Do you know anyone with MS?

[esboogie143]

My friend has just been diagnosed with this crippling disease. I feel so bad and helpless b/c I cant do anything Her medication are injections of inteferon. OMG...I feel so sad. Does anyone have any knowledge of this disease/know anyone? I will be researching it online. Thanks...

[HealingHandsWarmHeart]

i had a friend who has it and is taking the shots- she's doing great and you'd never know she has it. I don't know how she is doing because we lost touch- i often think about her and wonder how she is doing.

 

definitely research it ...but from what i understand the injections really work well.

 

In fact, just the other day a met a woman who has ms and is taking the shots- she was walking with a cane...but doing really well.

[Ians Mommy]

My aunt has it. Unfortunately, she has let it ruin her. She never took her meds like she was supposed to and ended up gaining A LOT of weight. Right now she is in a rehab center because she couldn't get out of her wheelchair.

 

As long as you follow the strict regimens the doctors give you and keep yourself motivated, she should be okay.

 

I went to a taping of the Montel Show in New York last February and although he's had it for years, he doesn't let it affect him as my aunt did. He stays as active as he can and won't let it get him down. I wish I could say the same for my aunt but as of right now, she's on a complete self-destructive path towards suicide.

[BetterKarma]

It depends on the severity of the disease. I know people who have had it for years and you won't be able to notice the difference. Unfortunately, there's the other side where it leaves people handicapped and immobile.

 

The best thing to do is to ask your friend about it. Don't be shy and don't make her feel like she's got the plague. I'm sure she's scared and would like some support too. Be supportive and ask her directly how it will affect her. Get to know her illness through her and maybe learn about it together. Good luck.

[hosswhispra]

Have other medical conditions been ruled out (Lyme disease, cervical spondylosis, antiphospholipid syndrome, porphyria, pernicious anemia, Sjogren's syndrome....etc...)

 

There are many categories of multiple sclerosis:

 

Sensory MS (aka benign MS) purely sensory symptoms, such as formication/paresthesias (i.e. tingling sensations)

 

Relapsing-Remitting MS- periods of exacerbation of symptoms (motor/sensory)

 

Primary Progressive MS- debilitating from day 1

 

Secondary Progressive MS- Relapsing-remitting MS that has turned progressive

 

15 years ago, there wasn't anything out there to control the relapses/exacerbations of multiple sclerosis. In July 1993, the FDA approved Betaseron, then Avonex, then Copaxone...etc. These are all injectable meds that reduce the rate of exacerbations by 30-33%

 

Not all MS is crippling. For example there are cases similar to Montel Williams type of MS. NOT all people with MS end up in a wheelchair.

[esboogie143]

Thank you all for ur responsesand knowledge.