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Hi everyone. I'm 21 years old and from the UK, and my 51 year old dad has just been diagnosed with MS. He went to the optician two weeks ago after waking up with severe double vision. The optician referred him to an ophthalmologist who diagnosed him with optic neuritis and sent him for an MRI. The results came back today, and he has MS. I've heard so many horror stories about MS that I'm honestly so terrified for him. I'm supposed to be starting university in September which is stressful enough without this worry on my shoulders now too. Does anyone else have MS or know someone who does? Any advice or support would be greatly appreciated.
What kind of MS does your dad have? Did doctors rule out other diseases? Any blood tests?
Lots of people live with MS in a good way. It is a disease that you can do something about it. People who does not take care of themselves and some very unlucky ones create that sad stories. Disease modifying drugs, a healthy diet, optimal vitamin and mineral levels in blood, exercise, all good against MS.
Take care, support your dad ;)
Pain! You made me a, you made me a believer, believer
Pain! You break me down, you build me up, believer, believer
Pain! Oh let the bullets fly, oh let them rain
My life, my love, my drive, it came from... Pain!
Most of the people on this site have MS and have learned to live with it and most do reasonably well. By the numbers, 70% of those with MS do well with little effort.
On the other hand, your dad can improve his odds of doing well by improving his diet (there are many diet choices and all seem to work for many), taking nutritional supplements (there are many, many, many choices here), exercise and lifestyle change (elimination of stresses and getting plenty of sleep).
There are many books on the subject and a wealth of info on this site.
Although MS is not considered hereditary, children of a parent with MS do get it, so you may want to become familiar with the options I have mentioned.
Your dad (and you) should monitor your vitamin D level and should include larger than typical dosages of vitamin D in your diet. Vitamin B is also very important.
Hope he feels better soon, and by its nature, symptoms or RRMS should go into remission.
ah the dreaded 'normal'. standard bloodwork and its interpretation, as well as the language used to describe results, has been pulling the wool over the public's eyes for a very long time. related: http://bit.ly/2tbClPN
for an example, might be worth your time to peruse some of zyklon's experiences since joining us here in april (his access to testing is unusually good so lots of info concentrated into a relatively short time period) http://www.thisisms.com/forum/introduct ... ml#p247337
could be lots going on with dear old dad - but you have to know what you're looking for in terms of tests to be run, how to interpret results given poorly defined 'normal' ranges, and then not only which levels but which ratios to watch, keep an eye on.
aside: i get mad when ppl recommend d3 alone. cofactors are key in complex systems like human bodies.
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I'm nearly 60, had a diagnosis of MS for over 25 years, raised a family and, despite a few hiccups, I'm not doing too badly.
It's a good chance for your Dad to look at his health, his lifestyle and the pressures he lives with each day. Diagnosis can be a shock but it can also be a chance to put a name to a range of unexplained episodes of tiredness or awkwardness that he may have felt and kept to himself.
It is definitely not the time for him to lie down and pull the curtains. Neither should he slavishly accept every bit of advice he receives. It's never too late to start to read and learn. Nor is it too late to think about a healthy lifestyle. Your role is not to burden him with how this diagnosis may affect you. It's to be his friend. Many people never grasp this.
He has RRMS. All of his blood work came back normal, which is one good thing! I suppose I should feel lucky that he is still walking.
Many thanks for your reply.
He will not only walk but run lots of years if he takes care of himself. Please ignore the horror stories. Lots of success stories around.
Pain! You made me a, you made me a believer, believer
Pain! You break me down, you build me up, believer, believer
Pain! Oh let the bullets fly, oh let them rain
My life, my love, my drive, it came from... Pain!
I am sorry to hear about your father. I know the diagnosis sucks.
In my case, the diagnosis seemed to have a more emotional impact on my other half. But, she is a CCU nurse and has observational bias. She typically sees worse case scenarios for most medical conditions. That being said, the diagnosis may be harder on you than him, and he would not want you to compromise your education.
I have RRMS. I am also a full-time employee in a physically demanding job, a full-time student working on 2 degrees, and have a family. All this while remodeling my house.
If I do not tell people, they would not know. So, I do not tell them.
I will be 40 this year.
I know I probably have lots of time before I get bad.
I have found that an improved diet, supplements, and exercise help. For exercise I do the Tap Out program and take Karate with my daughter.
All that being said, everyones experience is different. Some live decades with few problems, some get them quickly.
Doctors normally are right, but not always. If you find any other explanation for your father symptoms request the associated test. Specially anti-MOG and anti-NMO antibodies should be tested.
If finally diagnosis is confirmed, we (the humans) do not know too much about MS. Just read anything you can and try to make your own oppinion. Some important topics you should read are:
Rituxan/Rituximab and anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies
Vitamin D
antioxidants: Inosine and lipoic acid
CCSVI
and any other subject you can find.
I've heard so many horror stories about MS that I'm honestly so terrified for him. I'm supposed to be starting university in September which is stressful enough without this worry on my shoulders now too. Does anyone else have MS or know someone who does? Any advice or support would be greatly appreciated.
