What's it like to have MS?
For the first few years after she was diagnosed, multiple sclerosis had only subtle affects on my wife Liz. She would have a stumble from time to time and experienced fatigue. Of course, who wouldn't be tired, we thought, with a full time job as a planner for the city and with three little boys to chase after. Even then, though, we were both shocked to see on her MRI that her brain already had many scars where the myelin sheathing on the nerve fibers had been attacked by her own immune system. We marveled at the remarkable ability of the brain to "re-wire" itself and find alternative pathways so her functioning seemed quite normal.
As time progressed, however, the symptoms that had come and gone became long-term constraints on her life. Over the last couple of years Liz has lost the ability to work, walk, and drive. She is particularly concerned about experiencing new cognitive difficulties and increasing visual problems. Severe pain and difficulty using her hands control compound her challenges.
Sometimes she can't sleep all night long because of the pain. Like a lot of other people we've met with MS, she'll have energy to do one or maybe two things in a day. She is now totally dependent on others to get anywhere, even into her own bed.
Liz was most recently being treated with Tysabri, a promising new medication that was reintroduced last year. However, there have been some deaths associated with this therapy and she will be going back to Novantrone, an infusion which has helped her in the past.
When
the first MS 150 Bike Tours were held, there was no drug available to
slow the course of MS. While we still don't have a cure, the
researchers are making great strides on understanding and slowing the
progression of this disease. New as of this last year is the
tantalizing possibility of restoration of lost capabilities! With
the on-going research made possible by your support, we now have
increasingly effective treatments for MS.
PLEASE
support TEAM LIZ by following this link to make an on-line donation:
Click to go to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society site to make a donation