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"Half a body was numb." How people with multiple sclerosis live. Stories of people with multiple sclerosis, their relatives and friends, stories of MS patients, how to live with multiple sclerosis, people's struggle, how to live with this ailment, disease, narratives

How not to lose heart and live 100%, even if they say to your face that you are not a tenant anymore?

Hello everyone! A very long post is waiting for you about how I found out about the holes in my head, how I perceived it and how I am not going to become disabled.

Naturally, I didn’t want to tell anyone about it, spread it, somehow mention it somewhere. I am strong, flint, independent, everything is always fine with me, I always smile and radiate positive, I never feel bad, asking for help is generally a tragedy for me. All by herself, and so all my life. Such "ideal", young, beautiful and self-sufficient are often struck by the insanely widespread, but such little-known disease - multiple sclerosis. The disease of the northern prosperous countries - Norway, Sweden, USA, Switzerland ...

Even after finding such a diagnosis, these "strong and independent" do not shout about him to the right and to the left. This is a terrible incurable disease leading to disability, it is very unpredictable and has a thousand faces (manifestations). Employers do not favor sclerotic patients, and neurologists immediately put an end to such people. As a result, the "strong and independent", instead of directing their strength to heal, to fight, burn out, become crippled in a matter of years. When I saw the stories of these people, their dull eyes, doom and resentment towards the whole world, I became scared. That's when I wanted to say directly and openly that a week ago I stood face to face with multiple sclerosis. And by my example, I want to show how you need to continue to live, breathe deeply, not give up, laugh, have fun and be complete inside and out. Not a disabled person who adapts to life, but someone who knows how to steer in the right direction under any circumstances and not become this disabled person.

I was often told that I have no problems, that nothing terrible has happened in my life, that is why I am such a laughter and jolly. This is not true. Something is always falling on my head, but I don’t yell at every puff and I don’t stick my head in the sand from every miss or problem. It is easier for me to grit my teeth and rework everything, I do not tolerate pity, and my fortitude can only be envied.

At the beginning of July I was at home alone, I was typing an article, how bad I felt, my eyes darkened, my hands began to go numb (this was the case before, I did not attach any importance), but my condition worsened, I could not read what I wrote, I did not recognize the words, then I decided that to say it out loud, an incomprehensible set of letters flew out to me. I quickly came to my senses, but it was the most terrible event in my life. The ambulance arrived in a matter of minutes, I insisted on an MRI, since I assumed a stroke (I'm smart), they assured me that everything was OK, this is normal. Well, okay, let's go, you are doctors.

A week before leaving for St. Petersburg, my right eye began to see worse, sharply, somehow blurry. But this was also observed earlier, something will worsen there, then everything is fine again. And here it doesn’t work. I prescribe vitamins, drops, etc. (this is not a recommendation, I just know medicine quite well, but I do not call anyone to self-medicate). The days go by, nothing gets better, and I have a ride on my nose. I try to see a doctor in Moscow - to no avail. On the eve of departure, the feeling that it is impossible to hesitate, the eyes are still in the same condition, albeit without deterioration. I called Excimer in St. Petersburg - everything is busy with them, they cannot receive me immediately after arrival. I am looking for other clinics (I still need figs, I need the best specialists in the city center). Not believing in success, I leave a request to the Diagnostic Eye Center No. 7, call back, record at a convenient time for me. Of course, this is not in the direction and is not free, otherwise I would have waited in line for 2-3 months.

On July 26 in the evening we arrive in St. Petersburg, I still feel bad, my eye hurts, pulls, sees poorly. From 27 to 28 July - this is the day of hell, which, it seems, lasted a month, but fate is on my side, it was not for nothing that she dragged me to St. Petersburg, to this center, to a certain doctor who deals with sclerosis. 2 hours of diagnostics, then they give me a displacement of the lens, then what else, in the end - "Let us urgently hospitalize you, your optic nerve is inflamed, you cannot hesitate." They call other hospitals on their connections, find out, say that it is difficult with diagnostics in St. Petersburg, it would be better if we ourselves went somewhere for an MRI. We're going, they shook my whole soul out of the neighboring hospitals, in the end, even though it’s evening, I’m being admitted for an MRI scan. They suggest waiting for the results until the morning. Yeah, with my knowledge of the central nervous system, I will wait, what else.

