This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

I was reading some research papers about BBB and neurovascular issues, and this paragraph really stuck out to me:

"In addition to hypoxic/ischemic and inflammatory insults, the BBB can also be compromised by drugs of abuse. For example, cocaine can accelerate the progression of HIV-associated dementia (Nath et al., 2001), a process that may involve both direct effects of cocaine on the endothelium as well as proinflammatory effects (Fiala et al., 1998; Zhang et al., 1998; Gan et al., 1999). Nicotine, a potently vasoactive drug (Hawkins et al., 2002), alters the transport of glucose (Duelli et al., 1998a,b) and ions (Wang et al., 1994; Abbruscato et al., 2004) at the BBB. Nicotine also decreases the expression and marginal localization of ZO-1, which is associated with increased permeability in the in vitro BBB (Abbruscato et al., 2002). In the rat, nicotine treatment also alters cerebral microvascular distribution of ZO-1, diminishes immunoreactivity for claudin-3, and increases BBB permeability to sucrose (Hawkins et al., 2004)."

I wonder how many NEVER smoked, but still have MS? I am starting to really feel like my history as a smoker has lead directly to my illness. I know there is more to it, such as genetics, diet, environmental toxins, possible vein abnormalities since birth, etc. But I do wonder what role my smoking has really played. Just curious as to how prevalent smoking has been in those of us with MS diagnoses.

Don't worry, I have never smoked and I still have MS, Churchill was smoking cigar big time and he lived long in good health. Oh, and I almost forgot, I have never tried cocaine either.

I have never smoked but was exposed to second-hand smoke in a big way as were most in the 40+ age group.

I never smoked and never lived with a smoker. Still got MS. :shrug:

I've never smoked.

the MS clusters thing really puzzles me. did you see the one in Lorrain Ohio? What gives?????Its hard to believe they were all born with bad veins!

http://www.onntv.com/live/content/onnne ... ml?sid=102

Yeah, I noticed you didn't ask about ex-cokeheads.

The Lorain and Wellington clusters intrigued me as an Oberlin alum who spent a lot of time in those towns. We're too old for the pre-age-15 thing, but my fellow alums sure have a lot of disease and disability.

Thanks everyone, for responding. Yeah, I don't think it would be appropriate to ask anyone to admit to using cocaine. I have never used it, either. I am turning 40 this year, and it's true about the second hand smoke. I don't think there is a childhood picture of me without an ashtray in it, sometimes even a lit cigarette. I will read the link about the cluster issue. I grew up behind the county sanitation dept., and there was a tall smoke stack that was active much of the time that I remember. That would have been between ages 5 and 17. I have heard of people in my neighborhood there with autoimmune issues such as fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis and cancers. It really makes me wonder what that smoke stack may have really been emitting all of those years.

You can spend the rest of your life trying to figure what triggered your MS. I never smoked (second hand smoke all the time), I never did any drugs of any kind, exercised daily my entire adult life and took excellent care of myself. I still got MS. When I was 41, I got the rabies vaccination and about 2 years later, my MS symptoms started. Related?? Who knows but what matters is that we can't go back in time and undo anything. We just have to move forward and be proactive and help ourselves the best we can.

I was a heavy smoker from age 17 to 24. I quit then and haven't had a cigarette in 38 years. Never touched cocaine.

BTW many years ago I ran an online survey for people with MS. Smoking habits were among the questions. It didn't show a correlation between smoking and getting MS, but it did suggest that smoking would make your condition worse.

Well, I did smoke, but more as a social smoker. (My grandfather smoked cigars and pipes and lived to be 102! some say it's the Turkish blood). I have no problem saying here that I did cocaine for awhile, other stuff too, thank God no Heroine, but mushrooms, LSD, you know, all the stuff you wanted to investigate as a young stupid rebel in the late 70's, early 80's.
Thankfully, no addictions surfaced and I wised up a bit and didn't die trying!

That was then. 'This is now' (MS) arrived at 39.
I agree that it feels useless on the one hand to go back and try to decipher the past and how it contributed to MS, on the other hand I do think it's important to use the past as a 'live and learn' but without blame on ourselves or others etc. That feels pointless.

On a philosophical side note or 'food for thought' (am I allowed a tangent??):
Nietzsche: 'The Eternal Return' is interesting in this context (and this is a man who suffered something tremendous, physically); basically would you live your life over again exactly the same way, if you could live it over again? And if no, than what does that say about the person you are today. The idea that everything, every choice you have made, every little thing you have done is contingent upon everything else, including the things that happen to us, like MS.(I personally do not feel 'responsible' for getting MS; I do not think anyone consciously asks for illness).
I say I would not want to live with MS again, and yet, it has made me a totally different person than I was, one that I do admire (as I do all of you!)
(And just to fool Nietzsche, I would say, 'No, I don't want to live it over again exactly the same way, because I wouldn't mind at all giving it another go as another person! without disease!)...hmmm
But then Woody Allen says in one of his films: 'I don't want to do the Ice Capades all over again!"

Oh well.....I better leave off and quit while I'm ahead.
Z

Zinamaria, I love the concepts. Thank you so much for the tangent. I am too tired to respopnd properly but I wanted to share this quote you made me think of. "I gave my life to become the person I am right now. Was it worth it?" I collect quotes of all sorts. Hope you enjoy it. Wish I could say more. Maybe tomorrow.

i was smoking before i was born. mom smoked, dad smoked, i started at 13. as a rebellious teen i tried other no-nos. happily i was able to stop at 31. i was diagnosed with ms at age 48 (symptoms since 33). i don't personally see any connection.[/list]

Wonderful post zinamarie! I always do say that I have no regrets about anything in my past because I had reasons for doing it at the time. Different times, different circumstances. So, in that case, if I could do it all again? I guess with foresight, I would do many things differently. I tried some drugs, too, as a youngster. Marijuana was common, mescaline, speed, etc. Never tried coke or anything more severe. I also was smoking in the womb and started myself at the age of 13 (I could even buy them myself in those days).

It is useless to wonder how I got sick, but I do have 4 children now to consider, so looking back at the risk factors that may have led me to MS seems important, all the same. I agree that although there are sorrows with disability, there is also enlightenment and gratefulness about things that I never would have had if not for my current situation. I am a changed person because of it, and that's really not a bad thing!

Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful ~ Annette Funicello

Don't have any regrets. Most of the illnesses come down to one major factor and that is bad luck.