being tested for, it also seemed to cure him of his MS. Which leads one to believe that it is possible that the under lying cause of Multiple Sclerosis may be a virus, or retrovirus, after all. Scientist have long been looking at the Epstein Barr virus as a possible disease inducing event in MS but no conclusive evidence has yet linked the two positively.

     We already know that virus’s like the Cold and Flu virus do in fact burn themselves out, thankfully, or we would all have been dead a long time ago, so if Multiple Sclerosis were confirmed to be from either a virus, or pieces of a retrovirus, then the answer to the question about MS being able to burn itself out should be yes. But even more important than that, is these new antiviral drugs that will soon be coming on the market, because if MS is being caused by a response to a viral attack then perhaps a cure for Multiple Sclerosis is only a few years away which of course is something that we have all prayed for as long as we’ve had this devastating disorder.

     I do know this, if they need any volunteers for that clinical trial, I sure wouldn’t say no if asked to participate in it. This sounds just to promising to not be interested in following the future research!

 

Bill Walker

 

MS and VITAMIN D3

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Vitamins by Nature Made

     Apparently in the scientific field there is some question as to whether Vitamin D3 is really a vitamin or a hormone.  This vitamin seems to have some unique properties that fit into either or both groups but for my purposes here I’ll just refer to it as a vitamin.

     If you’ve been watching research about multiple sclerosis lately you may have noticed that a lack of Vitamin D3, is suspected of playing a major role in the development of this disease.  The theory is that many of us with MS may not, especially as children, had the ability to produce enough of this essential vitamin in our skin to keep this disease from developing as we got older in life. They came up with this theory based on the fact that people who live closer to the equator, with its more intense sun light, have a much rarer occurrence of MS then do people who live farther away from it. In fact those people who live very close to our planets equator have almost a zero rate of MS compared to the rest of us.

     With all of that in mind I decided that it would be in my best interest to start taking Vitamin D3.  In fact many neurologists are starting to tell their MS patients that it is probably a good idea to supplement their daily vitamins with an additional 5000 units of D3. In my case, and with my doctors blessing, I started taking 10,000 units a day. My doctor ran blood levels every six months for almost two years while I was on this high dose regimen and each time the results came back with in the normal range. After two years she no longer ordered them figuring that it was not going to be a factor.

     And yes, after many years of being on high dose Vitamin D3 I do think I have had a positive response to this as a therapy against my disease progression. I still have an attack every couple of years that lasts a few months but they don’t seem to be nearly as intense as they were before I started my high dose intake. And what’s even more encouraging to me is that I used to have several smaller attacks that would last for a few days and then subside and now since taking this vitamin it has been several years since I have had any of these less intense events. And to be fair I also started Copaxone injections three years ago as well and that also could have made a significant difference in my disease progression but I am satisfied enough with this vitamin to continue its use.

     As always, if you decide to look into adding Vitamin D3 in your morning vitamins and supplements, always ask your doctor first and it would probably be a good idea to have your blood levels checked from time to time as I did just to make sure you’re not over doing it. And who knows, maybe soon they will find that Vitamin D3 mixed with something else will be the magic cure that we all pray and dream for!

 

Bill Walker   

MS and Miracle Cures

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A docked ferry in Washington State

A docked ferry in Washington State

     Over the holidays I noticed, even watched a few, a number of programs that discussed miracle cures and what were claimed to be Angelic interventions.  My interest for this blog centers on those cases where the medical field states freely that either a cure or a spontaneous remission should not have been possible by any means known to man.

     This obviously leads one to believe that only an intervention from God could have been the reason for an otherwise impossible cure. 

     And that got me to wondering that if God did step in and cure what couldn’t be cured, and that would include multiple sclerosis, could he have also left that cure to be discovered with in the DNA of that particular patient. I just can’t help but to believe that if we took the blood sample of someone before this miraculous event and studied it along side a blood sample after the cure that we might be able to determine a difference between the two samples and perhaps be able to cure others with the same disease.

     I mean it almost makes sense that if God was going to step in and save one person, who otherwise would not have survived, he would also leave behind at least a hint as to how to save everyone else with that affliction, doesn’t it?

     I just have to think that its worth our time to take a closer look at what messages may have been left in the DNA of these individuals.  Do you think it’s possible? Obviously, I do!