My brother has just been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and he’s gotten second opinions from two doctors who concur. I don’t know too much about it except that it is a degenerative disease that can ultimately leave a person with little to no control over the muscles in their body, as well as a few other things I’ve read online. My brother is going to the doctor tomorrow to have an MRI done to see if his myelin sheath is damaged. Myelin is used by the neurons in your brain to facilitate the sending of nerve signals and in people with MS their immune system is believed to malfunction and attack it. There is a chance that his diagnosis is wrong and something other than MS is causing him to have episodes, but this is just about his last hope. If the MRI comes back with an indication of damaged myelin than pretty much all other possibilities are ruled out.
I don’t know if there is a god, but if there is I’ve been extraordinarily blessed with a wonderful family, and if there isn’t then I’ve been extraordinarily lucky to have the family that I have and it kills me to think that any one of them should have to go through something like MS. I don’t think that anyone should have to go through something like MS, but this time I know for a fact that it’s hitting a good person.
This is truly nerve wracking and painful because he’s one of four brothers I have, and we’ve all been close knit through the years, with only a max of seven years of age separating any of us. Even though we’ve spread out across the country a bit in the past few years we talk relatively frequently and all five of us manage to get together occasionally, at least for the holidays. The thought of one of us not being there or is in some way restricted in enjoying another’s company is heartbreaking. It’s especially bad for me as well because he’s the closest in age to myself and we’ve been really close growing up and into adulthood, and even though I’ve wanted to smack him upside the head with a bat on multiple occasions, ultimately I have unlimited love for him.
And to make matters worse he’s a new father, his wife having given to birth to the most beautiful girl in the world only this past September. They look like they’re going to be excellent parents and I don’t want to imagine what it would be like for that little girl to grow up with a severely disabled father, or worse.
Having MS is not automatically a death sentence, some people have managed to live for decades with it with little to no degeneration in their motor skills, but many other MS sufferers aren’t so lucky. So do me a favor, please? If you believe in a deity say a prayer. I don’t know if God exists, but I figure it can’t hurt to ask for a little divine help. And if you don’t believe in God think kind thoughts or something.
Sending good vibes your way, and towards your brother. Hopefully he’ll be one of the lucky ones, and he’ll be healthy and active for a long time. Who knows what medicine will give us in the next 5-10 years. I wish him all the best…
My mother was diagnosed when I was 4. 20 yrs later she is still wheelchair free and suffers mostly from fatigue and mild dizzy spells. That isn’t to say she hasn’t suffered through long bouts of sickness and pain but she is still going, living life the same as anyone else. She can work part time, she had another child after the diagnosis and has raised him to a strapping 17 yrs and she takes classes part time.
I truly hope your brother doesn’t have MS but if he does don’t give up hope for him having a decent life, it can happen.
I’m really sorry Asylum. My dad has MS. He was diagnosed 13 years ago when he was having trouble walking, and is now in a wheelchair. Words can’t express how horrible it is to watch a loved one deal with a degenerative disease like MS.
Some medications are very effective at slowing or halting the progression of the disease in some people – encourage him to find a doctor who he trusts to really explore all options in his treatment.
My mam was diagnosed about 15 years ago with the secondary progressive form of the disease. She is a star - yes she gets tired very easy, yes sometimes she suffers sever leg spasms, yes she isn’t as mobile as she used to be, yes she is sometimes in pain but she is still my mam and she doesn’t let it stop her from doing things she wants to do like travelling around South Africa. She uses a wheelchair for long distances like supermarket shopping etc but woe betide anyone who offers to hang out the laundry when she doesn’t need the help or treats her as nothing more than a person with MS. Her and my dad since he retired due to ill health are now more active than they have been in years. Having a positive attitude goes a long way as does the love and support of a close family. Having MS doesn’t have to be the end of the world one of my school friends was recently diagnosed at the age of 25 and it hit her like a tonne of bricks she was very, very low for a few months as her and her husband were trying for a baby and she was convinced it was the end of the world. But after talking to me and my mam she has realised that it doesn’t have to be. Giraffe is right is is not nice to watch someone you love and are close to deteriorate from the person they used to be but with the right medical care & support - we have a dedicated MS nurse and my mam is on Beta-Interferon - then things don’t have to be so bad.
My thoughts are with you and your brother and the rest of your family. E-mail me if you want to talk.
I’m sorry…please know you (he) are not alone. I have two close friends with MS (diagnosed 18 and 3 years ago) who live full and active lives (thank God).
Asylum Trust me on this one, but what did the lumbar puncture indicate? Were there oligoclonal bands and an increased IGG index?
Also, typically a doctor looks on an MRI for lesions in the brain that are in both hemishpheres and perpendicular to the ventricals. Sometimes there can be indications that there are problems with the myelin sheath but it’s not definitive.
In fact, MS can only be ruled in, never completely out…
But you may want to suggest the possibility of microvasculkar infarcts or I think even Lyme’s disease.
But remember, many people experience waxing and waning and can have some pretty clear times…in fact some folks that have MS can be almost totally normal, just have some optic neuritis…
I tried to post this in the middle of the nigght, but the hamsters ate it…I know someone who was diagnosed a few years back, and nobody even knows she has MS except the people she’s chosen to tell. Her only symptoms are occasional lack of equilibrium and the aforementioned optic neuritis in one eye, and she probably wouldn’t have had any permanent damage from the optic neuritis if she hadn’t been in denial about how serious it is to have blurred vision and had gotten prompt treatment. She swears by positive attitude and healthy living; she’s a big meditation/health food nut, and says she’s in better shape generally than most of her friends because she now realizes how important it is to take care of her body.
Good luck, and hang in there…medical science is a wonderful thing, and is coming up with new ideas all the time. In any case, as many other posters have said, your brother can lead a normal or almost 100% normal life for many, many years to come. He’s going to have to take care of himself, though, which is good advice in any case.
My father is 56 and was diagnosed with MS 14 years ago, but they think he had it earlier than that (numbness in the face and left side of the body). His sight has been affected and he is loosing use of his leg, and some other issues, but for the most part he handles life really well. There are hurdles, but we support him as a family and that helps. He lives in a small town and doesn’t have access to the best doctors, so that worries me, but he has learned to live with it. Best of luck to your brother, I know its a shock to hear that someone you love has it. Margo
I’m forwarding this to my sister, her husband is in his early 30’s and was diagnosed about 5 years ago. I’m sure she’ll have some words of support and maybe your bro would like to chat with her hubby.
I have a friend who has MS, too. Her main symptoms (after several years) are dizziness, fatigue and occasional blurred vision. May your brother fare as well.
My friend has MS, and from her I have learned that there are many different degrees of MS. She was diagnosed long before I met her, and during our 15 years of friendship I have never seen anything about her MS that affects her life.
I am sending prayers and positive healing thoughts that your brother doesn’t HAVE MS, but if he does…that he has one of the milder forms…the kind my friend has.
