Symptoms & Coping with MS

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system in which the myelin, which normally insulates nerve fibers and helps conduction of impulses, is damaged in random areas (Multiple Sclerosis, 2000). These damaged areas are called plaques and the symptoms they cause depend on where they occur. The current thinking is that the loss of myelin in multiple sclerosis is caused by either a virus or an autoimmune reaction. The first symptoms of MS are variable and include vague feelings of weakness, clumsiness or exhaustion. Vision may become blurred and there may be numbness and tingling on areas of the skin. Other symptoms include double vision, weakness of the arms and legs, muscle stiffness, dizziness, loss of bladder control, depression and memory loss. MS symptoms come and go unpredictably and the episodes when symptoms are present may last a few days or a few weeks.

Patients are usually able to function normally between episodes, and their functional level during episodes depends on the severity and type of symptoms they are experiencing Multiple Sclerosis, 2000). Some patients have just a few mild, infrequent symptoms while others have more disabling episodes and functional losses that continue between episodes. With time, episodes may become more frequent and may result in severe disability.

There is no cure for MS, but symptoms are usually treated with steroids in the short-term, and long-term treatment usually involves the use of interferons to

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s them for what may happen in the future (Stone, 2000). It allows them to make plans to fit in with their disabilities from the disease. It is also essential to have a good doctor who can be relied upon and with whom the patient can have a good relationship and an open line of communication at all times. There are many adaptive tools available to the MS patient, including canes, walkers and wheelchairs. The MS patient has to learn to accept the changes in their life brought about by the disease, such as changes in work capabilities and changes in lifestyle. The patient has to learn to let go of the past and not to dwell on what used to be. They have to live in the present and make the most of the times when they are in remission. Rehabilitation is a relatively new concept for MS patients (Larson, 2000). Because MS is unpredictable and progressive in severity of episodes, many MS patients refrain from exercising, but increasingly doctors are referring MS patients to physical therapy for exercise programs for building strength and flexibility for sitting, standing and walking. Exercise helps with spasticity - the uncontrolled contraction of skeletal muscles that can occur in MS. To reduce spasticity, MS patients are ins

Category: Medical - S