• Market Watch

My life with MS

- 2023-06-07 00:00:00

Estelle Bartens was working at the Red Cross Hospital in Rondebosch, Cape Town and while driving from Kuilsriver to drop of her child at the crèche on her way to work, she realised she was unable to a ascertain the distance from the white lines on the road.
“My eyes lost focus and I had to turn my head to get a clear picture of an object,” explains Estelle.
Many tests were done, which included an optical test, a lumbar punch as well as an MRI scan.
A young doctor broke the news over the phone she had Multiple Sclerosis (MS). For a while she took medication, was transferred to Tygerberg Hospital but medically boarded in 1999.
“My legs deteriorated gradually thereafter. Dr. Izak Burger of Panorama Hospital prescribed Avonex injections which were administered every Friday and made me very ill.”
Estelle had to travel to Cape Town to consult a doctor who each time did an MRI scan.
“He prescribed pills, but I can’t recall the name and the year it was. It was not covered by my medical aid scheme and the monthly cost was N$15 000. I decided not to take it.”
It felt like “cement was set in my upper legs,” explains Estelle. She started using Oxycare and after 3 months the feeling dissipated.
She admits she is still struggling with her legs and is unable to walk very far.
With the passing of time Estelle grew accustomed to what she is able and unable to do.
“I exercise twice a week at biokinetics and it helps a lot in getting up when I have fallen down. To stay positive is also unbelievably helpful. The mobility scooter also assists in my feeling of being independent.”
MS is a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system). In MS, the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers and causes communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body. Eventually, the disease can cause permanent damage or deterioration of the nerve fibers.
Signs and symptoms of MS vary widely between patients and depend on the location and severity of nerve fiber damage in the central nevous system. Some people with severe MS may lose the ability to walk independently or ambulate at all. Other individuals may experience long periods of remission without any new symptoms depending on the type of MS they have.
There's no cure for multiple sclerosis. However, there are treatments to help speed the recovery from attacks, modify the course of the disease and manage symptoms.
Most people with MS have a relapsing-remitting disease course. They experience periods of new symptoms or relapses that develop over days or weeks and usually improve partially or completely. These relapses are followed by quiet periods of disease remission that can last months or even years.
Small increases in body temperature can temporarily worsen signs and symptoms of MS. These aren't considered true disease relapses but pseudorelapses.
At least 20% to 40% of those with relapsing-remitting MS can eventually develop a steady progression of symptoms, with or without periods of remission, within 10 to 20 years from disease onset. This is known as secondary-progressive MS.
The worsening of symptoms usually includes problems with mobility and gait. The rate of disease progression varies greatly among people with secondary-progressive MS.
Some people with MS experience a gradual onset and steady progression of signs and symptoms without any relapses, known as primary-progressive MS. – Additional source: mayoclinic.org; msnamibia.org; [email protected]
Did you know?
Location
Signs and symptoms may differ greatly from person to person and over the course of the disease depending on the location of affected nerve fibres.
Health tip
Eat for optimal health
Health precaution tip
Commit to regular exercise
STATS:
Common symptoms may include:
• Numbness or weakness in one or more limbs that typically occurs on one side of your body at a time
• Tingling
• Electric-shock sensations that occur with certain neck movements, especially bending the neck forward (Lhermitte sign)
• Lack of coordination
• Unsteady gait or inability to walk
• Prolonged double vision
• Fatigue
• Slurred speech
• Cognitive problems