The result ... multi-focal brain lesions, demyelinating genesis. Almost 100% certainty is multiple sclerosis.

In the morning, see a neurologist. People, I would hang these. Not only is the competence nowhere lower, and even looks at you with such doom, and then says that there is only one way - disability, you urgently need to go to the hospital, return to Moscow. Although, in principle, you can still HIT here in St. Petersburg, and go to Moscow right away. If I didn't have my knowledge, I would have hanged myself right there. You can't talk to people like that, you can't draw conclusions from an MRI, you can't immediately put an end to a person and look at him as a waste of society. I still have a bunch of examinations ahead and the need to confirm or deny the diagnosis. And this clever girl did not even look at an MRI, only a conclusion, and she piled up so much nonsense.

After that I still have my ophthalmologist, let's go. This golden woman (Biryukova Irina Yulianovna) not only did not frighten me, but also said that once a month they come to her with the same diagnosis, the disease is getting younger and spreading, but medicine is not standing still. I was prescribed treatment before returning to Moscow, they wished me a good CONTINUATION of the rest (and not SUFFER), they instilled in me the confidence that everything would be fine with a competent approach. And on the rise, these days of hell ended, I exhaled, and we went to a restaurant to have a delicious lunch (yes, I am a gourmet, good cuisine is my treatment).

Someone says that the acceptance of the disease lasts a year, someone else says something ... my shock, a continuous stream of tears, misunderstandings, emptiness lasted less than a day. I was very lucky that at this moment I was not in Moscow, that my best friend, my comrade in arms, was nearby, who was incredible support and support during this week. After the MRI, in the evening, when I realized that I was not alone, there was still a person with me who needed to eat, I began to overpower myself, although I just wanted to sit and cry (which I did successfully), there was no appetite, but I began to scroll in my head to eat. Strawberries with cream? OK. Or maybe a salad? Probably. As a result, a great steak. If I were at home, I would simply not eat and lay in a layer, but here ... you are not alone, you need not only think about yourself. You overpower yourself, pull yourself out. All the remaining time in St. Petersburg we walked 15 km a day, walked, were at the great parade of the Navy, at the salute. We did not sit and sour for a minute. Life goes on. Now you need to decide what to do next. I am not yet very immersed in this topic, but I study and watch. The worst thing is to lose time, to go the wrong way, to be treated with the wrong methods.

If you are faced with a serious illness, do not despair at all. Unfortunately, free health care under compulsory medical insurance is another kind of entertainment, it seems to me that with it a healthy person will also become sick. Knocking out directions, examinations, medicines - no health is enough. In addition, if we talk about multiple sclerosis, everyone immediately runs to get their own disabilities. Why??? Why would you doom yourself to this? These pitiful perks are not worth your health and humiliation. Keep working, look for help, organize a fundraiser, connect your family and friends. There are a lot of people around who can and want to help. If you want to live, you do not need to roll towards disability, go only towards life, choose the best newest methods, look for the necessary means and opportunities.

Yes, I have not yet chosen a doctor, now we are all actively looking for who and where to be treated, with whom to consult. The treatment of my illness costs a lot of money if we are talking about the real best treatment that is now, and not about what is under the state program. My family now does not have the kind of money that it may need, but I know, I believe that everything will be, there are a lot of options and exits. Whatever news comes to you, whatever happens, always look for ways, do not limit yourself. You will always have time to slip into disability, stop leaving the house and actually end your life, but I can see from myself that everything is real. It's scary to realize, but the first signs of the disease I had already 20 years ago (thanks to my phenomenal memory), which all these years accompanied me - now in one direction, then in the other. And I didn’t take a steam bath, I didn’t worry, I lived, studied, worked, went in for sports, traveled. Probably, only thanks to such a position in life, severe exacerbations have come only now, and even then, in a few days of taking the drugs, my vision has practically recovered.

Ahead is a huge lifelong path, I need powerful supportive therapy, rehabilitation, but it all starts only with the mood that is inside. With multiple sclerosis, they live up to 90 without disability, but my heart bleeds when I see beautiful girls (mainly a female disease), who have completely burned out for several years, who no longer have aspirations, ambitions, or desires, but there is only anger at life, country, medicine, scientists, injustice, aggression, apathy, depression.

