Living with primary progressive MS - No one talks about it. What to expect? How to cope with the lack of medicines, therapies, etc.?
Living with primary progressive MS - No one talks about it. What to expect? How to cope with the lack of medicines, therapies, etc.?
Hi tweener8292,
It is true. Progressive MS is rarely talked about, and when it is, it is usually Secondary Progressive. It is not fair.
Only 10 - 15% of people with MS have Primary Progressive. There is an information void, and the little information available is sometimes confusing because doctors see so few cases. I was surprised to hear how many people never even heard of Primary Progressive!
I wrote about Primary Progressive MS last May. I can tell you progression is slow, and there are often plateaus of no new symptoms or worsening of current symptoms that last a long time. Treatment is usually a drug approved for relapsing/remitting, but is often not very effective.
The National MS Society has more recent articles than mine. The Cleveland Clinic also has a nice write-up. There are clnical trials in process and more planned, so things and information will soon improve. I know it's hard to hold on while waiting for everything to get better. Good luck.
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