Newly Diagnosed Multiple Sclerosis - I don't want to fool you into thinking all is well - Personal - http://maxpages.com/happymspage/Newly_diagnosed_MS

What can I expect? I'm young and in the middle of a very interesting career.
All the sudden I have double vision,feet are stumbling about and I get
fatigued easily.There are other characteristics But we will get into them one
at a time.
Right off the bat I propose you look into Clawson Rocker shoes I did at the beginning
and they kept me walking better for a long time. see www.clawsonrocker.com
The women's sizes start at about $130 plus UPS.I have a whole article about them on this web site. Carolyn Clawson and her son who now runs the company have more to say
on their web site.
This disease Ms , is one we have to learn to deal with the problems it brings.
Some might be fearfull of discussing it with their employer.But if the symptoms start to
change your gait they will know something is wrong.When we first came to Florida 12 years
ago I was in trying to get a Florida driver's license.They always ask the usual questions
do you have eplipsy,convolusions,mental problems,or multiple sclerosis All of which I
said no. Then the quizer asked me why the crutches. Since they weren't just your
garden variety crutches from the pharmacy,but actually the most expensive you can get
I had to tell the truth I thought.Then I admitted to having MS.
They they said you will have to have hand controls. i said I already do.
But your Ohio license doen't say so. That is because I got them myself and never told everyone.

From then on I'm in their computer for having severe MS.
getting back to your new diagnose.It is naturally devistating to learn you have what is usually known as a very bad disease.It doesn't kill except in the very few worst cases.
It could be the side effects will do more to tear down your body.
Beware of the medications you start loosely taking. Tylenol is great but don't do it all the time .allmedication we take has to be exited with the help of our livers.This disease has the so called ABC drugs which no doubt your doctor will want you to be on
one of them.
A for Avonex probably attracts the most users as it is only given by sringe into the
muscle once a week. but many can't manage it without severe side effects.
When you look at it side by side to betaseron the two will give almost the identical
results. Nobody knows exactly why these drugs work .But they will lessen the number of
attacks you experience in time and they promise to stall off the progression of the
disease.
Betaseron on the other hand is injected just into the skin .You find a roll of fat and
inject> In the old days about 8 years ago we had to do the sringe injection by hand
now they have auto injectors for about $18.You press them up to the skin and push the trigger.You will probably have marks where it goes in Many will ice the spot before the
injection.
Last but certainly with it's own private merits is copaxion. It is injected daily.
i forgot to say betaseron is everyother day.
The copaxion people say it is the easiest to use as it has the fewer side effects.
Not everyone is on one of the ABC drugs for a variety of reasons. First they are very
expensive ,$10,000 a year. if you have good insurance coverage it's no problem.
all the companies do have special programs for those who really can't afford to pay and have no assets.

You may have a fast start and show many symptoms early. Don't worry too much It frequently starts with a bang and doesn't always follow the same speed. many of your symptoms will go away.If they stay around for more that a month or two you have about a 30% chance of keeping them.
If they stay around for a full year your chances of keeping them is now about 80%
Then if still around in two ywars you have almost nil chance of getting rid of the symptom.
Most of you willstart out in the Relapse/Remission MS or R/RMS for short.
This will be about 80% of all patients .The really lucky ones are in the benine condition
and you will have several bouts and they they will clear up and you may never have any more the rest of your life,unless you live another 30 to 40 years and by then there will be a cure.
The worst type is 10 to 15% of all beginning patients will be in primary progressive or
PPMS for stort. From the beginning you will experience no great exterbations or attacks
but a hopefully slow erosion of your walking and arm abilities. Unfortunately most
of these folfs will become wheelchair dependent in just a few years.

Getting back to the R/R type MS which most of you will falling to and I hate to use the
words fall into because this Ms will give us many falls when we loose control.
Any way patients in this group will if they are on one of the ABC drugs the most normal life as is possible today with mS. You will probably be able to continue working for years.You may after a couple of years need a cane for balance.Balance is one of the
things we usually all have early problems with while walking.
I started out with a cane and one year after I was diagnosed my doctor said my falls
would be fewer with crutches.so I was with crutches until the present time.I now sometime
use a wheeled walker.
You may want to see my web page on assistive devices and my page on AFOs Ankle Foot
Orthosis. in simple language this is a brace that extends from the shoe up to just under
the knee.If you have to go this way make sure your orthotist doesn't talk you into one
made with plastic. they are very hot in the summer.I have more to say about such in my
AFO page.
You will be more sensitive to heat. heat really does a number on MS patients.
The nerve messages get jumbled up worse.Some will have almost a ment down and will find
walking almost imposible.
Yor family should be informed. This is sometimes very difficult. The public image
of multiple sclerosis is the worst. Most people bring up visions of you in a wheelchair
as that is the way the National Multiple sclerosis society raises money.they show it in
the worst light to work up pitty Just as the Muscular Distrophy people do the same
with Jerry's annual labor day program.
The fact are that the vast majority will never own a wheelchair in their life
You may need one at the air terminal as walking can be a chore.But only about 25% of the
R/R type Ms will develop the more progressive form of SPMS or secondary progressive.
If this doesn't happen in the first 5 to 6 years it may never happen.what happens in the
first 5 to 6 years will usually be the pattern for another 5 to 6 years. then in 10 years
we should have a cure. I hope we aren't like the post polio people who unfortunately
still have their troubles and some are worse that when the disease was active when they
were children.

Eileen Lukeman and Richard Tanner

FL.

Eileen(Lobosgirl) and Richard (RET1000) both at aol.com

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Page Updated Wed May 7, 2008 9:45am EDT