Feelings vs data.

[LadyForCamus]

Being concerned over consuming a minute amount of regular milk just doesn't seem rational, as though that minor slip will cause a big ole' mean lesion to appear.

As a dietitian, I agree with this whole heartedly. There is no reason to think that a few sips of anything that falls within the realm of ‘edible’ would or could alter the course of a progressive disease in that way.  There is no reason to blame yourself for something (a new lesion) that likely had nothing to do with any singular lifestyle choice post-diagnosis, but rather, the nature of your individual disease progression.  The important thing is that you feel good!

[brewer]

If you're uncertain about the medical treatments that are being recommended, talk more with your physician and/or get a second or even third opinion, preferably from a specialist(s). 

If you experience adverse side effects from one regimen there are plenty of other options that you can try. 

You know that this is a progressive disease. Unless you're in the 5 to 10% milder type group, left untreated, more than 30% develop significant disability. I don't want that for you. Sounds like you've put in a great effort in modifying your bodies environmental exposure. I know it's scary but it sounds like it's time to take additional action. 

You're a smart cookie and have probably already read this: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1...8517751049

[I_am_not_mafia]

In the case of MS there is a large amount of data that eating healthily has a definite effect on the progression of the disease. There have been many long term studies on this now spanning many decades since Dr Swank found the connection with saturated fat. He even determined the maximum number of grams a day to reduce the progression. One of the leading theories about the cause of MS is molecular mimicry from milk protein being recognised as a foreign substance in the blood because of a leaky gut and the immune system learning to respond to this but consequently attacking the body's own nerve cells which look very similar.

I personally found that I had been living with an intolerance to milk my entire life resulting in a streaming nose that stopped the moment I gave up milk. It was driving my immune system crazy. There are also links with different vitamins but also the gut biome having an effect on the immune system. The population of gut bacteria you have is dependent on the type of foods you eat. It wasn't just a single soup I had (or sushi with dried milk powder thrown in) it was a on a more regular basis. I had forgotten what cream / butter / milk tasted like so the taste of the soup was familiar but I just didn't think of people putting butter in soup so I had it on a semi-regular basis when the cafe was serving it.

I was taking the attitude that if I made a mistake I shouldn't beat myself up about it. I should just finish eating my mistake and make sure that it didn't happen again in the future.



@ m.h.brewer Thanks for the link. I hadn't seen it before. I have an appointment next month with the MS nurse so this will give me time to research the different drugs. I'm glad I didn't go on the DMD straight away because it's been useful to find out the triggers and progression (and how to tell it is progressing) if left untreated so I can now get a better idea of whether the drugs work.

Also thanks for everyone's comments

[ignoramus]

Good luck with everything Mat ... If you turn religious, We'll know it got to your frontal cortex... and Beccs will pay you a quick painless visit...