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Open communication and mutual support help patients, parents, spouses and kids.
By Lisa Esposito, Staff Writer
There’s something about multiple sclerosis, or MS, that disrupts families at every level. “I’ve often talked about it as the uninvited guest,” says Rosalind Kalb, vice president for health care information and resources at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. “This disease shows up in your household, moves in, spreads its junk all over and doesn’t leave. It means everyone has to develop a relationship with this intruder.”
MS is a progressive disease of the central nervous system that affects the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. Multiple sclerosis causes multiple symptoms – from blurred vision to blindness; mobility issues ranging from poor balance and coordination to paralysis; slurred speech, tremors and severe fatigue; and problems with memory and concentration.
Keeping the lines of communication open can help families offer support and information. (GETTY IMAGES)
There’s no cure for MS, and it’s unpredictable. People with relapsing/remitting MS, the most common form, experience periodic flare-ups that come and go. About two-thirds of cases occur in women. First symptoms – often visual – most commonly happen between ages 20 and 40, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, although children and older adults can be diagnosed, too.
When you put those risk factors together, “Women of childbearing age, who are starting careers and families, are the folks who seem to be most often at risk,” says Kalb, a clinical psychologist and the author of “Multiple Sclerosis For Dummies.”
Shifting Family Shoulders
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