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Monday, November, 23, 2009
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My sister has MS and has left her family. Can a person with MS not know what they are doing?

Sister1
03/17/09

Can a person with MS have irrational thinking and not know what they are doing?  My sister was diagnoised with MS years ago after a short period of time on meds she and her husband agreed that the side effects were too bad and she has not taken any meds since.  About a year ago her husband got mad at her which sent her into a panic mode and her family called the police because she was unconsoleable. They took her to the Mental ward. She was released in a few hours.  My parents and I live out of state and she came to visit us to get away.  While here she had several panic attacks, a night she spent with me she was unusally quite and had double vision but would not agree to go to the hospital.  Upon waking the next day she was better but had no memory of what she did all evening.  We are close and we talk on the phone at least once a week. Over the past year she has talked about MS episodes where she will have symtoms and not be able to think clearly, loss of memory.  One time she even said she drove the car home from a Dr apt but the Lord drove the car.  Over the past couple of weeks she has been upset and saying that her husband has been very hard to live with.  At one point they had an argument and she said she needed to plan an escape.  I suggested that she was fearful about what happened last year because the anniversary of the hosp visit was coming up.  Nothing she was saying about what her husband would I consider a threat.  She also began to go to parking lots to talk on the phone and during the conversations she would say someone is trying to hit the car, then she would move and say it again.  Over the past year she has suffered from sleep disorder and is on meds for that. I have received an email from her that was strange and full of misspelled and wrong words.  All this to say that last week she left her husband.  There was not argument just was gone when he came home from work.  Her husband nor children know where she is and she has not contacted me.  She did contact my parents and told them that my other sister (who she is not close to at all but lives in the same area and has now threatened her family with bodily harm if they try to find her and would not answer my call) was helping her and that she was going to move to our state but not live with us and get a job.  She has not worked in years because most days she can't even get out of bed.  Her husband has been primary care giver preparing meals etc.  A couple of weeks ago she had a sudden remarkable burst of energy so much so that everyone who talked with her thought she was high.  She was very cryptic in her last coversation to me but told me that she had gone to the doctor to get pain medicaiton for her back.  She told me she did not want anyone to know.  After reading some of the message boards about MS personality and parinoia I am thinking that that may be what is going on with her.

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Answers (2)
Merely Me
Merely Me
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I am a mother, a writer, and now an MS patient

I just got diagnosed with MS in October of 2007 although my very...

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Hi there

 

Wow...this is a lot going on with your sister.  I did write an article about MS personality but honestly...reading your account makes me think that this goes beyond Multiple Sclerosis.  Let me state that I am not a doctor and I am not a therapist but I had worked in the field of mental health for over a decade and...it sounds like your sister needs some help from a therapist right now. 

 

MS probably is contributing to all this but I am wondering if anything traumatic has happened in her life during these years or is she taking any medications which could alter her personality this much? 

 

Does your sister have any history of mental illness including Bipolar Disorder or Schizophrenia?  Some of the behaviors you are describing do concern me.  My mother has schizophrenia and some of the things you are telling me sound familiar.  But again I am not a doctor or therapist.  If you can get her in to be seen by someone I am thinking this is your best bet right now.  Is there any way you can talk with her regular doctor? 

 

I am so sorry that your sister and your family is going through this right now.  I cannot imagine how worried you must be.

 

Please let us know what happens.  I will be thinking about you.

Lisa Emrich
Lisa Emrich
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Musician, Patient Advocate, and Founder - Carnival of MS Bloggers

Lisa Emrich is a professional musician. She happens to live with...

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Wow, there certainly is a lot going on with your sister.  MS can affect one's cognitive functioning which can then affect one's emotional functioning as well.  Here's an article which talks about Cognitive Issues in Multiple Sclerosis.  The description you give of an email with words mixed up or lots of misspellings is actually a very common occurrence with MS.  This happens to me quite frequently.

 

Although each of the things you mention could separately be explained by something related to MS, it would agree with Merely Me that there seems to be more going on here.  At a minimum, she needs to be evaluated and treated.

 

Please stay safe and I sincerely hope that your sister is safe.

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