My road to success

Diagnosed at just 19, Siobhan Hammond was determined to pursue her goals, even when things got really tough

When I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), the MRI identified that I had extensive damage and lesions on my brain, which was shocking for both me and the neurologists, as I had recently turned 19. The scans were showing years of damage. I had presumed it had only been the few months when I was in relapse that I had any MS symptoms, but the doctors were adamant that this would not have been my first relapse or symptom due to the sheer number of lesions. To this day it is hard to think back to when I was in high school and college for any indicators that could have been MS. I am lucky that my medical team at the time were so thorough and driven to help me in getting diagnosed and treated, as I know that for many, the road to diagnosis can take years.

Neurologists recommended the most aggressive treatment. I was prescribed steroids mainly to manage the relapses I was experiencing during my decision-making process for which DMT to choose. I was recommended alemtuzumab (Lemtrada). All seemed to be fast-tracking towards treatment, when I unexpectedly became pregnant. This naturally halted any treatment, but I was assured that pregnancy would mean that I would cease having relapses until after the baby arrived.

This was not the case. A few months into my pregnancy, I continued working, and pursuing hobbies like theatre performance, but started having pins and needles sensations in my feet. This spread gradually up my legs until it was from the waist down. After a trip to my GP, she immediately signed me off work, which was very well timed, as a few days later, I woke up and was unable to walk.

A step back

This lasted for many weeks. I needed walking aids as my legs kept buckling at each step and I could not walk independently. It was one of the ‘big scary’ symptoms I had been fearful of. Another of these decided to appear around a similar time, during my pregnancy, wherein I got severe headaches and the vision in my right eye became cloudy. I gradually became blind in that eye as I had optic neuritis again but this time the entirety of my optic nerve in my right eye was severely inflamed. The only way for me to escape this pain, which was triggered whenever my eyes moved, was to sleep. I was given steroids again to combat this, despite my hesitation due to my pregnancy. In spite of it all, I had a beautiful, healthy baby girl a few months later. At this point, my treatment plan was again discussed, and the new recommendation was now for ocrelizumab (Ocrevus). I started this after recovering from an emergency C-section and have now been on it for five years.

Despite the frustrations and unpredictability of MS, both my family and I tend to be light-hearted and make jokes as our way of coping with the condition. I, more than anyone, am quick to make a joke and have a laugh about things, like if I am especially clumsy, tripping, dropping things and walking into door frames, or have random muscle spasms and twitches.

My life has a kind of season of symptoms dictated by my infusions. About a month before my infusions, I tend to see more symptoms, though the severity, what they affect, and frequency change each time. Again, this is another lucky dip of MS symptoms – will it be speech problems, weak legs, fatigue, migraines, spasms, random pains, or all or none of the above?

Then comes the week or two of bed rest recovering from my infusion, then I have a few months of rarely any symptoms, and repeat, twice a year. I generally try to take this in my stride and carry on as usual, where possible, and be as positive as I can, as I still have the mentality that there are people worse off than I am.

Gratitude 

Having been through my own tough times, I am grateful to not be as bad as I have been before. Even with the worst times and symptoms that I have had, looking back retrospectively, I feel comfort in the fact that the initial problems which terrified me, I endured, and overcame, so now I am ready for whatever else my MS might throw at me.

I always try to make the most of situations and until recently, I was helping young people by volunteering as a tutor for drama exams and teacher in a performance school group, all locally. I did this in line with my own musical passions, but I had to sacrifice this when my studies became more intense. I think that I am quite an optimistic person, but another reason to look for the bright side, is to show my daughter that she can overcome anything, just like I try to, and to always try to be kind. Being her mummy is my biggest responsibility and happiness, and she motivates me in my studies, actions, and how I deal with my MS. Her cuddles, kisses and some of the hilarious phrases and outbursts she has makes it very hard to be anything other than happy.

If you have just been diagnosed, make sure that you do some research and educate yourself about your MS, as the more you know, the better it will be to make alterations, or to understand what you might have to prepare for. This is the same for your support system, try to get as well educated as you can as the more everyone understands, the better they can support you too. I think it is easy to think that your life is over once you get diagnosed with MS due to its unpredictability and the scary situations that you may have to endure, which I did at times, but I like to prove myself wrong by continuing to live my life, travel, work (and even graduate!), alongside my MS, seeing it as just another challenge to consider along the journey. Rest when you can, and listen to your body, but don’t doubt that you are any less capable of achieving your goals, even with your MS.

I hope that my experience gives some comfort and true to my word, I have been achieving my own goals, as I am graduating and will be going on to post-graduate study, as I love learning and education. I have even been on a student podcast talking about my MS and studying at Staffordshire University, to raise awareness as a part of Diversity Week. In future, I may even research the relationship between MS and education… but I am sure to harness every opportunity that I can, while I can, to make the most of my time in remission. Go and do what makes you happy, even with your MS.

You can listen to the podcast here.