And yet, for me, this diagnosis is a reason to love life much more, work, rejoice and enjoy everything around.

Live and remember that you yourself make your own life, everything else is secondary, even diagnoses!

Health is the most important thing for everyone!

Sincerely,
Female life coach, tarologist and astropsychologist Anna Merzlyakova

For all questions write to [email protected]

Olga Lukinskaya

THE WORD COMBINATION "MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS" IS KNOWN TO ALL, but few people know what kind of disease it really is. It is often jokingly mentioned in connection with forgetfulness or absent-mindedness and is generally considered something like senile dementia - although in reality it is an incurable disease that occurs at a young and even childhood age. In Russia, multiple sclerosis occurs in about 40-60 people out of a hundred thousand. The exact cause of the disease has not yet been established, and its mechanism is associated with impaired transmission of impulses along nerve fibers. In this case, the so-called foci of sclerosis (scar tissue), scattered chaotically, appear in the brain - hence the name of the disease. The disease manifests itself in different ways: visual impairment, problems with the bladder, numbness and tingling of the extremities, gait disturbances.

The typical course of MS is an exacerbation that occurs every few months or years, and periods of remission. After each exacerbation, the body does not fully recover, and after 20-25 years, the disease leads to disability in many people: a person may lose the ability to walk and end up in a wheelchair, sometimes cannot speak, write or read, and becomes completely dependent on outside help. Life expectancy with constant treatment is not greatly reduced, but its quality can be seriously affected: multiple sclerosis is often accompanied by depression. There is no cure for multiple sclerosis today, although there are drugs that help prolong remission. Irina N. from Novosibirsk talks about how she lives with multiple sclerosis, what the treatment is and how the disease affects her life.

I notice that I am beginning to feel much worse. I used to love to walk, but now it’s hard for me: I walk uncertainly, stagger and after three hundred meters on the asphalt I’m exhausted

The injectables that I treat are used continuously, without interruption. At first it was a drug that was administered intramuscularly once a week. I remember how I flew to St. Petersburg for several weeks and carried three syringes with the drug with me - this is a whole story, starting with the need for a cooler bag, and ending with many sidelong glances and questions at the airport. Of course, I had a doctor's note explaining what it is and what it is for. Now the injections are daily, and I have no idea how, for example, to go somewhere on vacation for a couple of weeks. Despite all this, I am still afraid of needles. In addition, the current injections are very uncomfortable, they need to be done subcutaneously in the back of the shoulder, in the triceps area - and it is simply impossible to pinch the skin fold and prick with one free hand. The injections are given by my wife, who calms me down every time. She is very supportive of me. In general, the course of multiple sclerosis directly depends on the emotional background, and, by and large, I just can't get upset, sad, cry - it can get worse.

The diagnosis has been given to me for life, and the treatment will also continue until the end - and nevertheless, the prescription is valid for a month, and in order to receive it, you need to spend two full days. I'm not talking about the hassle in the clinic, the time in the queues - we have an excellent neurologist, but she cannot fully examine the patient and fill out all the paperwork in the twelve minutes that are officially allocated for this. A year and a half ago we were promised that it would be possible to receive a prescription at least once every three months - but things are still there. This is also reflected at work: not only am I regularly on sick leave, but I also spend two days a month on medication.

I had depression three times, fortunately, not very severe - the doctors pulled me out without medication. For the first time, the doctor strictly said how to be treated and how often to come - but most importantly, she forbade me to read about the disease on the Internet and draw any independent conclusions. That helped. The second time I came to a young neurologist who suddenly said: "Irina, you always had such a beautiful manicure, what happened?" - I looked at my neglected nails and realized that this is no longer possible, it cheered me up. The third time I was prescribed antidepressants, but I did not want to take them and turned to psychotherapy. The doctor formulated my attitude to the disease as watching a horror movie. Do you like horror movies? he asked, and I replied in the negative. "But you invented a horror movie for yourself, watch it endlessly and believe in it." I realized that he was right and there was no need to invent anything and be afraid of the future.

