World MS Day 2018

It’s World MS Day 2018!  This is a day to celebrate working together on a global scale to share information,  raise awareness and to help make life better for those of us living with MS.  This year, the emphasis is on #BringingUsCloser to empowering people with MS and using research to hopefully find treatments to halt or even cure MS.

Have a watch of the following animation which shows how clinical trials are bringing us closer to ending MS:

I also had a think about MS.  MS is such a complex disease and so many things came to my mind, so I tried to add some of the key ‘MS words’ to the word ‘Multiple Sclerosis’, below.  Can you think of any more?

M

Many different symptoms, MRI, memory problems, meditation, mobility difficulties, myelin, muscle stiffness, muscle spasms, MS Hug, Disease Modifying Drugs (DMDs)

U

Unpredictable, unusual sensations, Uhthoff’s phenomenon, UTIs, unsteady

L

Lack of coordination, lesions, Lhermitte’s sign

T

Tecfidera, talking therapy, tightness, tiredness, Tysabri, tremor

I

(Auto) immune

P

Primary Progressive MS, pins and needles, pilates, pain

L

Lumbar puncture, LDN, Lemtrada

E

EDSS, potential difficulties remaining in employment, feeling exhausted

S

Secondary Progressive MS, sensory symptoms, sexual problems, side effects from medication

C

No cure,Central Nervous System (CNS), sensitivity to cold, Copaxone, complementary medicine, use of catheters, children can get it too, cramps

L

Lack of public funding, low tolerance to heat, lack of public awareness of the disease

E

Exercise can help symptoms

R

Relapsing Remitting MS, relapses, continued need for research

O

Lifestyle programmes – such as Overcoming MS – may help, optic neuritis

S

Difficulties with speech and swallowing, steroids to treat relapses

I

Overwhelming itchiness, feeling isolated from family and peers

S

Therapy using stem cells, feeling scared of the future, importance of support, social media can raise awareness and offer support

For further information about any of the above and to read more about MS, I highly recommend checking out The Multiple Sclerosis Trust or the MS Society for further information.  In addition, if you would like to get involved in World MS day today or in the future, check out the World MS Day site for ideas and inspiration – don’t forget to include the hashtags #bringinguscloser and #worldmsday in your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram posts for World MS Day and your post may appear on the #BringingUsCloser page of the World MS Day website!

With best wishes,