please help

[Rachel149]

Hi,

My best friend's husband was diagnosed with MS in November of 2013, although they believe he may have had it for a long time… many of the lesions discovered were in his brain with areas of atrophy..

Over the past few years, he's had some gradual personality changes… been depressed, more withdrawn from social activities and his friends and family… not as helpful with their 2 kids… etc…

Recently. things have been much worse… he's been so depressed, paranoid, erratic, having difficulty at work forcing him to be on disability, having cognitive and speech problems… difficulty walking… this has all been SO rapid since the fall...

Last month, she caught him cheating on her and now their marriage is over. This seems extremely out of character for him.. I've known him for 20 years and can't even believe it.

Is this all the MS? What can or should be done at this point?

[milesap]

Sounds like reaction to the medication he is taking !! If it was me I would stop it all for a month or two

[HarryZ]

He has many lesions, brain atrophy, problems at work, gone on disability and I'm sure suffered a big loss of self esteem! Add these all up and yes, you have one of several ways that MS not only affects the patient but also the entire family.

One reader pointed out this could be the result of whatever medication he has been taking but you did not mention if he is taking anything or not. Let's just say while this might be a side effect of medication I doubt it is the only reason for his behavior.

MS requires treatment from more ways than just taking drugs. Proper diet, exercise, counseling, an understand employer etc are all part of the treatment. Good MS clinics offer all of this and perhaps more. I'm not sure if your friend's husband has taken this route but it sure sounds like he is in a lot of trouble beyond just the disease. I would hope they would seek out the assistance of such a clinic and try and patch up their problems. In my 50 years of following MS research (my wife had it and passed away in 2007) I have seen cases similar to this and it is heartbreaking to see how this disease can be so cruel.

I wish them both luck.

Harry

[lyndacarol]

My best friend's husband was diagnosed with MS in November of 2013, although they believe he may have had it for a long time… many of the lesions discovered were in his brain with areas of atrophy..

Over the past few years, he's had some gradual personality changes… been depressed, more withdrawn from social activities and his friends and family… not as helpful with their 2 kids… etc…

Recently. things have been much worse… he's been so depressed, paranoid, erratic, having difficulty at work forcing him to be on disability, having cognitive and speech problems… difficulty walking… this has all been SO rapid since the fall...

Last month, she caught him cheating on her and now their marriage is over. This seems extremely out of character for him.. I've known him for 20 years and can't even believe it.

Is this all the MS? What can or should be done at this point?

Welcome to ThisIsMS, Rachel. What a good friend you are to seek out help for her situation!

He was diagnosed with MS six months ago, but had changes over the past few years – perhaps this is not so rapid after all. I even wonder if his developing problem wasn't something else (not actually MS), I wonder if he has been misdiagnosed. Or if he does have MS, perhaps he has an entirely separate physical problem. Not every new symptom after an MS diagnosis can be chalked up to MS.

Please watch the following video and encourage your best friend's husband to request thorough testing for a possible vitamin B12 deficiency (which can occur at any time in one's life), starting with blood tests and maybe a therapeutic trial of B12 injections or supplementation:

"Everything You Want Your Doctor to Know about Vitamin B12"



I highly recommend this 50-minute documentary from the filmmaker Elissa Leonard, featuring Sally Pacholok, RN, BSN & her husband Jeffrey Stuart, D.O. (authors of the book, Could It Be B12? An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses); Lawrence Solomon, M.D., hematologist with Yale Medical School; Ralph Green, M.D., hematologist at UC Davis; and Donald Jacobsen, PhD, at the Cleveland Clinic (Homocysteine Research Lab). Also, please try to read their book; it is EXCELLENT.

@1:23 "The neurological manifestations well precede the hematological manifestations."

@1:46 "In 1948 scientists isolated a red crystalline pigment and named it vitamin B12. It is a primordial molecule responsible for the health of all the DNA in all our cells. The Framingham Offspring Study suggests 40% of Americans have suboptimal B12."

Signs and Symptoms of B12 Deficiency:
Tingling/Numbness
Sore Mouth or Tongue
Fatigue
Anxiety
Irritability
Depression
Weakness
Abnormal Gait
Mental Impairment
Visual Disturbances
Migraine
Orthostatic Intolerance
Chest Pain
Tachycardia
Difficulty Breathing
Edema
Elevated Homocysteine
Elevated MMA
Stomach and G.I. Problems
Blood Abnormalities
Neurological Lesions
Limb Movement Disorders
Psychosis
Thoughts of Suicide

The issue of medication is also something to be investigated, as my friends here have addressed. Pharmaceutical drugs are VERY strong and can have unintended consequences: my brother-in-law committed suicide after taking Paxil for less than a week.

There is the ancient idea of "a sound mind in a sound body" – I think something in his body, as yet unidentified, is causing these changes in his personality and NEEDS to be examined.

We wish all three of you the very best