No matter how paradoxical it may sound, but thanks to the disease, I got a taste for life. It happens that the mood is at zero, I want to give up - but my wife takes my hand and says: "Come on."

We parted with my first wife - she was tired with me, because the disease seriously changes character. Before, I was somehow more spontaneous, but now everything needs to be planned. There are a lot of restrictions: I can't just take a detour on a walk or buy alcohol, the quality of which I am not sure of. I am banned from beaches - in general, not every partner can stand it. We have been together with Anyone for two and a half years, everything is very calm with us. She supports me, constantly pulls me out to some events, makes sure that I have no time to feel sorry for myself. We often go to theaters, exhibitions, just beautiful places. It was such that we suddenly gathered and went to the Ob Sea to collect sea buckthorn - we do not eat it, but the experience itself was very cool. No matter how paradoxical it may sound, but thanks to the disease, I got a taste for life. It happens that the mood is at zero, I want to give up - but my wife takes my hand and says: "Come on." I walk and see that I have something to continue treatment for, and life is not so long to waste time on sadness.

The disease affected my relationships with people: I no longer contact those who only take energy. In multiple sclerosis, support from other patients is important, and often people with this diagnosis seek to communicate with each other. This helps answer some everyday questions and, fortunately, most people with MS are optimistic. True, there are those who constantly feel sorry for themselves and seek pity from others, but with them I try to keep communication to a minimum.

There are uncomfortable situations when some grandmother in transport starts to be indignant that I am sitting so young and do not give up a seat. Or, for example, the director at work, even knowing about the diagnosis, could not understand in any way that I really walk very slowly and I did not need to be sent to any activities related to walking. I think this is due to a lack of basic knowledge and a lack of observation. My second director's aunt has been suffering from MS for many years - and even he did not take this disease as something serious for a long time. When a person has cancer, everyone, firstly, understands that this is something terrible, and secondly, it is usually very noticeable externally: a person receives chemotherapy, which is poorly tolerated, undergoes difficult operations. With multiple sclerosis, there are no such external manifestations or they are not always clear - well, there is a man with a stick, and who knows why. There is not enough knowledge, not enough sympathy, people do not understand why in the middle of the day I have already exhausted all my physical strength, do not take the diagnosis seriously.

How to say. They didn't make me any better. But, as the chief neurologist for Chem. Region explained to me. Korotkevich, the effect is not that it gets better, but that it doesn't get worse. The side effects are, of course, a nightmare. First, I put Copaxone, there is a syringe with the medicine right away, it's convenient. After it, the injection itched and I was freezing, just horror. Then his supplies to our region stopped, I was without medicine for 2 months, and I was prescribed our Russian Ronbetal. After the first injection, I started DREAMING about Copaxone. The sensations were ten times worse. The temperature rose, my whole body ached, my head ached, the injection site was on fire.

The dose was gradually increased from 0.25 to 1 ml. The first 2 months were hell. The only consolation was the thought that it is better to be patient now than to wake up one day and not be able to move, or lose my mind.

I endured it. And then it turned out that it was impossible to put a cube on my weight of 60 kg with 175 cm of height, my dose is 0.75. I wanted to kill them. Now I live at 0.75, I'm used to it, I tolerate the medicine better now, but I can't say that the side effects are gone. And you must put it on in the evening, otherwise you won't be able to work all day.

Another problem is that I have almost no subcutaneous fat, only the last year I started to get a little fat. And it must be placed strictly in the subcutaneous layer. So the shoulders as a zone fell away immediately, I had to alternate the buttocks, stomach and legs. The bumps from the injection did not have time to dissolve, and it was already necessary to give the next injection.

About a year later, I learned how to properly administer the injection:

  • Dry needle principle. After you collect the medicine and release the air, change the needle and after that do not expel the air, when the needle is dry, it enters much easier.
  • No blood! The place must be chosen so that the vessels are not visible next to it. When you stick the needle in, you need to pull the piston towards you and only if there is no blood, put it on. Manufacturers do not write about this, but if you get into a vessel, then it hurts terribly and the lump dissolves for a long time. If it gets into a vessel, it is better to chop it.
  • If there is little subcutaneous fat, the needle should not be inserted completely, otherwise the muscles can be hurt.
  • Require brochures from the health visitor describing how to administer the medication. She is obliged to teach and show how this is done.

