Sister diagnosed with MS

[johnfm]

Emailed my sister, who lives back home in Australia, to see how she was. Times have been tough for her etc, having had some pretty serious eye operations lately and problems with stress, depression, ex-husband etc and thought I'd give her some support.

She emailed me back today to say she'd been diagnosed with MS. bks. fk. st. Crap.

Times are tough for many people at the moment, with economy, jobs, money problems - I suppose this puts my problems in perspective.

Anybody have experience of this? I have no idea how bad it is/can be and wikipedia not much help so far.

[merc_man]

John,

Having MS does not mean life stops. There are many varying degrees of MS and not all mean you end up in a wheelchair with a shortened life span. My wife was diagnosed way back in 1996 and has the occasional episode which usually manifests itself as numbness in some part of the body. Other than that life continues as normal. The MS Society has a wealth of information and offers support to sufferers and relatives.

There may well be some positive news around the corner as trials of a drug that can almost halt and in some cases slightly reverse the effects of MS is going through clinical trials at the moment. Although unlikely to be avilable for a coupe of years it does look promising.

Offer support and sympathy but keep positive.

[johnfm]

Thanks Merc Man. THat is a great relief. I spoke to her about the Tony Johnstone (golfer) drug trial - but as you say there are differing degrees. Hope this is the case here.

THanks again.

[LHDisbest]

I'm sorry to hear that, who cares about anything else if someone you love is ill?

It depends what kind of MS she's got, how far down the road she is and a number of factors.

It can be treated, but time will unfortunatly make it worse.

My thoughs are with you and your family.

[XXVIII]

My sister may have MS as well, we are awaiting a full diagnosis at this time.

As far as I'm aware it is a manageable condition - and it's certainly not the disabling killer it used to be a few years ago.

I'd look a little wider than Wikipedia for some information as well - certainly there should be some links on the Wikipedia pages for reference.

You should be able to contact the NHS and get ALL the information they have about Multiple Sclerosis from them, quite easily in the post... no need to say anything about your sister being in Australia!

My dad has very advanced Lymphoma and the deluge of information about that illness has been at the very least worth knowing - all from the NHS, if all a little irrelevant as he is now very, very ill but at least we know why he's so ill.

Meanwhile, there is bright, frosty sunshine in Lancashire today and the heating here is gently mumbling as it warms the room - small mercies add up to better life.

[gshughes]

My wife has MS, diagnosed back in 2004. Initially the progression was fairly quick, going from slight wobblyness, to using a stick, to using a wheelchair to walk longer distances in about 3 years. BUT as we have got better at managing it things have improved, she can now walk further and uses the stick and chair less often. We are fighting it on the following fronts:

1)Drugs – Tysabri seems to be working well.

2)Diet – there are lots of varying suggestions on this, but cutting saturated fat down to a max of 5g a day if possible seems to be the most easily achievable.

3)Exercise – we go the gym 3 times a week and have seen a bit improvement in what Sarah can go over the last 6 months – she lifts more weights and goes harder on the rowing machine than some blokes in there.

4)Stay positive – Sarah has no problems in the arms so we have taken up Kayaking as a sport we can do together. We also did the Great North Run a few weeks back, particularly poignant as Sarah has run it twice before MS hit. This time I was pushing her in the chair – we had a great time – beat lots of people running and raised £2500 for MS research.

If you are interested we made a little video http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=o5ppGBUF5TA

If you want any advice etc please feel free to PM me

[NiceCupOfTea]

AIUI there are 2 main types of MS. One comes in episodes, where something will manifest itself and then symptoms will improve - my wife's aunt has this and has led a pretty normal life.

The other type is progressive, which will get steadily worse with no respite. Unfortunately I have watched my mother go through this over the last few years. It's not the best. She will get very depressed and it will be very hard on her carer(s). As said, a positive outlook will be the best defence.

Loads of info on the MS Society website...

Edited by NiceCupOfTea on Wednesday 29th October 10:18

[evenflow]

Nothing to add other than good wishes for you both

[Norfolknporsche]

OP - know this is an old thread, but thought you may be interested in a response from someone who has MS, as I do. I hope you sis is doing OK, and as stated the MS Society has a wealth of info. Be aware too that there are also lots of 'snake oil' sites who's prime function is to sell their diet/book etc.

When I was diagnosed two years ago (aged 41) my only impession of MS was of some 'lump' in a wheelchair, totally failing to contribute to society or have any position of worth. I am very please to say this has not been the case, and whilst sysmptons can be a drag, all of the people I have met have been awe inspiring.

If you sis want to get in touch with MSer's, as I did, to get some real world feedback, I'd also recommed a web site "Joolys Joint" - Google it.

On a final note, I had a critical illness policy, which I used to buy my Porsche 996 - better than any course of anti-depressants!

[MaxAndRuby]

John, my mate's mum was diagnosed with MS when we were at school (over 20 years ago). Obviously she's been through the mill, but saw her a couple of years ago and she was still fit, healthy and enjoying her life. It's not always as bad as everyone assumes. All the best.