Possible cure for Multiple Sclerosis

[MikeBrown30]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100322/ap_on_he_me/us_med_healthbeat_ms___bad_veins_1

I have Multiple Sclerosis, and I am praying that this is the answer, I can see my quality of life fading as every week passes. Fortunately here in Melbourne, Australia, they are already offering the scans and treatment, we seem to be a bit more open minded than the U.S.

I did have the ultrasound on my neck a few weeks ago, and there is more than 50% stenosis, my consultation with the interventional radiologist is in May. If you know anyone with MS, I urge you to direct them to the This Is MS forum: http://www.thisisms.com/forum-40.html

 

[Gaucho]

Ah, I'm very sorry to hear Mike.

This is a horrible condition, I've seen a friend suffer with it and I too was suspected of having it after some extremelly odd symptoms over the past couple years. But my MRI came up all clear and was let go by the neurologist.

22 is a very young age to be diagnised with MS Mike! And you say you can see your quality of life fading with every passing wk? It's not generally that aggressive is it? I thought the vast majority had periods of relapsing-remitting?

I am actually going to do some volunteer work for the MS society of Australia (I am in Sydney). It is a disease I really believe in helping.

 

[backbreaker]

Best of luck man.. stay strong.

 

[MikeBrown30]

Ah, I'm very sorry to hear Mike.

This is a horrible condition, I've seen a friend suffer with it and I too was suspected of having it after some extremelly odd symptoms over the past couple years. But my MRI came up all clear and was let go by the neurologist.

22 is a very young age to be diagnised with MS Mike! And you say you can see your quality of life fading with every passing wk? It's not generally that aggressive is it? I thought the vast majority had periods of relapsing-remitting?

I am actually going to do some volunteer work for the MS society of Australia (I am in Sydney). It is a disease I really believe in helping.

Good for you that you were cleared, I wouldn't wish this sh1t on even my most hated enemy.

The problem with MS is that it is so unpredictable. Some people are Relapsing-Remitting for 20 odd years or so (I think about 50% of MS sufferers begin as RR), then some people have their first attack, and the disease rapidly progresses (Secondary/Primary Progressive). Looking back, I've probably had it since I was about 18-19. Seemingly out of nowhere, I was always fatigued, my mental ability was slowing down: trouble concentrating (known as "brain fog"), trouble thinking of words to say & spelling them, solving simple mathematical problems. Not to sound arrogant, but before any of those symptoms I was very very sharp, massive vocabulary, always full of energy, intelligent, and had a ridiculous amount of potential. I also started having trouble talking to women and people in general, whereas before I could start a conversation and talk to anyone.

For those couple of years I didn't know wtf was happening, I put it down to being tired as I was working 6 days a week in a physically demanding job from 7am till 5pm, training 6 days a week, and going out on weekends. Then in August last year I had my first attack where everything from my waist down went numb, couldn't walk, could barely move & control my legs and I was in extreme pain. Luckily I am at least able to walk now, but I can't go back to work or train or do anything I was able to do 6 months ago. With things going the way they are, the 11th of May can't be here any sooner. Just to list some of my symptoms: Random blurry vision, random pain/numbness/tingling throughout my whole body, the cognitive fog is always with me (brain fog), fatigue kills me: if I go for a 20 minute walk, I have to sleep for 2 hours to recover from it, constant migraines (how happy would you be if you woke up nearly every morning with a migraine?). I'm not after pity, I just want people to become aware.

Best of luck man.. stay strong.

Thanks backbreaker, I hope I get through this.

 

[Gaucho]

Yeh, my symptoms came on suddenly. I had tingling all down my body, brain fog, muscle spasms and twitching, extreme fatigue where I felt like a wilting flower and just ready to flop down anywhere and sleep for days, couldn't control my thoughts, and at one time felt like I coudn't swallow.

