First I am going to post some helpful information before I post my story so that you will be able to follow along a little bit better.
- Multiple Sclerosis is what they call an autoimmune disease. This means that the person immune system for some reason decided it is going to attack so part of the body that it shouldn’t attack. In MS the immune system decides it is going to attack the nerves of the CNS (central nervous system). They are not sure what triggers the immune system to think that part of the body is a invader and needs to be attacked.
- There are a lot of different symptoms that go along with this disease. I am going to list some of the most common ones: Fatigue, problems with walking, numbness, tingling, slurred speech, tremors, stiffness, problems with vision, cognition, speech, and elimination. Every person with MS has different symptoms.
- Anyone can get MS. Women are more like to get it than men and so are people with a lighter pigmentation to there skin. So Montel Williams who has MS is a real rarity. They think MS has a genetic link but they aren’t sure what it is. In my case there is no one in my family history of it. You usually get diagnosed between the ages of 20-50. I was a rarity and was diagnosed at age 16. Although younger patients are now getting diagnosed because doctors are starting to look for it at a younger ages.
- MS symptoms happen when the immune system attacks the myelin around the nerves. If you think of your nerves like a wire the myelin would be the protective covering around the wire. If the nerve underneath the myelin gets hurt that is what causes the symptoms and some times permanent disabilities.
- The body tries to repair the damage that is done but it is never the same the the nerve never really functions the same.
- MS is rarely fatal. Most of the time people with MS with get a common cold of the flu and that is what will end up taking their lives.
- There are several treatments out there that each do things differently. I am on one called Tysabri and it is the most expensive and most dangerous of the drugs. All of the current MS treatments are expensive and it makes it hard for people like me who have the disease to get the treatments that they need. There is always new treatments in the works and exciting things happening in research that hold so much hope for future generations.
- There is currently no cure for MS.
That is all I can think to tell you. If you have any questions please feel free to ask them and I will answer them all in another post. I hope this will help everyone understand my story a little bit better. I am going to post my story next Thursday. So if you have any questions please ask so everything will be clear to you when I post my story.
12 Comments on FYI About Multiple Sclerosis
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(((Margaret))) I pray that a cure is found in your lifetime, and soon!! I am very interested in your story, and I think you explained things very well.
~M
YOU HAVE AN AWARD WAITING AT MY BLOG!!
My daughter's great grandmother on her dad's side has MS (she is almost 90) and her sister has ALS. My daughter's dad was diagnosed with JRA (juvenile rheuomatoid arthritis) when he was a kid. He still has arthritis, as well as psoriasis. His mother was diagnosed with thyroid disease as a child also. He has seen many specialists over the years, and they think there is some link between the JRA and the MS gene, that they are on the same strand of DNA or something like that. I worry that my daughter will end up with some autoimmune disorder as well.
Just poppin' in to let you know I'm following your story.
I know some one else with MS and I linked your post to her.
Thank you.
I have some sunshine for you on my blog. come and get it.
living my life, whatever
Greg
Thank you for the information about MS. I have always been unsure what the symptoms of it were. I am looking forward to your story next week.
I have fibromyalgia. At one point the doctors were trying to rule out MS. I hope someday they find a cure for it.
I have a question about your medication. What does it treat, specifically? Does it treat the symptoms? Thank you so much for such an informative post!
Great informational post.
My good friend's mom was diagnosed with this, so I like to be supportive and involved in any fundraising and awareness for this.
Thanks for bringing a lot of this to light!
Hi! my good friend told me to read your post and Im sure glad she did! I too have MS and know pretty much what your going through! Im on Rebif right now and the side effects are not the kindest boo! but just wanted to say GREAT POST!
A good friend of mine has this. Diagnosed on her honeymoon. Doesn't that shuck? The fact that you were diagnosed so early also sucks.
THanks for the info and perspective. Happy SITS day!