This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

I am curious to know how many people with MS are now over 70 years old.
If you are, or know someone who is, please respond with a simple yes and how many people you are representing.
I will also post this on the CCSVI discussion, so please don’t answer twice.
Thank you.

thought MS was usually dx'd in younger folk. am suprised by older folks that are dx'd with it. makes me wonder about what ms is. know it's mri profile and symptyoms . seems like it's a disease that's managed at best and seems to be a money maker for drug companies. fear mongering by docs seems to be m.o. but nothing has been proven. reliance on EAE animal model seems to guide research. EAE can be cured but MS can't.

I knew of one lady in her 80's with MS that passed away last year from other complications caused by sitting in a wheel-chair for years.

Often, people who have had MS for many years end up getting other diseases/problems due to the lack of mobility and being wheel-chair bound or bed ridden.

And if you are diagnosed with MS in your 70's, then you likely have a very mild case of the disease.

Harry

i was told by a neurologist that ms stops being active at around 60. his explanation was, "there may be pwms in their sixties, but i don't see them in my practice.
at that age, you'll be dealing with aging issues.
when i saw my next neurologist, i asked him if this is so. he agreed that it is.
well, not in my experience. i am 62 now. i feel sure that although i have difficulties in common with others my age, i also have to deal with things most would not even wish to imagine.
best to you. hang in there.
elyse

never heard anything about symptoms slowing up after 60. my case things seem to be getting worse faster. especially after ccsvi t. and yes, most can not imagine dealing with some of the things i do. at this point there is not a lot left for the imagination and not much left that's sacred. "but, i keep trying to keep the attitudide that where there is life there is still hope." and that is a challenge sometimes.

We have a family friend who is 80, has had MS for 50 years, is still walking, active and very vital. She obviously had a more mild case of the disease--but this wasn't obvious to her in the beginning of her disease, only in retrospect. She reminds me of Anne Romney, who is now 63 and doing very well. So much we do not understand about progression.
cheer

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Husband dx RRMS 3/07
dx dual jugular vein stenosis (CCSVI) 4/09
dual stents placed 5/09
CCSVI in MS

my sisters' mechanic was diagnosed with MS 6yrs. ago, he is now 72 and walks with a cane.

ATTITUDE

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failure, than success, than what other people think or say or do.
It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company … a church … a home … a life.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past … we cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.
I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it.
We are in charge of our attitudes.
Rev. Charles Swindoll

I agree with the comments about attitude. We can't change what is, but we can control the way we react to our disease and our symptoms. I'm 70 now, diagnosed at 54, first went to my family doctor at age 44 with what we now know were clearly MS symptoms. Can look back and see that I probably experienced early symptoms at about age 35. For the first 20 years, MS did not affect my life other than raising questions about why odd symptoms were happening. From 54 - 60 I began to develop symptoms that affected my lifestyle -- increased fatigue, difficulty maintaining an exercise routine,etc. I have also heard that MS progression slows dramatically in the latter years. That has not been the case for me. In the last 10 years, I have gone from using no assistive devices to "wall walking," then a cane, then a rollalator, then to a walker and an electric scooter for longer distances. I am now on my third set of leg braces. When I feel down about this accelerated progress, I find help in directing my thoughts to all there is to be thankful for in my journey with MS -- a loving helpful family, an excellent team of medical professionals, wonderful primary and secondary insurance, a house designed for handicapped access, ability to drive with hand controls, the opportunity to be employed part-time, etc.

Welcome to ThisIsMS, 70andcounting. You are a great asset to this website – you have valuable information and experiences to share with us.

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My hypothesis: excess insulin (hyperinsulinemia) plays a major role in MS, as developed in my initial post: http://www.thisisms.com/forum/general-discussion-f1/topic1878.html "Insulin – Could This Be the Key?"