Multiple sclerosis is a cruel disease. It strikes people in the prime of their lives, often in their 20s or 30s, and then its unpredictability makes life a guessing game. Multiple sclerosis symptoms can also be vague or confused with other diseases, making it difficult to diagnose.
Some people with multiple sclerosis are not affected greatly and can pursue an ordinary life. Others become crippled by MS. No one knows why the disease takes one path in one individual and a greatly different route in another.
I can tell you the story of my husband, Mitch, and how his multiple sclerosis symptoms have affected him during the past 16 years.
I have seen firsthand how devastating this disease is. Just after our oldest son turned 2, Mitch began having strange sensations in his neck. He also had trouble moving his arms and legs. They wouldn’t quite do what he was telling them to do.
I knew that he had had vision problems in the past and couldn’t see very well. He then confessed to me that the problems he was having with his arms and legs weren’t new. He had had them since he was a teenager. But the problems had come and gone, so he hadn’t worried about them in a while.
A neurologist diagnosed him with multiple sclerosis. We were in shock. What would this mean? What could we do?
The answer to both: Nobody really knew.
No one knows what causes MS. There are many theories: toxins in the environment, a virus, genetics. Whatever the trigger, MS occurs when the body begins attacking itself, mistakenly destroying the cells that create myelin, the covering for the body’s nerve fibers.
Next, patches of scar tissue form over the fibers, which block some nerve impulses traveling to and from the brain. The nerves themselves can degenerate over time. This can cause a variety of multiple sclerosis symptoms that range from numbness to hypersensitivity to pain.
There is no certain treatment, either. There are a number of very expensive drugs that seem to slow the progression. Some alternative treatments include a very low-fat diet, and even a series of bee stings. We researched some of these treatments but Mitch didn’t find anything he wanted to try.
Mitch’s multiple sclerosis symptoms came and went for a while, which we found out is typical in MS. He seemed fine on the outside, but complained of not being able to fully feel in control of his limbs. There was kind of a delayed reaction between his brain’s commands and the message getting to his feet or hands.
In 1995, he left a job he loved – as a photographer – because it was increasingly hard for him to drive a car safely. By that time, he was walking with a cane, but began to fall more frequently. He began using a wheelchair the following year.
His vision problems were also related to the MS. Mitch’s optic nerve, the big nerve going to his eyes, was withering.
His balance has been affected. His feet feel numb all the time, making it hard to find his footing. Walking is difficult although he can still stand and take a few steps.
Other multiple sclerosis symptoms that Mitch has experienced are the loss of fine motor control in his hands and fingers. It is difficult for him to pick up small objects or to twist dials. Sensations in different parts of his body have been altered, either becoming numb or hypersensitive. He also began having problems with bladder control. As time has gone on, other symptoms include shooting pains in his legs and feet, which he says are like electric shocks.
We have lived with MS for a long time. It isn’t getting any easier, despite numerous visits to doctors. Depression has also been an issue. The incidence of depression for MS people is higher than for sufferers of other chronic diseases, and it’s thought that depression could well be another symptom of the disease.
Luckily, not everyone with MS is seriously disabled by it. And although Mitch’s life has been affected by the disease, he is still capable of taking care of himself 90 percent of the time.
Mitch is now seeing a neurologist who specializes in MS, and as long as there are new treatments and continuing research, there is always hope.
