Modern medicine is kinda cool sometimes. This is a 3d image of my skull taken by my dentist to fix a tooth I had pulled. As soon as I was diagnosed I went into freak out mode on the internet. I read that root canals can tax your immune system and lead to MS. So I had my root canaled tooth extracted. Now that I am not freaking out as bad, I wonder about the validity of the whole root canal thing but I guess it's better safe than sorry? haha I look like a pirate right now! IF you are newly diagnosed with ANYTHING I would recommend not making big appointments for optional procedures for at least 6 months! I thankfully was introduced to a great doctor at the forefront of MS research at UCLA. My doctor, Dr. Geisser ordered all new MRI scans and blood work to check my 6 month progression. I am happy to say that I have no new lesions! The lesions I already had are not inflamed, so they aren't growing. Things are starting to calm down. I am slowly going to transition to an auto-immune friendly diet of low saturated fats, little to no gluten or sugar, and lots of fresh, whole foods. I'm not as crazy obsessed as I was in the beginning or freaking out and being fanatical. Finding balance is the only way. It has been 7 months since my diagnosis and I am starting to be more comfortable letting friends know. I guess that's good since this blog will be public soon and available to read! It is easy to tell strangers but telling people close to me has been really emotional and hard. It feels like telling them I am dying, even though I'm not (well, we all are but you know what I mean). A lot of people start asking me if I am ok every 15 minutes. Thankfully, I am. I am great actually. I am inspired, I have purpose. I have so much research to do for my trip and we all know how I love getting on that internet!. I feel lucky that I have mild symptoms, a great doctor, and a people supporting me with this crazy idea to ride horses across the country! I'm off to meet another horse in my search for my soul mate road horse. I'll let you know when I find him (or her).