With the rest of the treatment, the song came out altogether. The head physician, Ronbetal prescribed, and the rest of the treatment, she said, let the local neurologist write out the symptoms. She has no time to explain everything to everyone, this is understandable. And in the clinic, my neurologist sees the appointment, and is afraid to change it - they say, who is he, after the regional neurologist to appoint something. Since nothing else has been added, it means that it is not necessary. Woooot ...

Multiple sclerosis is a disease little known to a wide range of people. However, this disease is quite common and can lead to complete immobility. In the world, more than 2 million people suffer from multiple sclerosis, and no one is immune from its development.

Irina Pigasova spoke about her life story with multiple sclerosis and the ways to cure the disease.

How it all began

- The first attack of multiple sclerosis occurred in me almost 10 years ago, shortly before my 40th birthday - the age at which, as the heroine of the famous film said, everything is just beginning.

At that moment, the phrase "multiple sclerosis" didn't mean anything to me.

But my mother, having learned about the alleged diagnosis, got scared in earnest and kept repeating that it was very scary and that it was urgently necessary to get somewhere the drug Betaferon, the annual course of which (and you need to take it for life) costs about 15 thousand dollars and that only one can help ...

About six months later, already having an officially confirmed diagnosis, I bought a used laptop, and with it I got access to the endless sea of ​​information contained on the Internet.

I began to study the topic - I read articles, went to forums. I found out that multiple sclerosis is an incurable autoimmune disease in which the immune system malfunctions: immune cells begin to attack not “enemies”, but native myelin (a substance that is a protective sheath that covers nerve fibers like an electrical conductor with electrical tape) the brain and spinal cord, destroying it.

Thus, the passage of nerve impulses is hampered or completely interrupted, due to which various disorders arise - from slight changes in sensitivity to complete paralysis.
Lost functions are partially restored over time, but the degree of recovery is poorly predicted and depends on many factors.
Exacerbations of the disease are relieved by high doses of hormones. Drugs that alter the course of multiple sclerosis, interferons b and glatiromeracetate (Copaxone), can reduce the frequency and severity of these exacerbations.

I think many people know about the side effects of hormone therapy. Interferons, on the other hand, have many extremely unpleasant side effects, including fever, chills, fever, muscle pain, affect immunity, suppressing it, and it happens that against the background of "killed" immunity, people develop cancer.

In addition, the frequency of relapses when using both interferons and copaxone decreases by only 30-35% on average, and if the drug is not suitable for the patient no one does the appointment to the patient), then the patient's condition may even worsen.

Finding Truth and Trying to Compromise

- Having received a disability in the same year, I nevertheless joined the queue to receive Copaxone. I waited a long time, but even after the aggravation (in fairness, I must say, rather mild), which happened to me three years after my debut, I was denied Copaxon for some unknown reason.
By that time, planned visits to a neurologist had turned into purely formal events, for show: a "gentleman's set" of preventive drugs (nootropics, antioxidants, vascular, vitamins) is known to every patient, and in order to conduct their course 2-3 times a year, absolutely you don't have to go to the hospital.
Left alone with the disease, I read a lot, thought, trying to find the cause, because I was sure that there was a reason - but not in the malfunctions of the body, but in the errors of the soul.
Why I got sick, I then guessed. Much later, in one of the books on psychosomatics, I read that multiple sclerosis “... arises in response to deep, hidden sadness and a sense of meaninglessness. Long-term ... overexertion in order to achieve something very valuable destroys the meaning of life. "

These words confirmed my guesses: indeed, for many years I was striving for a certain goal, which in the end turned out to be unattainable, and in this striving I stopped noticing what lay under my feet, I forgot how to just live, enjoy the sunrise, spring, summer rain ...

However, having found out the root cause, for some reason I did not dig further into the depths - maybe I was frightened, or maybe I decided that it was enough to understand the reason. At the same time, I was still interested in the stories of healing and the methods that the patients themselves and those who helped them have resorted to on the way to recovery.

