What is it? It is a progressive disease of the central nervous system in which scattered patches of myelin (the protective covering of nerve fibers) in the brain and spinal cord are destroyed. What are the symptoms? Symptoms are different from person to person. MS is a combination of many diseases. For example some common symptoms are: blindness, deafness, numbness in legs, arms, stomach, back, etc., dizziness, fatigue, speech problems, memory loss, etc. What are your symptoms? I experience chronic fatigue (I'm always tired!) and numbness. I sometimes experince some of the above but it's not very strong or noticible. I have moderate MS (there is mild, moderate and very progressive). How long have you had MS? I have had MS since April 1999, I was 16. How did you find out? In about March, 1999, I lost all feeling in my left hand. I wasn't able to do anything "normal" such as putting my hair in a pony-tail, picking up things or putting on my jacket. I thought it would go away but unfortunately it did not. I went to the walk-in-clinic with my mom one night when it got really bad. The doctor had a feeling that there was something wrong so I got an immediate appointment to get a CAT Scan and an MRI. After seeing 2 neurologists and MANY tests the diagnosis was MS. What kind of test did you go through? It was quite an experience, kinda like something you would see in a movie where they make you lay down in a dark room and you are connected to a machine... many machines. It was very scary. Many tests like that and tons of blood tests. Who can get MS? A stereotype exists that only people in their 30's get it which is not true. Now kids as young as 4 or 5 can get it. It is not known why. What's the cure? There is no cure! Are you on any medication? Yes, I take a shot every Friday... it's called Interferon Beta-1A. It's to make my immune system stronger. Of couse, it is not known if it works since it's only been available within the last 2 years. They're just experimenting. I also do alternative medicine such as drinking herbs and having reflexology done twice a week. What can I do to help? Make people more aware of this disease so that a cure can be found. I myself used to think that it was no big deal until I got it. Can you die from it? Yes, if it gets really and my organs give up. Right now I get attacks where I lose feeling in parts of my body. After every attack some of the normal feeling is gone meaning that this disease slowly paralyzes a person. Some people have more attacks then others. The medicaion I take is supposed to stop the attacks from occuring frequently. It often hurts and even though I try very hard not to I find myself crying because there is completely nothing a person can take to make themselves feel better. The only thing a person with MS has is hope that a cure will be found. Some tid bits:
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