Sharon Henvey's Story

When were you diagnosed?

January 2010, so next year is my 10 year anniversary. In August 2007, I suddenly developed symptoms. Pins and needles in my arm and extreme fatigue, when I talk about fatigue its two sides it presents, on a physical, exhausting level and an emotional side, just crying, didn’t know what was wrong. After a couple of days, I had a rash, it turned out I had shingles and all the other symptoms were put down to this. I put it all down to this.

Eventually, I felt a bit better. In 2008 I developed numbness in my face, it felt like being at the dentist, it was weird and also one side of my thumb was numb. I went to the doctor and he did a neuro exam, he felt it would go away in a few weeks,

I went home and googled it, Dr Google is never advised!

The following Spring I got food poisoning, and just moved house and didn’t go to my regular GP. I went to my new local GP who decided that I should try B12 injections, which I felt worked. Fast forward then to 2009, my left arm went numb and I phoned the local GP, she wanted me to go straight to hospital... she sent me to Beaumont Hospital. I had an MRI scan in Beaumont, and then they wanted me to go for a lumbar puncture... I didn’t get the results until after Mass. It was then that I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. 

How did this make you feel?

At the time, there were a number of emotions, it was a big shock, I didn’t know anyone personally with MS, and I had all these visions that I was going to be in a wheelchair and so many questions like can I have children?  I was panicked; the life that I expected to have might not be achievable for me? How am I going to get to work? Pay for my mortgage?

On the other hand, it was a relief, I wasn’t going crazy, I had been tired for a good reason, and there was a name for what I was experiencing. I felt grief and guilt, I was in pain, there was so much going on I was in so much pain, my body shut down I was just numb.

How did you hear about MS Ireland? And our regional services?

The MS nurse in Beaumont gave me a leaflet, I didn’t want any part of that,  I thought it wasn’t for me; I didn’t want to know about it. 

Then just one day I burst into tears at work, told everyone not to talk to me, and felt that this wasn’t right. This can’t go on, so I googled MS Ireland and I rang the helpline; the lady on the phone was an angel. I didn’t understand what I was going through, and suddenly she had this language that articulated how I felt. Finally, someone understood.  Someone knew what I was going through. I wasn’t so alone. That was such a eureka moment for me, she put me in touch with the regional office.

Tell me a little bit about the regional services you use?

I got in touch with my regional worker;  he rang me and explained who they were and what they do. He arranged a time to come out and see me, the following week. We had a good long chat, over an hour, about how I was feeling, I even had a good cry, it made such a difference to me just to talk and offload all these feelings.

I couldn’t tell my family of what turmoil I was in, it led to a lot of guilt. It made a difference to talk to a stranger, it wasn’t a burden, he wasn’t going to worry about me, he understood. he gave me a lot of advice about how to come to terms with what  I was going through, what I was experiencing was normal, and the chemical imbalance I was feeling in my brain. I wasn’t going crazy; it was such a helpful way of going through it.

It took me the guts of 4 years to come to terms with my diagnosis, it threw up a lot of issues with family and relationships etc.

Once that settled down, I have come to terms with it; I haven’t had any major requirements, in terms of accommodation and counselling.

I check in with MS Ireland and my regional worker over the year if ever I have questions or a concern I check in with them, things like my driver licence, I can check in with MS Ireland and they will help me, it's a brilliant service.

I was asked to come to a newly diagnosed day and would I be interested to share my story, which I was glad to. I shared my story to a large crowd; it must have gone down well as they asked me back every year since!! So hope I helped by telling my story, I love going to it, I come away feeling inspired, or learning something new about MS, or a life hack or make something good.