MS is an equal opportunity disease
Doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, famous or not famous, tall and thin, short and stout, collage degree or high school education. Jack Osbourne, Ann Romney and Montel Williams all have MS. So does my brother and he doesn’t hang with the Hollywood crowd. He’s a teacher. About as common and decent a guy as you would ever want to know. So is the young woman I know that was diagnosed a few months ago. Doesn’t matter. Both have MS.
Why do they have it? How did they get it? Who knows? Doctors don’t. Scientists don’t. No one knows. There are theories and we are closer to answers today than we were 40 years ago. But enough answers are still not there.
Before I go any farther I want to talk about symptoms because the earlier a diagnosis is made and treatment is started the better the chances are of slowing the progression of this disease. While the symptoms are common to several other diseases the key is they come on suddenly and last more than 24 hours.
- Blurred or double vision
- Cognition or thinking problems
- Clumsiness/ lack of coordination
- Loss of balance
- Numbness and tingling in arm, leg, foot or hand
- Weakness in an arm or leg
It may be only one symptom that appears and go month or years without other symptoms appearing. My brother thought he had pinched a nerve. Funny sensations in his trunk every time he bent over. It didn’t go away with physical therapy, heat or massage. The neurologist did a spinal tap and an MRI and the diagnosis was made. There were bare places on the myelin sheath that covers the spinal cord. Scarring was causing signals from the brain not to reach the body. Those symptoms finally went away. There are a few others, mostly fatigue and trouble concentrating. He has been very fortunate. He had an excellent doctor who was aware of the newest and best treatment options. the first medication that appeared to slow the disease from progressing had just been introduced. It was an injection called AVONEX. It meant he needed injections 3 times a week and for 24 hours after an injection he knew he would have flu like symptoms BUT the good news was his disease did not progress. That was 15 + years ago. Other people may have multiple symptoms and they worsen within weeks or months.
There are new medications, 6 injectable, 5 oral, and one IV medication that is only given once a month. I firmly believe my brother’s early diagnosis by an outstanding physician and the timing of the new medication are largely responsible for my brother’s continued success in keeping MS under control Progress is being made. A cure is still a long way off but every new medicine is an improvement. More is known now about the disease than ever before.
I stress the symptoms because early detection means early treatment and early treatment can slow the progression of the disease. I can’t emphasize enough that if you are experiencing any of these symptoms and they last more than 24 hours you need to see a doctor. Insist that tests be run to rule out MS.
More women than men (3 times as many women and 4 times as many if symptoms occur before age 20) get MS. It is primarily a northern hemisphere disease. It is seldom found in tropical or southern hemisphere countries. There is likely a genetic link. Studies have shown that people with a family history of Parkinson’s Disease have a greater change of having MS. (My dad had Parkinson’s……) Scientists now think that exposure to a virus (unknown WHICH virus) may be the trigger than sets off the disease OR is it the virus itself that actually CAUSES it. The old chicken or the egg conundrum.
Reasons early detection and early treatment is so important:
- Decrease in occurrence of new lesions
- Decrease in the number of exacerbations
- Decrease in progression
- Increase quality of life after diagnosis
This is just a very brief overview of this very serious disease. The internet is full of information. If you think you or someone you know may be experiencing any of the symptoms check it out. Early detection = better outcome.
Think about it.