Everything You Need
To Know About Multiple Sclerosis
For MS Warriors, their Family, Friends and Care
Givers
If
you are newly
diagnosed with MS, know someone who is, or if you are a partner or
caregiver of someone with MS, you probably have questions. Everything
You Need to Know About Multiple Sclerosis has answers. It
answers
questions about what MS is, different types of MS, MS symptoms and
medication, MS and diet, exercise, smoking (cigarettes and marijuana),
drinking, relationships, sex, pregnancy... In addition, several
partners of MS Warriors write about their experiences. In short while
this book may not have everything, this is a comprehensive book about
MS.
Buy print or ebook using links below the introduction. However, if you
want a free PDF copy of the book, email the subject
line "MS PDF" to
msandmebook@gmail.com.
A PDF, and no other information,
will be emailed
to you.
Introduction
to Everything You Need to Know
About Multiple Sclerosis
My name is Paul Lima. I am an MS Warrior. That is what people with MS
call themselves as they battle this insidious disease. Three to four
million of us are affected by Multiple Sclerosis (MS) worldwide. I have
had MS since 1998, for over twenty years as of the writing of this
book. There have been years when it has pretty much knocked me on my
butt. Years when it has given me strange and bizarre symptoms. Years
when it has disappeared to wherever MS goes when those with Relapsing
Remitting MS go into remission and, for the last four years, it has
knocked me on my butt and kept me from doing all but walking my dog and
teaching some online writing courses for the University of Toronto.
But during the 20 years that I've had MS, I've learned a lot about this
disease. More than I've cared to learn, but it can pay to know your
enemy.
I am not a doctor, so this is a layman's guide to MS. I have researched
and verified every fact presented, to the best of my ability. And I
hope the writing makes the facts presented clear and understandable.
Hopefully the fact that I have been a freelance writer, author and
writing trainer for the last thirty years helps me do that. (If you
want to know more about me, and what I do—or try to do as I deal
with my MS—go to paullima.com.)
But this book isn't about who I am and what I am personally dealing
with. It's about everything (or almost everything) you need to know
about MS. From first inklings, or the fact that something strange is
going on, to the diagnosis, to what MS is and why it is, to the various
types of MS, to medications and potential side effects, to diet,
exercise and depression, to relationships, and more. My hope is that
this book will help you understand this chronic disease--to understand
that MS is not a death sentence, but it can have a detrimental impact
on your physical and emotional well being. And to understand that MS is
different for everybody diagnosed with the disease.
That's right. Different. For each MS Warrior. Just like every snowflake
is different, there are different types of MS, and there are different
symptoms for each person living with MS. But just like every snowflake
is made from frozen water, MS Warriors, as we shall see, have
similarities too.
I wrote this book because, quite frankly, I was surprised at how
naïve many of the questions being asked by those with MS were, and
how frightened many of those newly diagnosed with MS seemed to be. Then
it occurred to me, after twenty years of dealing with this disease, I
was an MS veteran. Twenty years ago, my questions were just as
naïve, probably more so. I was just as frightened, even more so.
It's not that I now have all the answers. Not by a long shot. Nobody
has all the answers. Nor am I now a big, brave guy! Not at all. But I
am no longer new to MS, have a bit more understanding of this disease,
and am a little more laidback about it.
Don't get me wrong. MS still scares the crap out of me. I've just
learned how to breathe and remain calm in the face of my
fear—most of the time.
Yes, your doctors have information. But they can only dispense
information in twenty-minute sessions once or twice a year.
Unfortunately, much of it, especially if you are newly diagnosed, goes
in one ear and out the other and leaves you with more questions than
answers. Not the fault of the doctors (in most cases). It's difficult
to absorb information when you've been given a sentence (formally
called a diagnosis) that you really don't understand and that scares
the crap out of you.
Yes, there is a lot of information online and I encourage people with
MS, and their family members and caregivers, to read about MS on
legitimate websites (see my list of online resources at the end of this
book). I also encourage you to join in-person support groups (check
with local chapters of MS societies for information about support
groups) and online support groups such as Facebook MS support groups or
myMSteam, the social network for those living with MS. At the same
time, it seems like there was room, maybe even a need, for a book that
catalogues just about everything one needs to know about MS.
With all of that in mind, if you have MS, I hope that it is not severe
and that this book gives you some sense of what you might expect. If
you are a family member of someone with MS, or caring for some with MS,
I hope that this book gives you a greater sense of what the MS Warrior
might be going through. And if you have severe symptoms, I hope that
this book helps you and those around you understand what you are
dealing with.
Suffice it to say, while many MS Warriors have decent days, weeks,
months, and even years, they still have a bizarre disease that can
manifest itself in different ways at any time. Whatever your case, do
not let MS define you. You are not your disease.
With that in mind, I hope this book helps you feel more prepared for
what may come--although I hope it does not arrive for a long, long time.
Paul Lima
December 2018 |
Contents
1
/ Introduction
2 / What Is MS?
3 / Types of MS
4 / Why Is MS?
5 / First Inklings of MS
6 / Doctors & Diagnosis
7 / MS Symptoms
8 / MS and Medication
9 / Grazing in the Grass
10 / To MRI or Not To MRI?
11 / Living with MS
12 / Life Hacks and MS
13 / MS and Exercise
14 / MS and Diet
15 / MS and Depression
16 / Communicating about MS
17 / Healthy Partners of MS Warriors
18 / Sex and Pregnancy
19 / MS and Me
20 / Two Other Warriors Write
20 / Missing Aspects of Life
20 / MS Is Not A Death Sentence
21 / Epilogue
21 / List of Online MS Resources
|
