Great strides made to treat those with MS

QMy husband was just diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS (multiple sclerosis). He’s 32 and was very healthy, and now he has this incurable disease. I feel like this is the beginning of the end. How do others cope?

AWhoa there! MS is a tough diagnosis, no doubt about it, but today MS is not considered a fatal disease. In the past few years, doctors and researchers have made great strides in understanding and treating relapsingremitting MS (RRMS). In the mid-1990s there were no (zero, zip, nada) treatments for RRMS. By the end of November 2014, there were 12. So after your husband and his doctors decide on the best treatment options, you two can move forward.

Start by looking at all the information and support available. Seek out online and in-person support groups for both of you. Big issues are out there depending on how his condition develops: employment adjustments, modifications to your living environment, health-care expenses, driving, etc. You will need to discuss these important matters openly. Let him express his worries and suggest solutions.

Other ways to contribute to his (and your) longterm health include regular meditation, physical activity and healthy diet. Lots of folks with MS enjoy swimming (some do a mile a day), and others are skiing instructors or opera singers, who haul around 65 pounds of costume and belt out arias! And upgrade your diet by eliminating red and processed meats, added sugars and syrups, all trans and most sat fats and any grain that isn’t 100 per cent whole.

These steps will all help manage inflammation that contributes to nerve damage associated with MS. They also will help you manage your own stress response to your husband’s diagnosis. The course of remitting-relapsing MS is very individual, but overall, people today are enjoying a much-improved quality of life.