For nearly two decades, DeMonica Amerson lived with the belief that she had multiple sclerosis and underwent treatment for the disease. But after a series of specialized tests, she discovered that the diagnosis she had received in 2001 was wrong and that she was actually suffering from a rare autoimmune disorder. The story of the woman from the US, told to CBS News, proves how difficult it can be to distinguish between diseases that present similar symptoms. At first, doctors suspected optic neuritis and then lupus. After a lumbar puncture, they concluded that it was multiple sclerosis.

After her diagnosis, Amerson began treatment with daily injections, which were later replaced with monthly intravenous therapy. To facilitate the intake of medication, she also had a special port placed in her chest. During these years, she started her own family, got married, had two daughters, and worked as a school administrator. Despite episodes when symptoms returned, she tried to continue her life normally and was also active in awareness and fundraising initiatives for people suffering from multiple sclerosis.

That all changed in 2019, when Amerson began experiencing extreme fatigue and numbness in her legs. Her condition worsened so much that she ended up in the hospital. There, she also had pressure in her eyes and was vomiting, and a neurologist asked her to undergo a specialized blood test. A few days after she was discharged from the hospital, her doctor contacted her, suspecting another autoimmune disorder. Further tests confirmed that she did not suffer from multiple sclerosis, but from neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a rare disease of the central nervous system in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's healthy cells.

The disease can present with symptoms similar to multiple sclerosis, making it difficult to accurately diagnose. For Amerson, the discovery was shocking, but also infuriating, as she had spent almost 20 years being treated for a condition she didn't have. She said she reacted angrily when her doctor explained that her initial diagnosis was wrong. She even left his office, not knowing that there was another condition that could be so easily confused with multiple sclerosis.

Today, Amerson continues to receive intravenous therapy, which she says is effective. However, she emphasizes that she does not let the disease define her life. "I choose not to give up. I choose not to give up. I choose to keep moving forward," she said.

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