As I have said, I do not want this to become a diary or a pain diary or a means to whip up sympathy. The object is to explain to you all where I am at in terms of this bloody decline and so when I do see you on a social basis we do not spend the whole time talking about the Sclerosis Monster. But it has occurred to me that I have shied away from an explanation of what it is. I have said repeatedly that the symptoms (and diagnoses) seem to never be the same as the next person but there are some things that are the same and these are the chemical/internal “goings on” which explain the disabilities. If you have bothered to follow up the links I have sent you and are now au fait with what MS is then forgive me. But I know there are some people who may like more information.
MS is an autoimmune condition. My immune system, which is meant to protect me from infections has started to attack me (which, in fact, it has been doing for a long time manifesting itself as psoriasis and alopaecia). With MS, my immune system is attacking my central nervous system which consists of the brain and the spinal cord. The spinal cord sends information to the brain which in turn sends messages to my body parts.
But, with MS the messages get interrupted because the myelin sheath which protects the nerves has been attacked by my immune system. As the myelin becomes more damaged it affects the nerves ability to send messages quickly and efficiently and this is what leads to the symptoms that are obvious to either me or an onlooker. To begin with my brain had some sort of ability to repair the damaged myelin but over time it has become more and more damaged. This is a process known as demyelination and the nerve fibres are exposed and wrecked.
The affected areas become inflamed which is my body’s attempt to defend itself and these inflamed areas eventually become lesions, otherwise known as plaques* and form in the brain and spinal cord.
In an attempt to help my system sooth the inflamed areas I have adopted a diet which helps that process which has meant cutting out gluten and a few other food stuffs to which I am apparently allergic. Added to this I consume fistfuls of supplements such as Fish Oils and Vitamin D, IS complex and Turmeric and a tonic supplied by my herbalist. You may remember that I mentioned her earlier on in my blog as being somebody (indeed the only body) who took time and interest in me and offered something that I felt may help my predicament.
So here I am, 7 months on from swallowing all these pills and potions and is it doing me any good? I honestly don’t know, other than people say I look well. Which can be rather infuriating as they don’t know the agonies under the skin. But don’t stop complementing me!
*I can’t vouch for the accuracy of this, but I learned from an MS sufferer in the chamber that sometimes MS is diagnosed according to the number of plaques that are evident on the MRI scan.
OK. Lesson over. Another request from a follower was that I post a who’s who. Dramatis Personae to follow.
Mandi’s blog 
I think that, as with my back, anything that you can do which makes you feel as if you’re in control or makes you feel as if you are doing something positive is a Good Thing. All my exercise does nothing for my back but it supports me emotionally and that is increasingly important. Keep up the good work. Looking Amazing has got to be fantastic reward even if you don’t Feel Amazing.
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This was a fantastic post and very informative for those that are a little clueless to MS. Understanding this illness and living with it are two very different things and it is SO important to have the ability to explain it. You did a wonderful job with this and I am beyond impressed! I think maybe I should print this out so when people ask me about it, I can just say “Read this and if you have more questions, just let me know!” You really are pretty brilliant!!
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