Posts Tagged ‘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…

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 – 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…

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…