Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. In MS, the body’s white blood cells attack the protective covering for nerve fibers in the brain tissue called myelin sheath. The myelin sheaths cover nerve fibers as they transmit nerve impulses within the brain.
When a myelin sheath is worn down or destroyed, the nerve fiber becomes exposed. The exposed nerve fiber is less able to transmit nerve impulses. As a result, messages between different parts of the body are not transmitted as effectively. After the myelin is destroyed, scar tissue called sclerosis is left behind in the damaged areas. these are referred to as lesions or plaques and this is what shows up on the MRI to help with a definitive diagnosis.
I have Relapsing-remitting MS – in other words…my syptoms come and go (as they please) and then stick around for a period of time and then disappear.
The f*cked up thing about MS is that it’s not known what causes it, as a result there is no cure. It’s a degenerative disease and as such the treatment for it just slows down the progression of the disease. It presents itself differently to patients, altho there is consistency. Symptoms tend to fall into 1 or more of these buckets:
- Sensory
- Vision
- Cognitive
- Bladder/Bowel
- Sexual Activity
- Movement
- Fatigue
I have to admit, that of some stories that i’ve read, mine seems to be mild – ish! (so far) I’ve had some things happen…but that is a story for a later post.