No one really knows for sure where Aunt Marge comes from or why. Is it hereditary? Well, there are over 30 genetic factors linked to it. My daughter, Jacqueline, recently caught a glimpse of the headlines on a London newspaper announcing the recent discovery of several more genetic links. Looking back through my family history, we know of at least three women with M.S. Strike One.
A person with these genetic factors would seem to be more likely to develop M.S., especially if they lived in the northwest part of the U.S. This is believed to be due to the lack of sunshine and therefore low vitamin D exposure before the age of 12. Records show that cases of M.S. are nearly non-existent as you get closer to the equator. I was raised in Banks, OR which is about 25 miles west of Portland...the land of grey skies. Strike Two.
Having another auto-immune disease, such as Celiac Disease, increases your chances of having M.S. Strike Three and please pass the rice cakes.
Multiple Sclerosis earns its name from the many scars that form as the body attacks its own myelin covered nerves. This causes pain, fatigue, numbness, spasms and a variety of other symptoms as the body fights harder to send messages from the Central Nervous System. As in real estate, my doctor says that it's a matter of "location, location, location." A lesion or scar in one area of the brain may cause more cognitive impairment versus a lesion on the lower spinal cord which may cause leg spasms or even immobility. Because of this, no two patients with M.S. will be alike. One of the most common areas of attack is the optic nerve which results in blurred, double and even lack of vision. This can come and go like most symptoms of M.S. You may not know how you will feel from one hour to the next which makes life quite an adventure. Many symptoms are triggered by heat. The doctor recommended that I purchase a cooling vest to wear outside this summer. Maybe next year. And maybe I will have to bedazzle it. It's very "subtractive", as we say in our home.
Coming soon to a computer near you: Lesson Two...The Many Faces of Aunt Marge..including the ones you can't see.
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