Hi, I’m Kristen Langford. I’m 40 and a mother to one amazing son. I’m currently going back to school to earn my bachelor’s degree and aim to become a professional genetic genealogist. I’ve always loved family history, and this was such an obvious career choice when I started thinking about returning to school. In my free time, I also volunteer with my local Friends of the Library non-profit. I’ve always loved libraries and reading, so volunteering with them is loads of fun.
I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2018 at the age of 32. Like many people, I ignored early symptoms and didn’t seek an answer to what was wrong until I woke up one morning with double vision. That is a terrifying experience when you have no vision issues and wake up seeing double! Through various doctor’s appointments, an MRI, and finally a spinal tap, they were confident that it was Multiple Sclerosis. By the time they made that determination, my vision had returned to normal!
There are four types of multiple sclerosis. I have relapsing-remitting, which is the most common form. People with this form go through attacks of new or increasing neurologic symptoms, called relapses. They are then followed by periods of partial or complete remission.
5 Invisible Symptoms
- Numbness – My numbness isn’t a complete loss of feeling; it’s partial and feels like static. I have this in various places, most commonly flaring in my hands or below the waist. The best example I can give is the feeling of blood flow returning after sitting on your hand.
- Fatigue – It’s more than just a bad night’s sleep. When someone says, “I’m tired too,” it’s not the same kind of tired. There’s really no way to accurately describe this one.
- Heat intolerance – No more hot showers or summer activities that aren’t in water, because heat makes my symptoms more prominent until I can cool down again. It’s unpleasant.
- Muscle spasms – I’m lucky so far because my muscle spasms are small compared to other people who suffer from this symptom. Mine are usually only noticeable to myself, and only on a few occasions have they been extremely disruptive to my daily activities.
- Heaviness – This one is frustrating. My arms and legs just feel like they weigh a million tons, and it’s exhausting to move.
4 Things That Help Me Manage The Pain / Symptoms
- Compression socks/gloves – These help with numbness when it gets really bad. If you have numbness, try them; they even sell long gloves, which are fantastic if the numbness goes up your arms.
- Naps – I feel like this one is pretty self-explanatory.
- Cooling devices – I don’t have a fancy cooling vest yet, but it’s on my list of wants. I do use small fans and cooling neck wraps, and I dress as appropriately as possible. Dresses are my best friends in the summer.
- Ocrevus – This is my current treatment for Multiple Sclerosis. Every 6 months I go to an infusion center and take a nap while the medicine is given via IV. It has kept my condition stable since I started it in 2024.
3 Ways My Life Has Changed
- Daily activity – I have learned that some days I have to adjust my plans because I just can’t physically do it all. It’s become a balancing act of planning what needs doing now and what can be done later. I’ve gotten fairly good at it, but some weeks are better than others.
- Proactive interoception – Daily, I mentally keep a check of how my body feels so I can proactively stay on top of anything new.
- Expectations and grief – I sometimes find that I’m still hard on myself when I can’t accomplish what I would have been able to in my 20s. I aim to be kinder to myself and lower my expectations, but I also grieve the person I used to be. That grief also happens every time a bad MRI comes back. Just because you know you have a condition that will change you over time, does not mean that you’ll ever be completely okay with it. It’s okay to grieve the loss of your old normal as long as you pick up and continue after the grief is felt.
2 People Who Inspire Me
- Sharon Lee Sheely (My grandma) – First of all, she was always my favorite person. As I grew up and learned more about her, I realized what a strong, fun, smart woman she was. She went through a lot in life, raised 6 kids, and just kept going until cancer won. I miss her dearly and wish I had more time with her. I 100% know what kind of grandma I want to be when the time comes because of her.
- My husband – He is an incredible father and rock of the family. He works so hard to provide for our family and rarely complains. When I get curveball medical news, he’s somehow always positive about it. I can’t imagine life without him; I’m counting on many more years of being his wife.
1 Thing I Want People to Know
I know that overall, my condition could be worse, and I’m thankful it’s not. Please remember even if someone looks “normal” and “okay,” they may not be. We’re all just here trying our best, so lead with love.
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