Has anyone dealt with Mutliple Sclerosis?

I've had MS for almost 39 years. There have been more downs in the paat 2 years, but I can honestly say that I'm feeling much more normal lately. I started Techfidera last July and I think it may be kicking in. On the Vitamin D issue, even an MS patient can take too much. The levels need to be watched, through blood tests ordered by the doctor. Can I hep you with anything? I'm not sure what you are asking. Yes, I have dealt with MS.

I take care of a young woman with MS. She has had it since she was 16, and her case is severe. Try loading up on Vitamin D. Most MS patients have a shortage. MS is almost unheard of in places where people eat diets high in fish

Thank you for the input.. This is not a new diagnosis.. and i will look into the gluten free .. thanks.

It's important to go to the office visit with the patient and of course the doctor should be a Neurologist with plenty of MS experience. Ask for a referral to a nutritionist because diet is sooo important. Ask for PT OT to be ordered for a housebound patient. Get a visiting nurse through the VNA if you need one.
Look for "clinical trials MS" on the web.

Hi Peacemaker! The Multiple Sclerosis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center has an extensive workbook called Living Well with MS, available for free from their website (not sure if I can include a link here: http://msrrtc.washington.edu/info/msworkbook. If the link doesn't show up, try searching for MSRRTC in your favorite search engine). There is an entire chapter devoted to caregiving, along with chapters on medical management, healthy behaviors, benefits management, employment, and so much more. The National MS Society is also an excellent resource, their website does include pages and book recommendations on caregiving. In addition to this excellent forum, you may want to visit the Family Caregiver Alliance for other general resources on caregiving.

My Dad died of MS related heart failure 2.5 years ago. He was constantly in pain. Sometimes more severe than others. He was fortunate to be able to Dr. through UC-Davis for a period of time after he retired. He was not diagnosed until 65 yrs of age and lived for 11 years after that initial diagnosis. We are sure he had it for many years before his "diagnosis". The Dr. he had at a younger age was misdiagnosing him with bone spurs on his spine! Several things contributed to his "demise". One of the main things was a move to Arizona where it is unbelievably hot. MS patients have difficulty with heat. (Many years ago the way a Dr. diagnosed MS was to put a patient in a hot tub of water. If that person could not function - MS was the diagnosis.) I also have a boss that was recently diagnosed. One of the suggestions from her Dr. was to maintain a gluten free diet. She did not do that until recently and now regrets not having done it sooner. Gluten found in wheat, rye, barley and some oats is a natural inflamatory. Once it is removed from your diet it may ease some of the pain due to inflamation. The other suggestion I have is to stop drinking any sort of Diet pop. Artificial sweetners are a huge culprit in MS symptoms. I hope any of this helps. Good luck and there are a lot of articles online.

I have read that the ketogenic diet is helpful in reversing MS. The ketogenic diet is based on avoiding foods that aggravate MS and eating foods that quell the symptoms and strengthen the immune system. Try googling "ketogenic diet."

As for MS, my sister had a "diagnosis" of MS for which she aggressively treated herself with alternative therapies, like fire-walking, etc. She's now 69, and had immigrated to Australia ~15 yrs ago, and in order to immigrate had to have an M.D. declare under penalty of perjury that she does NOT have MS. So, I guess that "diagnosis" was a mis-diagnosis.