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The Messages We Receive About MS

1/5/2014

1 Comment

 
Yesterday I watched “MS & Me” on Al Jazeera America. As I have grown to respect their fair and more inclusive reporting, I was excited to have them give me the current update on all things MS. The hour long event followed an Al Jazeera correspondent as she traveled to England, where the cutting edge of research promised to be.

One hour and we visited young people who detailed their symptoms, a man in a wheelchair as we were told that one in four MS sufferers would end up in one, and one woman who said that the side effects of MS medication were worth the risk for the benefits she felt. A visit to a researcher who made it seem as if the Vitamin D connection was the biggest link up to date, a DNA specialist who confirmed she did not carry the gene that they think may predispose an individual to MS (but that did not mean that those with MS would necessarily have this gene…) and to her doctor to determine that her MS had not developed into secondary progressive, and the special closed with her decision to begin taking a daily pill that they did not disclose the name of.

Is this what MS is in the public eye? Do the media only want to report on the sensational? Wheelchair statistics and ten minutes of waiting to see if she will have heart failure upon taking her first pill, but no talk of the stress connection, nutrition, any amount of control we might have as those with MS? I was torn between compassion for this woman and wanting to shake her, “You are not a prisoner to your diagnosis!”

How many of us feel this way? That our lives are hurtling out of control? That each year brings the possibility of a new relapse, new symptoms, and the possible transition into progressive MS? And is the media, our doctors, our families, ANYONE telling us differently?

--Emily Royce


1 Comment
Lizzie
1/6/2014 06:02:36 am

You just hit on something that I have found very offputting for some time now. We are more than just people with MS. People have a flair for the dramatic. I just cut them off at the pass and tell them I have ms, I'm dealing with it well, and then change the subject to a book or movie! It's nice to know that I am not alone in thinking this!

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  • Home
  • About Us
  • Virtual MS Center
    • Q & A for Virtual MS Center
    • Read About Our Virtual MS Center Staff
  • News & Resources
  • Seminar Registration
  • Health & Wellness
  • Blogs
    • Physician Blog >
      • Healthcare Provider Blog
    • Physical Therapy Blog
    • Patient Blog
    • Caregiver Blog
    • Research Blogs >
      • "Ask Dr. Debbie" Research Blog
      • Multiple Perspectives In Multiple Sclerosis Research Blog
  • About MS
    • What is MS?
    • Diagnosis
    • Treatment
    • MS Tips
  • Symptoms
    • Balance and Walking Issues
    • Breathing/Respiratory
    • Bowel Dysfunction
    • Cognitive Dysfunction
    • Crying/Laughing Uncontrollably (PBA)
    • Depression and Anxiety
    • Dizziness/Vertigo
    • Dysphagia
    • Fatigue
    • Foot Drop
    • Hearing or Smell or Taste Changes
    • Heat Sensitivity
    • Leg Weakness
    • Loss of Hand Dexterity and Coordination
    • Memory and Mutliple Sclerosis
    • Migraines
    • Numbness/Tingling/Altered Sensation
    • Nystagmus and Oscillopsia
    • Pain
    • Sexual Dysfunction
    • Sleep Issues
    • Spasticity/Spasms/Cramps
    • Speech/Swallowing
    • Urination/Bowel Problems
    • Vision
  • MS Clinics
  • MS Topics
    • Pregnancy and Infertility
    • Caregivers and Family Members
    • Employment and MS
    • Medical Costs and Insurance
    • Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis
  • Register With Us
  • Terms of Use/Privacy/HIPAA
  • MS HealthCare Journey