[Grovenet] Re:about MS

[Geri]

This is so informative, Joy --  Thank you.

What a wonderful spirit you have!

Geri

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Eric Canon" <canonmetals at yahoo.com>
To: "Forest Grove local interests list" <grovenet at rdrop.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 06, 2006 12:00 AM
Subject: Re: [Grovenet] Re:about MS


: You bring tears to my eyes. Certainly dealing
: with something like that can evoke feelings of
: sympathy, and there are tears for that. But you
: reveal your spirit in your writing. Life is what
: happens when we make other plans. It's not less
: than, or more this way than that. It's what we do
: with what we have. It sounds to me like you live
: your life with joy. In your affliction, the way
: you live and relate bring my tears. You give us a
: gift. Thank you so much.
: 
: --- JBlair2154 at aol.com wrote:
: 
: >  
: > In a message dated 6/5/2006 2:08:22 PM Central
: > Daylight Time,  
: > grovenet-request at rdrop.com writes:
: > 
: > would  you say
: > more about MS? How is it contracted, what are
: > the
: > consequences,  how has it changed your life...
: > that sort of thing, if you are  inclined.
: > 
: > 
: > 
: > Thanks for your interest, Eric.  Multiple
: > sclerosis is a  chronic, 
: > progressive, incurable disease of the central
: > nervous system. It is  characterized as 
: > "demylineating," because it causes the T cells
: > in our  own immune systems to 
: > attack the myelin sheath that covers the 
: > nerves in the brain and spinal cord.  
: > (Visualize those nerves as  electrical cords
: > with parts of the protective outer 
: > coating damaged or  destroyed, creating
: > short-circuits in the wiring system.) 
: > It's a rather  unpredictable disease with
: > symptoms that vary widely among 
: > different individuals  and even among each
: > person on a day-to-day, even hour 
: > to-hour basis. Its course  can vary widely,
: > too, from a sudden, severe onset of 
: > symptoms that can even be  fatal to the much
: > more common course of rather mild 
: > relapsing-remitting attacks  with lingering
: > effects which gradually become 
: > worse. Its cause is unknown,  although several
: > genes have been identified which 
: > are associated with it, and  sometimes it runs
: > rather noticeably in families. So 
: > there is definitely a  genetic predisposition.
: > Viral infections are also 
: > suspected as playing a role in  its
: > development...something that manages to break 
: > through the blood-brain  barrier and evoke an
: > overzealous immune system 
: > response. Fair-skinned  females are most often
: > affected, but males seem to have more 
: > severe  forms, and it usually first rears its
: > ugly head during young  
: > adulthood. 
: >  
: > In my case, the first symptoms which sent me to
: > a doctor occurred  while we 
: > lived on Crete and I was in my mid-30s.
: > Unexplainable weakness, strange  
: > feelings in one leg, occasional tunnel vision.
: > Typically vague. The doctor at  our 
: > little clinic on base sent me to the Army
: > hospital in Wiesbaden as an  
: > out-patient for a complete neurological workup.
: > No cause could be determined. I  had 
: > intermittent, mild attacks over the next few
: > years (more vague and various  
: > symptoms) until I was finally diagnosed at age
: > 47 -- not long after CT and MRI  
: > scans came on the scene -- following a series
: > of tests precipitated by a 
: > sudden,  brief episode of monocular blindness.
: > (At that time, the immunomodulating  
: > drugs to treat MS had not yet been developed,
: > and I have chosen never to take  
: > any since then.) I reacted by signing up for
: > clogging lessons and buying my  
: > Acura. (This is called "Thumbing Your Nose at
: > the MonSter." LOL) I continued 
: > to  work full-time, long hours for another 7
: > years. 
: > What most people don't realize about MS is that
: > its single most  disabling 
: > symptom is fatigue. A friend of mine describes
: > this as waking up with  a 
: > quarter-tank of fuel and trying to drive your
: > body and mind through the day on  
: > empty. This is one of those "invisible
: > disabilities" that healthy folks just  can't 
: > understand. And the fatigue, which comes upon
: > you so quickly, causes other  
: > symptoms to act up: blurred vision, foggy
: > thinking, drowsiness, clumsiness,  
: > numbness, "foot drop," etc. I finally resorted
: > to occasional wheelchair use,  
: > just in the past 3 years, but I walk around the
: > house most of the time and for  
: > as long, in public, as I can. Aside from
: > fatigue and drowsiness, my most  
: > troublesome symptom is loss of equillibrium. I
: > must be VERY careful about  looking 
: > up, down, moving my head suddenly, avoid
: > closing my eyes while  
: > standing...always fighting to maintain my
: > balance. There are other symptoms,  too, but
: > this 
: > message is already too long so I'll shut up for
: > now. Remind me to  tell 
: > ya'll, sometimes, about what MSers call "The
: > Wal-Mart Syndrome."   (evil grin) Feel 
: > free to ask questions.
: >  
: > Joy
: > 
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: > 
: 
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