On this path, someone pays special attention to breathing and relaxation, someone gives priority to the spine, someone puts nutrition at the forefront. Some, however, combine different directions, demonstrating a comprehensive approach. The options here are very different, but in all cases we are also talking about the importance of solving psychological problems, changing the attitude. After all, if you do not change consciousness, then sooner or later everything will return to normal - without healing the soul there can be no physical health. I understood it then with my mind, but did not accept it with my heart. I decided that if you just follow the rules, then everything will be fine, but I was cruelly mistaken.

A Sound of Thunder

- Another six years have passed. There were no exacerbations during this time, and I generally felt quite well. At some point, I just relaxed, arrogantly deciding that it will always be this way.
Life went on as usual, and it seemed to me that it was moving in the right direction. In the meantime, a serious shock occurred in my life - my beloved dog Trofim died, and negativity began to accumulate in my soul, which was unable to cope with this loss.

My internal problems were not resolved, my relations with loved ones were rapidly deteriorating, and my soul, losing the ability to see goodness and light, became callous and seemed to be dying.
That night in May, I woke up with a strange pain in my side. Getting out of bed and taking a few steps, I felt that my legs were being taken away from me. I instantly understood what was happening, and just as quickly I understood why: the causal relationship was so obvious that I was scared.

Over the course of a day, I turned from a healthy person into an immobile invalid - my torso was paralyzed below the waist, so I could not just sit down or roll over on my side, but even move a toe. At the same time, an incredible clarity arose in my mind, as if a sunbeam pierced the darkness. From that moment the countdown of my new life began.

A light in the end of a tunnel

- I spent a month in a hospital bed in absolute solitude, looking at the cracks in the ceiling and thinking about what happened. The chaos that reigned in my head until quite recently was replaced by silence, in which I was finally able to hear the answers to the questions that tormented me.

The head of the department of the hospital in which I was lying, called the exacerbation that covered me not just strong, but the strongest. However, this was understandable. But it was also clear that if at that moment multiple sclerosis had not attacked me with all its might, I would have gotten a stroke or some serious injury.

I thanked the disease for waking me up from a terrible dream

I never once had the idea of ​​what it was for me, why it was with me - I knew perfectly well why, and why, and even for what. I am convinced that we ourselves are attracting diseases into our lives by wrong thoughts and actions - through them life tells us that the time has come to change.

If we wander in the wrong direction, then we get a hard blow from fate, but at the same time we are given a chance to understand our mistakes and rise.

Further, it seems to me, it is very important to ask yourself the question: why do I want to recover at all, why do I need to be healthy? It should be understood that healing should not be an end in itself, that it is only a stepping stone on the path to opening new horizons, to comprehending oneself and knowing the world around us.

It is also worth asking yourself: why do I live in general, what is the meaning of my existence, what do I want - to take everything from life or to give selflessly? If you find the answers to all these questions and start moving in the right direction, then who knows, perhaps life will improve by itself and diseases will recede ...

I will start over again for the hundredth time ...

- Exactly a year has passed since that night. Now I start life from scratch, with a clean white slate, letting go of anger, resentment and fears, forgiving the world for its imperfection, reopening my heart for goodness and light.
The path to oneself goes to infinity, and I am only at the very beginning of this path. I am learning to walk again, learning to understand, forgive and love those who are walking next to me.
Wrote down

Valeria LAPSHINA
Vitaportal.ru

Fearing to hear the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, people often do not understand its true meaning. After the diagnosis is made, life will no longer be the same, constant medical examinations, proper balanced nutrition, exclusion of bad habits, and in advanced stages, deterioration of the general condition of the body will become commonplace. The disease affects the brain and spinal cord, foci of inflammation spread throughout the body.

Concept

Multiple sclerosis means chronic changes in the myelin sheath of the pathways of the brain, and it occurs under the influence of external factors on a genetically predisposed organism. After the first signs appear, the course of the disease can be undulating, later it becomes constantly progressive.

The defeat of the body is most often observed in people aged 15 to 40 years, the risk of getting sick after 50 remains minimal. The Europeans living in the city are most likely to penetrate the infection, as evidenced by statistics.

Residents of northern regions who do not receive enough vitamin D are more likely to get sick, and the risk of getting sick in women is twice as high as in men.

