MS Progressive Types: Frequently Asked Questions

I remember watching the Beijing Olympics last summer, and shortly after, the Paralympics. Participants were world class athletes with disabilities, and some of them were MSers. Contests were in standard Olympic events -- of course basketball, but also rugby (yes, rugby), swimming, rowing, equestrian, shooting, wheelchair volleyball and many more.

Yes, you can play sports. Is any sport beyond the MSer? Ask Wendy Booker and Lori Schneider, MSers who tackled Mt. Everest.

I never thought of dance as a sport, but here's a video called sports dance.

Will I die of MS?
Few MSers -- I have read less than 1% -- will die directly from the disease. Around 10% will die indirectly from MS, from complications that lead to dehydration, kidney failure, aspiration, or, because of extreme depression, suicide.

Let me refer you to this question as it was answered last year right here on Health Central.

How fast does it progress?
Researchers do not know and they cannot predict a rate of progression with any degree of accuracy. There are rather benign courses that progress slowly, or seemingly not at all. Then there are malignant disease courses that progress quite rapidly. Even aggressive MS sometimes goes through a plateau where there is little or no progression. The rate of progression seems to be an individual factor.

How do Progressive symptoms differ from RRMS?
Symptoms in Progressive MS are the same as those familiar in Relapsing/Remitting MS. The difference is in intensity and the fact that there are generally no relapses. In Progressive MS, there are also no periods of remittance or repair. The symptoms are worse and continually worsen.

I have Progressive MS. What should I know about nutrition?
Good general health makes us all feel better. There is anecdotal evidence that certain nutritional practices make a difference in MS, and maybe more than that. I wrote an article about how nutrition affects MS.

Lisa Emrich referred to the benefits of good nutrition when answering a question here on Health Central. Dr. Amy Thomas has a profile that tells us "I'm happy to be promoting good nutrition as a step toward wellness for people . . .."

Further, Bing, the new "decision engine," finds a long list of results on MS and nutrition.

It appears there is a consensus that MS benefits from good nutrition.

Is there any hope for the future?
I think there is always hope. More progressive MS research than ever before is taking place, and drugs taken in the early stages may delay entry into Progressive MS. More and more MSers with a progressive form of the disease find their quality of life is good. Better treatments are being developed and there is always hope a cure will be found.

"The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for.

And the most you can do is live right inside that hope.

Not admit it from a distance, but live right in it, under its roof."

~ Barbara Kingsolver, American writer (b. April 8, 1955)

Is MS ever funny?