Mary Helen Arbogast's interview
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How did all start?
It started with numbness and loss of balance.
Do you already have a diagnosis? How long did it take you to get it?
Yes. It took a battery of tests over about 5 weeks to get the diagnosis.
For what medical specialties have you been treated? What has been the most useful specialty for your?
I trust my neurologist. He explains clearly and in depth. Physical therapy has been the most useful specialty for me.
What has been the most useful thing for you so far?
Physical therapy.
What have been your biggest difficulties?
I am unable to walk. My legs and feet hurt badly.
How has your social and family environment reacted? Have your social or family relationships changed?
I am unable to drive. I was a competition dancer and I have lost contact with almost all of my friends from dance.
What things have you stopped doing?
Unable to walk, drive, or dance. Unable to babysit my young grandchildren.
What do you think about the future?
I want to get a car fitted with hand controls and I want to learn to drive.
So far, which years have been the best years in your life? What have you done during them?
All.
What would you like to do if you didn’t have your condition?
Dance and care for my grandchildren.
If you had to describe your life in a sentence, what would it be?
DK
Finally, what advice would you give to a person in a similar situation?
Never stop physical therapy.