The form of multiple sclerosis is often confused with senile forgetfulness, which affects the intelligence and memory of a person, but the disease is directly related to the action of the immune system, its damage to the brain and spinal cord. The problem of the completely unexplained etiology of the disease still remains relevant.

Stages of the disease:

  • Cerebral-spinal- occurs most often, signs appear already at an early stage, foci of demyelination are reflected in the lesion of the white matter of the brain.
  • Cerebral- less common cases of the disease affecting most of the body.
  • Spinal- most often, the infection immediately affects the thoracic region.

Multiple sclerosis can be determined by myelo- or angiography, where the lesions are scattered throughout the spinal cord and brain. Visually, the doctor will determine the presence of red-gray plaques that make up the focal formations of the central nervous system, the size of which can be from a few millimeters to 2-3 centimeters in diameter.

Symptoms

It is not for nothing that doctors called multiple sclerosis a chameleon, since its remitting course cannot be predicted. The periods of decline and exacerbation of the disease can be short-lived, but can last for weeks. The first signs of the disease can be acute, and they can also be confused with another infection.

Multiple sclerosis symptoms:

  • Fatigue, weakness in the body, manifested by numbness and tingling in the limbs.
  • Problems with eyes. Initially, it may be pain in the eye, impaired coordination of vision, in a severe case, a complete loss of vision. Color blindness and a reaction to light when moving the eyes, double vision may occur.
  • Sharply emerging cramping muscles, accompanied by cramps and pains that restrict movement. Tension can occur in the brain, spine, in parallel there is a burning sensation, the sensitivity of the skin increases.
  • A loss balance, violation of coordination of movements, often arising tremor of the arms and legs.
  • Problems with memorization, assimilation of information, a person becomes inattentive, cannot correctly formulate his question or answer. Logical thinking is disrupted, visual information becomes poorly accessible.
  • Feeling depression and anxiety that comes on suddenly, also mood swings for no reason.
  • Violation erectile dysfunction in men, no ejaculation at all. Women with this diagnosis may not experience an orgasm, feel dryness in the vagina.
  • Frequent urination, or, conversely, the inability to empty the bladder normally.
  • Constipation.
  • Suddenly ceased action reflexes, for example, abdominal.
  • Lack of familiarity taste to food, which leads to weight loss.

Studies have shown that multiple sclerosis is not necessarily a hereditary pathology. But, nevertheless, the child of a sick mother may have genetic information about the degree of resistance to infections.

Effects

People with such a diagnosis are quite workable, it all depends on the stage of damage to the brain and spinal cord. An exacerbation can be accompanied by the intake of steroid hormones, as well as preventive drug treatment.

But in the advanced stage, the symptoms of the disease manifest themselves in a complex manner - this is a violation of speech, motor skills, coordination of movements, etc. The commands received by the body from the brain simply cease to function normally.

With the onset of the disease, pain and daily fatigue may occur. The doctor prescribes a mode for reducing mental and physical stress.

Low blood pressure in multiple sclerosis is accompanied by hypotension, which affects the patient's physical activity. If the cerebellum is affected in the progressive stage of the disease, then the limbs of a person can become completely immobilized.

Failure to perform any action leads to stiffness of movement and, in the worst case, to paralysis. With a severe course of the disease, ligaments and tendons are damaged, everything starts with a lesion in the legs, and later passes to the hands. The person becomes unable to perform actions with his hands due to tremors.

Vision deteriorates already at an early stage of the disease, initially clarity may simply be lost, then the ability to distinguish colors may disappear, a so-called veil may appear in the eyes. Symptoms of this kind can be curable, but the situation is worse with strabismus or diplopia, which lead to disability.

Irritability and persistent nerves are an integral part of multiple sclerosis; in a short time, the patient can go from a state of euphoria to hysterics. Weight loss is common in multiple sclerosis due to problems with swallowing and changes in taste buds.

Bladder problems are one of the concomitant consequences of the disease, since constipation or urinary retention lead to impaired bowel movement. The disease can be triggered by the appearance of urinary tract infections, where pathogenic bacteria can be acquired through the catheter and complications can arise.

The consequence of multiple sclerosis can be pneumonia, inflammation occurs against the background of poor ventilation. Due to impaired motor activity and prolonged exposure to one position, pressure sores can occur. The resulting inflammatory foci lead to sepsis.