It clears up for the most part, but then every 5-6 months I get another relapse, however this generally coincides with a stressful period of my life. I went for a few visits to the neurologist and had an MRI as well as nerve conduction tests, and blood tests. Symptoms are still there, but he couldn't diagnose me.

Went to a doctor as I still have symptoms and he thinks I had GAD, generalised anxiety disorder where my brain pumps too much adrenaline into my body and similar symptoms have arisen from this constant overdose of the adrenal glands. The medication he gave me barely helps though, so I try to live healthily and just hope I don't get worse (and so far so good luckily for me, it seems to have stabilized for now). It has been 1 and a 1 /2 years since my first attack.

The symptoms were/are so frightening which is what has motivated me, once I hopefully become symptom free, to try help others with the same symptoms.

How were you diagnosed eventually? Via MRI on the cervical spine + brain?

 

[MikeBrown30]

My MRI's are clear as of 3 months ago (brain + spine). Lumbar puncture came up positive though, that was a fun day.

 

[Effington]

I don't want to be a downer, but all this story seems to be is hyped hope to draw readers.

I have a very close family member who has had MS for 20+ years, and has gone through experiment after experiment with the new drugs and procedures, with no avail. Each of the new tests she has been in had shown some sign of positivity such as this article shows.

I also have a very close friend who is a molecular biologist doing MS research, and she says they are not close to a cure. She's still working with rats.

 

[Gaucho]

Effington, anything is possible.

The thing with this study from what I have seen, is it has a direct correlation with MS patients, far greater than any other seen to date.

Not only that, but it could explain the reason for the autoimmune response I believe, something only ever hypothesised before with no evidence (even on such a small study sample) as strong as this........

That is my understanding from the readings I have done on it.

 

[Mistic]

I watched my mom die slowly over a 15 year period from MS. She was hospitalized and completely unable to move for 10 years. She would be me often to go out on the street and buy heroin to od her with. We actually had doctors approval to od her on morphine at one point. When I went there to kill her, neither her or I could go through with it. She just had to suffer horribly until the last day. She was on hundreds of milligrams of morphine that barely helped the pain. I'll never be able to get the images out of my head of her withering away in the hospital.

I hope for you they really find a cure soon.

 

[MikeBrown30]

I don't want to be a downer, but all this story seems to be is hyped hope to draw readers.

I have a very close family member who has had MS for 20+ years, and has gone through experiment after experiment with the new drugs and procedures, with no avail. Each of the new tests she has been in had shown some sign of positivity such as this article shows.

I also have a very close friend who is a molecular biologist doing MS research, and she says they are not close to a cure. She's still working with rats.

I understand your criticism, all news stories are spun to appeal to readers and for the theory to sound "believable". One thing that can't be spun is the results people are getting. I read the ThisIsMS forum daily, and people are improving as time passes. Relapsing-Remitting are showing the most improvements, while Secondary & Primary Progressive aren't showing dramatic improvments right away, but they are not getting any worse (some people may have permanent damage, but as stated by most people, they are happy for progression to just stop). The only people who have gotten worse or had a relapse, are those whose veins became narrowed again. I also speak personally to 2 people here in Melbourne that have had the procedure, and they have not felt better in years.

Drugs are not the answer. They do nothing to stop the disease, there is only a chance that they may slow progression. Coupled with the fact that people have to pay up to $2000 per month for something that "may" work AND the side-effects that many of them come with : Tysabri and PML related deaths - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_multifocal_leukoencephalopathy

I have no faith in the disease-modifying drugs, I would rather be dead.

Also something to note, neurologists, Multiple Sclerosis Societies and the Big Pharma companies are scoffing at this theory and discouraging people against it. Some people think this is because all autoimmune theory research done over the years has been a waste of time, some think that if a cure is found, Big Pharma will lose a sh1tload of money and MS Societies will not be needed any longer ie. people will be out of a job. It's only speculation at this point though.

 

[Gaucho]

All good points.

Eager to see your results and I hope for the best for you mate!