I made my “diagnosis” the title of this post. I didn’t want anyone to shy away and not want to look if it read: “I Can’t Poop!” or “Don’t Take Pooping for Granted!”. But in reality, I can’t poop (on my own), and I really hope you appreciate the fact that your body just lets you know when it’s time to go. You don’t realize how this invisible symptom can interfere with a person’s life. I should’ve written about this subject a long time ago, since it’s been well over a year since I started my journey with chronic constipation. I suppose once I wrote about my Bitch of a Bladder, it should have com ..read more

Hi Friends! I guess I was wrong when I titled a post” I’m Back!” in 2017. My intentions were good, honest. But I’m certain everyone understands that life get’s messy, complicated and busy. Since I last shared with you – over a year ago! – a lot has happened in my life. I’ve tried to keep my blog pretty private, mostly focusing on my life with MS, my son, and our dogs. But if I’m going to be open and honest about my life with MS, then I feel it’s the right time to share more of my personal life, not just the MS part. I hope you like my new website/blog design. I wanted it to be more user-friend ..read more

Welcome to the new Love My MS Life Page! It’s a new look that will hopefully provide you with  more inspiration and hope. I’m excited to be back and will be posting new stories more often! This week, I’m excited to share an interview that features my story. It was an honor to meet with  Laura Orrantia of the “Fear-Less Female” blog. Love and hope, Tricia Inspiring Fear-Less Females: Tricia Gouveia ..read more

Wow! It’s been so long since I’ve written anything to share… I don’t know where to start. I think it’s best to give you a few updates and leave some more detailed stories to share soon. I’ve wanted to write, but I had some “restrictions” limiting what I could write about. But now I’m back, and looking forward to spending more time here. I’m sure it comes as no surprise that my bladder is still pretty high on my “invisible symptoms that suck” list. I’ve continued to have Botox injections into my bladder every three months to try and help with my retention issues. Unfortunately, I need to h ..read more

I should start by clarifying that if I’m upset with any part of my body (referring to it as a bitch), it would be my brain, since my neurological disease has been wreaking havoc in different parts of my body for a long time. I’m writing this in case there is someone out there that is dealing with some of the same issues… maybe knowing someone else feels your pain can be comforting. I have written about my bladder issues for many years. I Really Need to Pee! was written way back in April 2012, and SomeONE with MS talks a lot about the invisible symptoms living with daily bladder ..read more

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” ~Muhammad Ali It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since I began my journey with Lemtrada. Tomorrow (Monday) I step back into the ring once again, and quite honestly, I’m not as positive as I’d like to be, but hopefully more prepared. They say the benefits of this therapy outweigh the risks, but I sure wish I felt more confident going into the second round (ding-ding-ding!). Sadly, my body is not as strong as it was a year ago. Lemtrada has really taken it’s toll, and I don’t feel as good physically, me ..read more

They say when you meet someone with MS; you’ve met someONE with MS. Each person that lives with the disease has different symptoms and reacts differently to treatments/therapies. That’s important to know. A lot of people who I meet tell me about their Aunt who had MS, so they expect me to look like her (maybe she was confined to a wheelchair most of her adult life). When I don’t, it’s confusing to them. Or, I get, “But you don’t look sick”, because I’m walking OK right now, and most of my current symptoms are invisible (but chronic). I’ve written about the struggles I’ve had with my bladd ..read more

It’s been four weeks since I started my Lemtrada treatment, which means today I went to the lab for the first of my monthly blood and urine tests.  While I was peeing in a cup, I realized I should share a little of what I’ve gone through over the last month. The recovery was pretty tough at first, but I think I’ve turned the corner! Throughout the days and weeks I was overwhelmed with all of the love, support, and prayers I received on my Love My MS Life Facebook page. I’ll update here from time to time, but you can like/follow my Facebook page for more frequ ..read more

It’s been a while since I posted on my blog. I’ve wanted to, and have had plenty to share, but you know how it goes, life gets busy. So here I am, to give an update about how I’ve been loving (or disliking) my MS life. After Dr. Chippendale, my neurologist of 20 years, passed away from an aggressive cancer last April, I knew it was going to be impossible for a new doctor to fill his shoes. That being said, I’m doing my research and refuse to settle for a neurologist that doesn’t have a wonderful bedside manner and knows his/her MS. Period. I’ve always preached to fellow patients about the impo ..read more

If you know me, you know that hope is my favorite word. It’s tattooed on my arm, it’s the name of my MS Walk team (Team Hope), it’s in my favorite bible verse (Jeremiah 29:11). It’s also the name I chose for my baby boxer when I brought her home in 2002 at 8 weeks old. I vividly remember the day that I introduced Hope to my son Jake, who was only 9 years old at the time. I told Jake that I had a big surprise for him, and then walked him into the living room with his hands over his eyes. When we got to the couch, I said, “Open your eyes!” And there was our new puppy laying in a little ball, asl ..read more