Diseases Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis – An Overview

When it comes to neurological diseases which are debilitating, Multiple Sclerosis is the one most commonly found amongst the young. It is usually strikes between the ages of 20 and 40. It is not curable, but sufferers typically go through natural periods of remission or calm. It affects 2.5 million people throughout the world.

MS attacks present themselves differently in each individual. Symptoms can include visual problems, painful eye movements, bodily weakness, tremors and depression. It can also cause inexplicable and inappropriate emotional responses, for instance laughing when hearing bad news.

Multiple Sclerosis is caused by an immune system problem. It incorrectly identifies the myelin sheath, which is the protective layer of the nerve cells, as a foreign body and therefore tries to destroy it. As the body fights itself, it then trues to repair the damage done by covering the affected areas with new myelin. This leads to toughened areas on the nerves known as plaques,(sclerosis is a derivative of skleros, the Greek word for hard). Read more…

Multiple Sclerosis Treatments – What You Need to Know

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis), then you are already aware how ravaging this disease can be. However, there is a lot about the disease that you may not be aware of. If you suffer from multiple sclerosis, or watch others suffer, you see what happens to the person’s body, but what you don’t see is what the disease is doing inside the body. There are many multiple sclerosis treatments, but they vary as much as the disease itself.

MS is an autoimmune disease that causes the body to attack it’s own cells and tissues. But, why does this happen and what causes it? The cause of multiple sclerosis is still a mystery. It is known however, that the immune system doesn’t respond normally and attacks the covering of nerve fibers. The nerve fibers affected are in the optic nerves, brain, and spinal cord.

Early symptoms can often be brief and sometimes even missed. They may include numbness, tingling, weak limbs, unsteadiness, and double or blurred vision. Usually as the disease continues on, the symptoms become more severe. Every case of MS varies, but in later stages symptoms include paralysis that is either partial or complete, loss of body part awareness, blindness, memory issues, incontinence, seizures and respiratory problems. Read more…

Talking to Your Children About Your Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis

When I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, my children were 14, 11, and 8. Along with the difficulties of dealing with being diagnosed with a disease like MS, came the difficulties of deciding how to tell the kids. I am not sure which is harder getting the diagnosis or answering the questions your kids will ask. For some people, Multiple Sclerosis is diagnosed very quickly due to a rapid onset. For most people getting the diagnosis comes after months or even years of symptoms and testing. Kids are smarter then we give them credit for. They know when Mom or Dad are sick, hurting, upset, and even scared. I think there is controversy about what you should share with your kids. Some might feel that there kids would not understand, or that they might get too upset, or even treat their Mom or Dad differently if they knew the truth.

I was initially diagnosed in August of 2006 but actually confirmed diagnosis in March of 2007. There was a long period of time before getting the final diagnosis. I was bedridden and my cognitive skills were rapidly declining. I too felt that my kids were too young to understand. One day my middle child ( my son) came into my room and laid next to me and as he laid there he kept looking at me. I knew he had something he wanted to ask or tell me but did not know how to say it. Then the words came out. “Mom are you going to die”? I started to tear up. Here I thought I was protecting them and instead my children were fearing the worst. I decided right then and there that it was time for me to do some talking and explaining to them about what was going on with me along with what Multiple Sclerosis is and what it does. The biggest problem I found is that I did not know how to explain something that I did not even understand. Along with that I knew I was dealing with three children at three different ages. I took the time to talk to each one individually at each age level. Read more…

Multiple Sclerosis Support – Resources That Can Offer Some Shiny Days

Where can you get multiple sclerosis support and have some shiny days?

Let me be honest, there is no way you can say ” I know how you feel” to someone with multiple sclerosis unless you have been down the same road.

How then do you find multiple sclerosis support if you are patient or a care giver to someone suffering?

Foremost get a good doctor who can listen and they are are from my experience. A doctors’ room should be a place you can have the time to share it all. You should be listened to even if your fears are unfounded. There is no cure and symptoms are varied. You need great support from your doctor, physical therapists and all your health care provider. Read more…

Multiple Sclerosis – Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

Multiple sclerosis, also called as MS in short, is a nervous disorder which affects the central nervous system .i.e. brain and spinal cord. This causes imbalance between body organs and the brain which results in down fall of vision, hearing capabilities and muscle strength. It is because of lack of a substance in nerves called myelin which is gradually destroyed due to MS disorder.

This myelin serves as a shield cover for the nerves which transmit brain signals. Without this myelin, it’s very difficult for brain and spinal cord to coordinate with each other and this result in the failure of functioning of many organs in the body. There are generally 4 stages in multiple sclerosis from initial stage to final stage called as ‘progressive MS’.

In most of the cases multiple sclerosis is not a fatal disorder. However there are some exceptions in rare conditions where they suffer from other parallel diseases to MS. Proper treatment and care can help MS affected patients to lead a normal life for longer time. Read more…

Choosing a Natural Multiple Sclerosis Protocol

Multiple Sclerosis is a debilitating disease that affects approximately 500,000 people in the US alone.

Symptoms vary from person to person, and can be wide ranging. Some of the most common complaints are loss of balance, unstable equilibrium, weakness in the legs and visual problems. For some, mental function can become impaired.

