Today is World MS day.
I have had MS for 2 years now and have been very lucky not to have had another relaps.
The medication seems to be working out for me. For that, I am grateful.
For those of you that don't know or don't quite understand, MS is an autoimmune disease that attacks the brain and spinal cord. You can have any number of symptoms and every person with MS is different.
As a matter of fact, every relaps can be different.
It is a big fat disease of unknown. It is a big fat deal.
You never know when it will strike or how hard it will hit you. You never know what is going to be affected next. I have found that I can't dwell on it too much because it can cause a lot of stress wondering when things will get worse. I prefer to hope that things never will get worse.
MS can cause muscle weakenss, pain, paralysis, blurred vision, double vision or loss of vision entirely. It can cause bladder and bowel incontenence, memorie loss, heat intolerance, fatique, vertigo, depression and a million other things. Basically every thing your brain or spinal cord controles can be affected.
That is a whole lot of possiblities.
For me, MS caused vertigo, double vision, chronic fatique, heat intolerance, random muscle pain, urinary frequency, memory issues and definitely depression.
After I went into remission all of those resolved except the chronic fatique, heat intolerance and dizzy spells. That may not sound too bad compaired to what it could be and I defintely know Ive been lucky, but there is always that dread in the back of my mind of what is going to happen next time.
Not everyone with MS is in a wheel chair nor will they necessarily ever be in a wheel chair, but the invisible part of MS is still as debilitating. I think the hardest part of having an invisible disease is looking so normal on the outside but being so unwell on the inside. To everyone else you may not look sick at all, but inside you never quite feel right.
Like with all diseases I hope for a cure, but for now I am just grateful for the treatment that is out there, the support of family and friends and the ability to spread awarenss.
