This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

I am new to this forum and have posted a couple posts already to introduce myself and one in the Friends and Family section. But long story short, I am a 36 YOA son whose mom has had very progressive MS for 35-40 years. She still lives at home with my dad and she is now 74. She is in a wheel chair, no use of any limbs, has a feeding tube, very limited voice, but sharp as ever! Her spirit is unbreakable!

Every year (mainly the winter) for the last 5 years is the time us kids always don't look forward too. She usually gets pretty sick at least once and is admitted to the hospital where she stays for up to a week. No matter how bad her UTI, the flu or even pneumonia is, she pulls out of it!

For us kids we always start thinking the worst and maybe God's calling her home. I hate thinking that way but she had virtually no immune system and so many other complications it's hard to believe she pulls through. When she gets home she always manages to somehow communicate to my dad how happy is to be home and out of the hospital!

I have tried to search for awhile about anything related to illness's and MS, other than MS patients are more susceptible to them. Also that MS patients live normal lives and very rarely die due to complications. But, I believe my mother is in a different group. Like a 5% group who have this bad of MS. Is it normal for MS patients to survive through bad infections? It would be nice to be able to relax a little when she gets sick and goes to the hospital. Besides the flu and infections, she has been pretty healthy otherwise and happy. She has days when she gets a little dumpy and when we have all the family together and she can't communicate. But she really is a strong woman, I just don't know how much longer she can keep this up or if the MS will attack other parts of her brain or kidneys.

I am sorry if this lengthy and a little morbid, but this sucks. She just got released from the hospital yesterday with a UTI and the flu. She was pretty sick for a couple days and then got a better and they released her. It just makes my wife and I crazy waiting every day for some info. The doctors are mostly clueless and this time almost released her without having the results of the flu back and missed that she had a lot of fluid building up in her lungs.

I know its very difficult to have answers for elderly patients with MS, but any info/statistics about how they fair during sickness and if it's normal to have them live a full life into their 80's; even with the most severe cases.

Thanks for letting me vent a bit.

Hi! MNMS, i read your story n all your posts. I just want to give 2 thumbs up n even more for your father. He loves ur mom so much. Maybe that's why ur mom could be so strong. She has a very loving husband.

Why does she still survive until now after all her infections? Maybe, it's just not the time yet for her to come home. Maybe, she still wants to be with her family. Maybe she wants to see her grandchildren to have kids n God has granted it. She is a very strong person coz her wish to live is so great.

Best wishes for your mom n dad. May God bless them n all ur family.

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Warm regards,
Linda

|For the joy of the Lord is your strength | A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones| God always leads us to where we need to be, not where we want to be|