Multiple Sclerosis

[ozydave]

Just wondering if there are any other IT techs / network managers in here with MS. I was diagnosed in 2009 and have been Tickety-Boo up till a couple of weeks ago, apart from I couldn't walk much more than a couple of miles. About two weeks ago I've now developed drop foot so now struggling to walk beyond 20 m at the moment. Can't drive either at the moment. My work have been great lucky enough to have a lift in a building.

Anyone else suffering?

[KevinB]

Hi! Yes, I am also an MSer, diagnosed with RRMS in 2008. Like you I've been relapse free for years until recently but do suffer with fatigue most days. I too had a dropped foot a few months ago (started mid-March) which is nearly all the way resolved now apart from minor sensory deficit. Driving was dangerous with it to start with though I did just about manage and I was walking a bit sideways like John Wayne to keep the damn thing planted firmly on the floor. Glad to find another MSer on these forums Well, not glad exactly but, you know

[ozydave]

Just finished a 5 day course of steroids. Foot has come back a bit, still can't drive. The steroids have caused much embarrassment. Things happen in the trouser department spontaneously, not the best to deal with in a schools

 

They are starting me on Aubagio soon. I stopped reading the side effects when it got to Aubagio deaths. Now looking forward to having blood drained every two weeks for 6 months.

 

All good fun !

[KevinB]

Ouch! The steroid courses are a killer for me. No, erm, trouser department issues but they do leave me completely knackered and unable to function normally which means a week off when I need one. Thankfully that's only been a few times in recent years. I'm on Tecfidera myself, after Avonex stopped working. So glad to have stopped the Avonex self-injections though, they weren't fun at all. It wouldn't be so bad if they were subcutaneous but they were deep intramuscular and usually hurt quite a bit. When my Neuro talked about Tecfidera she told me I'd probably gain a new insight into how menopausal women feel and she wasn't wrong; though infrequent the hot flushes it can bring on are very intense. I look like a cooked lobster from head to toe when in the throes of one!

 

Good luck with your Aubagio! It's great that there are pill-based DMDs for us these days. Lots of exciting prospects on the horizon too with stem-cell therapies and the prospect of remyelination treatments.