ms does it always mean a wheelchair?

Question

My greataunt died of ms she was in a wheelchair, blind and suffered alot, her sister my nan has had ms for a good few years but you would never know, she is on the drug i think its called beta interferon she walks swims drives cooks sews does pottery etc she must get tired but there is no obvious difference to when she was not diagnosed. i even wondered if she had made it up she is so well! i worked as a carer to a lady with ms who is disabled and can only move 1 arm is in a wheelchair etc i admit i know nothing about the disease but is it possible that a drug can be so effective if taken early enough? i remember a big hoohah about nhs not prescribing it cos of lack of cash but somehow she got it. her daughter(my aunt) has now been diagnosed with ms aswell and they are not giving it to her as dont feel she needs it as quite well but if she suddenly gets bad maybe she will be classed as too far gone to be prescibed? or are there many different types of ms?

Answer 1

My Mum has MS, & according to her, there are something like 30 different types of it, or so her Dr has apparently told her..... she is in a wheelchair, but wasn't for a lot of years, whilst still having it, she doesn't take beta inteferon, as she also has heart trouble, so isn't suitable for her.

I have heard of others, & know 2 people personally who do have this drug, & like you say, they are almost in complete remission, but they DO still have MS, & must still pace activity & rest, or suffere the consequences.

from what I do know of MS, its a very varied disease, it attacks the central nervous system, so depending on which bit it attacks, your symptoms can vary MASSIVELY..... any thing from vision, to legs, to bladder, too bowels, the list is endless, it can also go into remission on its own, so can be very slow to progress.

I wish your Aunt the best of luck, avioding stress & plenty of rest, will be a big help to her

Answer 2

MS has no fixed course, can affect people from mild to extreme and can affect everyone in different ways. Some years ago I spoke to a neurological consultant in London who agreed that there are probably hundreds of people walking around with mild symptoms who have never been diagnosed. My wife was diagnosed in 1990 but we were never told that some 5% of patients suffer from the aggressive non-relapsing variety and that is exactly what she had. Within five years she was in a wheelchair permanently and sadly went into a nursing home after eight years. There was never the option of drug treatment apart from anti-spasmodics together with treatment for incontinence and depression. She can now only move her one arm, cannot speak, needs 7/24 medical intervention and suffers from constant chest and bladder infections. Any fever from these results in a comatose condition.
To answer your main question, not everyone needs a wheelchair and the course is always uncertain. A positive, happy outlook is the best therapy for patients I suggest. Sadly, my wife never had that. I also feel that with regard to effective treatment for MS, we really do live in the middle ages.

Answer 3

Your nan is probably in the early stage of MS. Hopefully, she will not progress as far as your great aunt did for a LONG time. But, there is no cure for MS. So one day, she will probably be in a wheelchair. There is no way to know when it would happen. It hits everyone differently. She may be in great shape for a long time then have a sudden worsening. I hope she stays active for a long time. Glad she has a medication that is helping her.

You can help find a cure (and so can your nan) by going to the National MS society:

http://www.nmss.org/

Answer 4

my mother suffered from slow progressive MS she wouldnt give in to a wheelchair and coped pretty well she had a large family ie myself my dad and my three brothers we all pulled together and my mum lived a good life she also had severe ashma which was more of a problem. there must be as many differant types of MS as there r cancer, research has done loads in the last twenty years, my mum was diagnosed thirty odd years ago when they were still looking for answers.Ms did not end her life, ashma did I wish your nan all the love in the world you must let your aunt live her life as richly as she can and by the time she needs medication it may well be out there for her. live for every day you have and be proud you have coped with all of this

Answer 5

Multiple sclerosis is unpredictable and varies in severity. In some people, multiple sclerosis is a mild illness, but it can lead to permanent disability in others. Treatments can modify the course of the disease and relieve symptoms.
Please refer to the link below.

Answer 6

I don't know if this is relevant to your question but I thought you might be interested in these articles on MS:

Answer 7

mother died of ms, aparently i will not get as skips a generation, my sons had injection when still in whomb to stop them geting so i was told, their children should be ok,