Kayla says she felt her body deteriorate

“I’m tired all the time — too exhausted to do anything often, then I have to sleep and relax all day,” says Kayla Moreno, 32.

She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) after she suspected she had pinched a nerve at the gym.

An avid fitness junkie, Kayla was exercising about five times a week when she started experiencing extreme fatigue coupled with tingling in her feet.

Kayla, from Honolulu, Hawaii, thought she had pinched a nerve from overtraining and contacted her family doctor, who referred her to a neurologist.

But as she waited, the tingling spread to her upper body, and just days after her symptoms surfaced, she was unable to walk.

Kayla was rushed to hospital when her condition left her unable to walk (Image: Kayla Moreno / SWNS)

She was taken straight to Southwestern Medical Center in Lawton, Oklahoma, where doctors ran blood tests on her to rule out other conditions, such as lupus and diabetes.

Finally, she was sent for CT and MRI scans of her brain and spine.

Two weeks later, she was diagnosed with MS, an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord and causes a range of possible symptoms, from difficulty walking to loss of vision.

“When I was diagnosed, it felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders,” says Kayla, who found the whole experience extremely overwhelming.

“No one knows my own body better than I do – and unfortunately I feel like it’s getting worse.

Kayla is now living with MS. S

Kayla now uses a walker to get around (Photo: Kayla Moreno/SWNS)

“I’m just thankful I’m living with MS now and not 20 years ago.”

Although MS is incurable, treatment for the condition has exploded in recent decades.

“I find that my symptoms are a little more manageable with my medication,” adds Kayla, who is now unable to work.

Kayla is currently on stimulants to manage her extreme fatigue and receives an infusion of the MS treatment Ocrevus every six months to slow the progression of the disease.

Today, Kayla can no longer do without a walker or wheelchair, although not everyone has the same MS condition.

Kayla is in a wheelchair because of MS

“Having a positive attitude goes a long way” (Photo: Kayla Moreno/SWNS)

Now Kayla is using her platform on TikTok to raise awareness for MS — saying she wants Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month to be “all about positivity.”

“If you’ve just been diagnosed, you know your feelings are valid,” she said.

“Whether you’re sad or angry, it’s okay to feel that way.

MS is life-changing and absolutely terrifying – but a positive attitude will go a long way.

“I don’t let my MS stop me from enjoying life to the fullest.”