MS Maze

Those of us who have multiple sclerosis are very fortunate in a great many ways. There are much worse scenarios in this world and people with MS generally live a near-normal life-span, although with various degrees of disability.

On the flip side, there is an emotional toll due to the roller-coaster nature of the disease, the many unknowns which still exist within the medical profession and the lack of comprehension by the general public. Furthermore, patients face the difficulty of trying to compensate for disabilities which are ever-changing.

What about when I wake up tomorrow? Will I need someone to drive me around? Will a cane do? Should I purchase a wheelchair now? What if my arms don’t work and I can’t propel the chair? Will I be able to shower/shampoo adequately? Will I regain vision in my left eye? And so it goes in the mind of an MS patient.

There is a financial price to be paid as well. Medications currently available for MS can run up to $16,000 annually, and that’s just basics. Add to that medications prescribed for individual symptoms and complications from MS, steroid treatments, neurologist visits, physical therapy and various tests such as the MRI, which can keep tabs on progression. Medical insurance? A complicated issue for another post, but suffice it to say that insurance companies are not lining up to solicit this writer’s business.

What a glorious day, though, when you can get up, walk around, be self-sufficient and independent! Savor that day! Revel in it! Appreciate it! Take charge and use it to its full potential.

Make the choice — every single day — to take on what you can and not dwell on what you can’t. Don’t give up the ship just yet. There’s a LOT more to you than your MS.