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New to this Site...Old to MS ;-)

Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2014 11:45 pm
by liezilgee
Hi There, My name is Liezil, I am 40 and have had RRMS for the past 18 years. I use Rebif and have just moved to Dubai with my husband and daughter (12). Our Son studies in South Africa at university. My question is to anyone living in Dubai or having lived there. Is there ANY medical insurance company that will NOT exclude MS and also how do I go about getting my Rebif here. I have made an appointment with a Neurologist here and am hoping that if he is 1/2 as nice as my Neuro in South Africa I will be in good hands. Any advise and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. :-D

Re: New to this Site...Old to MS ;-)

Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 5:50 am
by jimmylegs
hi and welcome :)

here are the results of a site search for the term Dubai - might get you started
http://www.thisisms.com/forum/search.ph ... mit=Search

if you see an author you'd like to connect with, you can search for posts authored by them to see where they posted most recently.
http://www.thisisms.com/forum/search.php

Re: New to this Site...Old to MS ;-)

Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 6:00 am
by ElliotB
Can you possibly share your experiences with MS over the past 18 years?

Re: New to this Site...Old to MS ;-)

Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2014 2:36 pm
by Youarethecure
I also would love to hear your experiences over the last 18 years.

Re: New to this Site...Old to MS ;-)

Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 10:30 am
by centenarian100
I couldn't help you with the dubai issue, but if cost/insurance is an issue, you could consider taking azathioprine which is inexpensive and demonstrated noninferiority to rebif in a european trial

source: http://www.peerviewpress.com/azathiopri ... ed-ectrims

azathioprine does have some side effects such as GI upset, changes in liver enzymes, modest immunosuppression, and a possible small but real long term risk of lymphoma (demonstrated in other conditions but not in multiple sclerosis)

The other options would be to not take disease modifying therapy or to enroll in a clinical trial

best of luck

Re: New to this Site...Old to MS ;-)

Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 5:27 am
by liezilgee
Could I just SCREAM!!! I typed an entire reply to all the questions and suggestions and then.... It disappeared!!!

I am happy with the medication I take, so those suggestions are appreciated, but I'm good.

My mobility is ok. I fall, trip and bump like the rest of us. I find living in Dubai (the heat) is good for me....I know...but I have no pain here and my circulation is great.

My symptoms....the usual, vertigo (I also have low blood pressure) so when it is bad I have salt drop sweets. I have double vision some days, so when I drive..I close one eye (shhh) I have no feeling at all in any of my fingertips my right back side of my scull has been dead for 2 years now. My legs go stiff some days that I can't walk without an aid...so I call my stick Slim. Then days I can run and climb stairs and days I can't but the can days far out-way the can't days. I think I say on thing...and something else spills out of my mouth (so often when people look at me like I'm from another planet...I realize what I must have done and then ask what I said so I can correct myself. My temper I find is a lost shorter than it used to be, but I have always been a very patient person, so perhaps this is not bad.

My motto on my life with this MonSter....I'll die from it not with it....

Best of luck to you all and thank you for the warm welcome. What I do want to say is try to be positive...find one thing everyday to be thankful for and just before you give up...try once more...that way you can't ever stop trying!!!

Re: New to this Site...Old to MS ;-)

Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 8:43 am
by lyndacarol
We are so glad you found us and have jumped right in to contributing – you have so many ideas to share with us, you will be a positive addition to our group. (By the way, I have had the same experience with posts disappearing when I typed directly into ThisIsMS. To avoid the problem, now I type into a notepad first and transfer it to ThisIsMS.)

Among your symptoms, you describe "no feeling at all in any of my fingertips." As you may know, this is called peripheral neuropathy and is associated with MANY conditions, one of which is gluten sensitivity. Blood tests alone are not reliable to rule out gluten sensitivity, neither is a biopsy completely reliable. (The lab linked below apparently has a promising noninvasive test.) I trust that gluten sensitivity was investigated and ruled out in the course of your diagnosis of MS.

https://www.enterolab.com/StaticPages/Faq.aspx
Who should be screened for gluten sensitivity?
Because research has shown that as many as 30% of all Americans may be gluten sensitive, and that 1 in 225 have a severe form of this sensitivity causing the intestinal disease called celiac sprue, a case can be made that everyone in America should be screened for gluten sensitivity. However, there are people with various risk factors or diseases that are at greater risk of developing gluten sensitivity who should undoubtedly be tested. These include:

· Microscopic colitis · Relatives of gluten-sensitive individuals · Gluten-sensitive individuals 1 year after treatment · Chronic diarrhea of unknown origin · Irritable bowel syndrome · Inflammatory bowel disease · Gastroesophageal reflux disease · Hepatitis C · Autoimmune liver disease · Other causes of chronic liver disease · Dermatitis herpetiformis · Diabetes mellitus, type 1 · Rheumatoid arthritis · Sjogren's syndrome · Lupus · Scleroderma · Autoimmune thyroid disease · Dermatomyositis · Psoriasis · Any autoimmune syndrome · Chronic Fatigue · Fibromyalgia · Asthma · AIDS · Osteoporosis · Iron deficiency · Short stature in children · Down's syndrome · Mothers of kids with neural tube defects · Female infertility · Peripheral neuropathy · Cerebellar ataxia · Seizure disorders · Psychiatric disorders · Depression · Alcoholism · Autism · ADHD/ADD

Re: New to this Site...Old to MS ;-)

Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 12:01 pm
by NHE
liezilgee wrote:Could I just SCREAM!!! I typed an entire reply to all the questions and suggestions and then.... It disappeared!!!
Assuming you were automatically logged out, please see this post in the Forums FAQ to find out how to prevent this from happening again.

http://www.thisisms.com/forum/site-supp ... ml#p192570