Prescription drugs are expensive and often toxic. For those desiring a more natural approach, there are several therapies to consider.

Stress reduction and meditation can’t be over emphasized. Stress plays a definite part in aggravating MS symptoms. Learning to control it is invaluable.

Some researchers believe diet plays a role in the onset of the disease. Casein, the protein found in milk, is considered to be a main food allergen. Read more…

Newly Diagnosed With Multiple Sclerosis – Now What?

The emotions that hit you can range from relief to total disbelief. I remember waiting 6 months of going through all of the testing and waiting. I was almost bedridden throughout the entire time. I begged almost daily to please give me the answer so that I could get the treatments so I could start getting better. It is so hard waiting for an answer when you are so sick and in so much pain.

Then the day comes and you hear the words from the Doctor that you do have Multiple Sclerosis. At first I was relieved and oddly enough happy to finally have an answer. I actually shook the Doctors hand and thanked him when we left the Hospital. That is where the Specialist was that had to go through all of my testings and symptoms and results. Wow, I actually thanked him for telling me I had Multiple Sclerosis. We walked to the car and pulled out of the parking lot and started the journey home. About five minutes into the ride home my smile started to disappear as I thought back to what was just told to me, and how this disease will affect my life. Read more…

Multiple Sclerosis Does Not Make You Invalid – The Individual's Attitude Makes the Difference

I have been living with the effects of Multiple Sclerosis for past last 38 years.Thankfully, I have remained active in my family’s life and in church. Also, I worked as a Registered Nurse in a Psychiatric Hospital for 16 of those 38 years, during which time, some of my harshest symptoms haunted me. Every person with multiple sclerosis should keep in mind that “active” does not necessarily mean physically up and running, or doing handstands, but in my case, being active means that I am still listening, talking, walking with an unbalanced gait, and being a contributing person to society, especially to our family.

I knew I had MS before the neurologist diagnosed it. As an RN, I knew the symptoms, the tale-tell symptoms, as well as having a childhood, high school friend who was diagnosed with MS. Donna was not as lucky as I was. She suffered severe pain, was confined to a bed, only able to be placed in a wheelchair by staff and family members when she rarely wanted to get out of bed. You see, Donna was pregnant after years of trying. She had a very strong marriage. Her husband and her family supported her in all of her decisions, except one.

Stepping backwards for a few minutes, during Donna’s first trimester, she got up out of bed to go to work as a Circulating Nurse in Surgery at a local hospital. When she started to walk across the floor to the restroom that morning, she collapsed to the floor. Her legs were totally numb and unable to support her.

After being admitted to the hospital for testing, reality raised its ugly head. Donna had Multiple Sclerosis. Just the day before, Donna’s world was bright with anticipation at being 3 months pregnant. Now, the pain she had was excruciating. The doctor had to place her on a strong narcotic pain medicine, which concerned Donna & her husband, as well as her parents and physicians. Days turned into weeks and Donna remained in the hospital. Nursing staff had to give Donna total care, turning her every 2 hours to prevent decubiti from forming. Back in the early 1970’s, hospital stays like Donna’s could go on for weeks, even months. Read more…

Multiple Sclerosis Treatment – Three Important Points

Why am I interested in multiple sclerosis treatment?

It can affect anyone and ignorance is no defense. In addition people with MS need to find support from others who are informed about the disease.

If you or your loved one is suffering from this disease it can be traumatic. In most cases people only see the surface.

So what are the important things to know about multiple sclerosis.

It is an auto immune disease just like AIDS( the body attacks its own cells and tissues instead of the invading bacteria and viruses) and thus no direct multiple sclerosis treatment available. However with a good support system a patient can have a very productive life.

The attack occurs on the nervous system thus affecting, the eyes, brain, balance and coordination. Read more…

It's Good For What Ails You

The phone rang early afternoon. It was one of my friends. She was in a panic. “Mary, I can’t stand up, I have no balance and can’t walk. What is happening?” Having multiple sclerosis and having experienced my friend’s symptoms I knew she was having a flare-up/relapse.

During a relapse, it is difficult to acknowledge to oneself, let alone out loud, what is happening. Common issues are walking and vision problems, lack of balance and overpowering fatigue. Each of these symptoms is a red flag that MS is knocking on the door.

The action step is to call your neurologist and he/she will most likely prescribe a course of steroids. While steroid treatment is very effective for MS, it unfortunately wreaks havoc with everything else in an MS person’s body. It is quite common during a course of steroids to have problems sleeping. Food tastes awful, in spite of an incredible appetite. Quite often, there is a funny, metallic taste along with sores in a patient’s mouth. For some folks, their stomachs are in complete ruins. There are serious mood swings, far worse than menopause. Emotions run rampant, and tears can come at the drop of a hat. Perhaps the biggest complaint is weight gain. But, as the steroids kick in and MS symptoms are abated, patients may feel like they can leap tall buildings in a single bound. They can walk better. Their sight is improved. Balance and coordination are not as challenged. An MS person’s entire outlook on life improves significantly. Just like my mother used to say, the medicine is good for what ails you. Read more…