So I’ve finally gotten around to posting again, in part because I feel like I finally have something to write about.

I saw an optometrist last week who specializes in neurologic conditions, as I have been having problems with reading, eye pain, and left eye blurriness. After examining me he found evidence of previous optic neuritis (ON) in my left eye. He did OCT (optical coherence tomography) right there and found that not only had I previously had ON in my left I, but I had had it in my right eye, and it was more damaged than the left. He also had me look at different colors while covering each eye, and I found that when looking at most colors, they look cooler with my right eye and warmer with my left. It was really bizarre to see this, as I hadn’t even noticed that colors had changed any.

After the exam, he told me that he thought it was pretty likely that I have neuromyelitis optica (NMO), a rare disease that was very similar to MS but different. (You can read more about NMO here: Guthy-Jackson Foundation) In the last year, I have developed more symptoms in my legs that point to neurologic damage in the spinal cord, and my brain MRIs have been normal. My spinal MRIs have not yet shown evidence of transverse myelitis, but I have another one on Tuesday, and based on the problems I am having with my legs and back I think (hope?) they’ll see something.

I am still using my power wheelchair for most of my mobility. Living in Denver has made it so much easier for me to get out and enjoy life, as I can get on any of the fixed mass transit and get to almost anywhere in the city. I have also been rehearsing with Phamaly, a theatre company for people with disabilities, for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat. We start performances July 10th and run until August 10th at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts in the Space Theatre. I’m really excited, as it’s the first show I’m going to be doing in a theatre-in-the-round.

I am going to try to post a little more frequently, but fatigue and pain (and acting) dictate my schedule more at the moment than I do.