The consequences of multiple sclerosis in each person can manifest themselves in varying degrees of severity, but do not forget that this disease threatens a person with death.

Multiple sclerosis lifestyle

Having finally learned about his diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, the patient must understand that his future life will change dramatically. The doctor's recommendations must be followed in order to extend life expectancy in this disease.

Multiple sclerosis causes problems with sleep due to leg problems and an unstable bladder. The attending physician may prescribe medications that improve sleep function, but, in addition, you should not bother before going to bed, you need to create a comfortable temperature and not use the phone and TV.

  • Elimination of use caffeine 6 hours before bedtime.
  • Dream only at night.
  • Reducing use liquids closer to the night.
  • Dinner should be light.
  • Establishing a schedule sleep and rest, go to bed and get up at the same time.

If multiple sclerosis is accompanied by physical inactivity, your doctor will allow certain types of stress and exercise program. It is important to consider the intensity of the training and the duration, and it is best to consult a physiotherapist about this.

Depending on the form and neglect of the disease, the doctor prescribes the type of exercise. Before starting workouts, you definitely need a warm-up, the workout itself should take place in a safe place, and you should not overdo it. Most often, patients with multiple sclerosis are prescribed swimming or aerobics in the water, sometimes yoga, etc.

Nutrition is a fundamental part of the lifestyle in multiple sclerosis. The diet should have the right amount of calories, in particular, protein.

Exercise combined with nutrition will create a balance for the body, the amount of cholesterol will decrease. Salt should be consumed in limited quantities, alcoholic beverages should be excluded as much as possible or their use should be minimized. Water should be drunk a day at least 8 glasses.

Sexual dysfunction in men will be observed half as often as in women. Primary sexual dysfunction may be accompanied by a lack of feelings of attraction to a partner, the inability to experience an orgasm. Accompanying fatigue can provoke a violation of ejaculation in men, which secondarily affects sexual activity.

A decrease in self-esteem for oneself can affect changes in the brain, this can be accompanied by a sharp change in the lifestyle and status of a person in society. Talking to your doctor about a sexual problem is to overcome one of the major barriers to treatment.

Women with multiple sclerosis can have children, but to do this, they will have to give up all drugs that should be ruled out even before the intended conception. It is worth consulting with your doctor in advance whether pregnancy will cause an exacerbation of the disease after childbirth and what the consequences may be.

Childbirth most often takes place by caesarean section, so it should be planned in advance. Rest during and after pregnancy is important for a young mother, her and her baby's health. The prognosis after childbirth of the disease is such that one in three women develops an exacerbation of the disease.

At home, physical activity may be limited, so you should use aids for a comfortable life. These can be handrails, special beds, wheelchairs, and more.

Life span

When the first signs of illness appear at an early age, life expectancy can rarely exceed 45-50 years, but if symptoms appear later, this will increase the amount of time. It all depends on the degree of progression of the disease, as well as on gender; statistics provide data on a greater number of sick women.

Factors affecting life expectancy:

  • Age the patient.
  • Time establishing an accurate diagnosis and timing of treatment initiation.
  • Previous diseases.
  • The presence of the patient preventive therapy.
  • The estimated complications diseases - bedsores or the accumulation of a large number of plaques.
  • Related infections.

The life expectancy of a person may depend on the timely diagnosis of the disease; the first symptoms should be reported to the doctor. At the initial stage, with identified foci of the disease, it is possible to prevent their progression, improve the lifestyle and prolong life expectancy.

If a patient is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis after the age of 50, then life can last up to a maximum of 70-75 years. In the case of establishing accurate data on the disease up to 50 years old and existing complications, a person can live up to 55-60 years.

Fatal outcome in multiple sclerosis is an everyday occurrence, since it can be triggered by a heart attack or stroke, as well as respiratory tract damage and renal failure.

A chronic autoimmune disease such as multiple sclerosis, among other things, can provoke concomitant diseases. With regular examination, a person's life can be extended by 7–8 years. A correct and healthy lifestyle will improve its quality, and the support of family and friends is important here.

The person will not necessarily be helpless and immobilized when diagnosed, but exercise, as agreed with a doctor, can help maintain the level of physical activity for several years to come.