Living with MS

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) was once a phrase that few knew of and even fewer could pronounce. That isn't the case anymore. The fact is, over 250,000 Americans are living with this debilitating disease. MS is a chronic disease of the central nervous system. It creates lesions on the brain and may cause problems with vision, strength, coordination, speech, bladder control, sensation, the eyes, brain, or spinal cord. Although there are documented cases of children with MS, most of its victims are diagnosed between the ages of twenty and forty.

Imagine for a moment, living with the chilling possibility of knowing that tomorrow you may go blind, loose the ability to walk, control your bowels, or have to live in tremendous pain caused by spasms. Doctors and researchers do not know how the disease develops or why, survivors only know they have to live with it. During the nineties, there were many celebrity faces in the news featuring people who had been diagnosed with MS. But, what television does not always convey is the plight of ordinary people who have to live with its challenges. They are the ones who cannot afford the expensive tests or medical burdens. Each day, living without the proper medical assistance, they are not able to afford the aid of nurses or caregivers. Being prone to loss of balance, they are apt to fall out of bed or down stairs and at times, have no one around to pick them up. Family members and loved ones, if they are kind enough to do so, are then put in the position of having to carry the physical burden of the infirmed unless the disease goes into remission.

For them, the possibility of remission is the best comfort, because medical science has not found a cure. They have discovered medical treatments that can slow down the process or ease some of the pain, but even that has consequences. For every pill taken, they still know that there are side effects, so it is really just about weighing your options.

Francine of Michigan, was diagnosed with this disease in 1986. "I had to quit working because with the MS I couldn't handle stress real well,” she explained. “It gave me extreme bladder problems so I had to go on bladder medication. I can't be as independent as I'm used to being and it has caused severe depression for me."

Ann another MS patient born and raised in Michigan was diagnosed in 1999.

She describes the diagnosis as being a tragic experience. "Well, it was shocking,” she recalled, “it was very shocking. I was numb because I was coping with my daughter just being diagnosed. I think I was in denial, even though the test, the MRI, showed it and it showed I had lesions on my brain, I couldn't believe it. But, I just believe in God for healing. But, it did put things in perspective. The numbness, the headaches, the forgetfulness; I was starting to think I had a brain tumor for a while. Then the odds of a mother and daughter being diagnosed with the same disease in the same year, that in itself is unusual. That was mind boggling in itself."

She suggests to newly diagnosed patients, "Take one day at a time so it won't over whelm you, and don't look at long term because a cure could come any day, don't give up and never loose hope."