NMOSD REAL STORIES Meet Chelsey Living with NMOSD SHARE In 2009, Chelsey woke up with severe eye pain and noticed that her eyesight had been significantly impacted. Prior to this, Chelsey had spent nearly a year visiting different specialists to identify the cause of the symptoms she had been experiencing: vomiting, numbness, tingling in her limbs, headaches, tachycardia, and disabling fatigue. After being admitted to the hospital for the eye pain, Chelsey was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). During the 10 years that followed, Chelsey continued to experience those symptoms and new ones, along with 10 episodes of optic neuritis. She began to wonder if she truly had MS or if there had been a mistake. 1 2 “I don’t define myself as having a rare disease. It’s part of my life, but it’s certainly not who I am.” In the fall of 2017, she woke up with the same unmistakable eye pain she’d had before, this time in both eyes. She spent the next 8 months of her life legally blind. Finally, in January 2019, after a week in the hospital following an allergic reaction to medicine, her neurologist began to explore neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), formally diagnosing her in February after a series of tests and scans. QUICK LINKS OUR MEDICINES MORE NMOSD STORIES ALL REAL STORIES MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS THE RARE DISEASE COMMUNITY INVESTORS JOB SEEKERS Contact Us Legal Statement Privacy Notice Terms of Use Cookies Settings By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Reject All Cookies Accept All Cookies