March is National Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month ~ by Grace Augustine

March is National Multiple Sclerosis Awareness month. For the

photo courtesy of the NMSS

past few years on social media I have been posting articles and information relating to this ever increasing autoimmune disease. March 8-14 is National MS Awareness Week.

MS is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. People ask all the time if I’m contagious, how I was stricken with it, and if they are susceptible. The answers: no, it is not a disease spread person to person, I have no idea how I contracted it, and anyone at any time can have MS symptoms.

It is a pro at destroying lives by destroying the host who has the disease. By this I mean it is an individual thing…no two people have the exact same symptoms. It isn’t viral or bacterial. It is our OWN cells attacking our bodies.

In short, we have T-cells and B-cells, both lymphocyte immune

photo courtesy of Teachmephysiology

cells, part of our white blood cells, that originate in our bone marrow. T-cells are responsible for protecting our bodies against any pathogen, including cancer. B-cells are responsible for producing antibodies.

In a person with MS, our bodies produce B and T cells that turn rogue. When this happens, the myelin coating of our nerves are eaten away…the once good fighter cells now become destructive…hence how MS gets its name—MULTIPLE SCARRING. The brain matter and spinal cord are prime places for these rogue cells to feast and break the connection from the command center (our brain) to the nerves throughout our bodies.

Personally, I have lesions at C6 and L6 and multiple white and gray matter lesions in my brain. Location of the lesions are integral in what part of the body is affected by the MS.

MRI’s show the damage to spinal cords and white and gray brain matter, but sometimes they do not correlate to the symptoms of the patient. (Click HERE  to read further.)

Several years ago, I wrote a book SO, YOU HAVE MS. NOW

WHAT? because I was tired of misinformation being given to newly diagnosed patients. 

There is no cure for this autoimmune disorder, that is why it is important to donate to research that can find a cause and hopefully stamp out MS. You can also participate in many other events that are held around the US and globally—BIKE MS, WALK MS, LITTLE BLACK DRESS WINE TASTINGS.

I may not see the cure in my lifetime, but, while I can, I intend to be a motivator and advocate for those who are stricken with this disease. I am a 17 year warrior.

Heat and Humidity vs MS ~ by Grace Augustine

I'm sure you've heard this saying...It's not the heat, it's the

Todd Trapani/Pexels.com

humidity.  Well, in my case it is the heat and the humidity. For those who suffer with autoimmune disorders, and in my case, Multiple Sclerosis hot weather and humid conditions exacerbate symptoms. 

In my younger years, I was the first to be slathering on the sunscreen, spritzing the Sun-In on my hair, taking a transistor radio, and heading for the back yard to work on my tan...that was pre-MS.  Now, I have had to say "no" so many times to invitations that required me to be outside at different events during the summer. It saddens me, but for my own health, I must.

Heat produces temporary worsening of symptoms. It doesn't increase the disease activity, it's just annoying. The heat-induced symptoms reverse quickly when the source of increased temperature is removed...staying inside in the air conditioning.

Strategies for easing the effects of heat (see NMSS.org article)

Stay in an air-conditioned environment during periods of extreme heat and humidity. If an air conditioner is needed to help minimize symptoms, the cost of this equipment may be tax deductible if the physician has written a prescription for it.

Use cooling products such as vests, neck wraps, and bandana during exercise or outdoor activity.

Wear lightweight, loose, breathable clothing.

Icy drinks or popsicles can provide temporary relief.

Lisa Kelley/Pexels.com

Use an oscillating fan or air conditioning during indoor exercise.

Exercise in a cool pool (<85 degrees) or a cool environment. If you are exercising outside, pick cooler times of the day, usually early morning or evening.

Try pre- and post-cooling to decrease the heating effects of exercise. Get into a bathtub of cool water and continue adding cooler water over a period of 20 to 30 minutes. A cool bath or shower can also help reduce core body temperature following activity or exposure to a hot environment.

Pexels.com

These are only a handful of ideas. And, please remember to check on your disabled and elderly neighbors when the temperatures and humidity are up there.

Visit Grace's page to view previous posts

MS Research Needs Your Help ~ by Grace Augustine

   

 Every day one or more persons worldwide are diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Currently there are more than one million people in the United States alone battling this autoimmune disease.
     March is National Multiple Sclerosis Awareness month. If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you see a daily post--an MS Fact--that you may or may not know. Bringing awareness to the general public of this disease helps everyone understand what those who are stricken go through daily.
     Some of you may ask: How can I help? Here are several ways.
     1. AWARENESS—Learn as much as you can about what this disease is and how it affects those who have it.
     2. EDUCATE—Once you learn, educate others. To quote an old children’s television program (G.I. Joe) “Knowing is Half the Battle.” If you know something it seems less frightening.
     3. GET INVOLVED—There are several ways you can do that.
            a. Visit a local MS chapter meeting
            b. Attend a fundraiser
       

    c. Participate in WALK MS or BIKE MS to raise awareness
    d. Support your friends and family by checking in with them
    e. Put yourself out there as an advocate. Don’t be afraid to stand up or speak up for someone you love who has MS
            f. Attend The Little Black Dress event (sometimes it is a dinner and wine tasting)
            g. Ask if you can attend seminars with your friends/family to become better educated
            h.  Support your friends and family who participate in walks or other events to raise funding for research
             i. Remember the NMSS and State level research departments in your financial plan
     On May 4th, I will be participating in my 2nd WALK MS event here in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I would love to have you walk with me if you are in the area. And if you can’t, I ask that you please consider helping me reach my goal this year by giving financially to support research.    
     Every penny counts. No amount is too small. Please, click  MY PAGE and join my team WALKING WITH GRACE. You may register as a walker by my side, or as a virtual walker, and the NMSS.org site is a safe site for donations.
     

Last year, my friends, family, and Rexco Equipment, who put change jars at each of their locations, helped me exceed my my goal by raising over $1000. I walked the first two blocks before I had to sit in the wheelchair and be pushed to within the last two blocks. I walked across the finish line. It was a personal victory and one I hope to do again this year.
     Thanking you in advance for your love, encouragement and support the past sixteen years. Through research, let’s find how we can cure this autoimmune disease. By doing so, it may open the doors to finding cures for other diseases that fall into the autoimmune category. 
    With a grateful heart I always remain,

              Walking with Grace

To learn more about Multiple Sclerosis, please visit NMSS.org

Photos courtesy of NMSS.org

More Common Than Not ~ by Grace Augustine

Actress, Teri Garr
Actress, Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Stock Car Driver, Trevor Bayne
News Anchor, Neil Cavuto
Scottish Playwright, Roger MacDougall
Author, M.J. Hyland
Canadian Meteorologist, Janice Dean
Lawyer and Civil Right Leader, Barbara Jordan,  Actor, David L. Lander,  Country Music Artist, Clay Walker,  Actress, Annette Funicello,  Actor, Jack Osborne, Wife of Senator, Ann Romney,  Actress, Selma Blair, Author, Grace Augustine

     This list is just a beginning to the one million people who have been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, an autoimmune disorder that affects the central nervous system.
     Multiple Sclerosis shows no favoritism. It doesn't care that you are rich or poor, it doesn't care that you are famous or a regular Joe/Jane, it doesn't care about your social status. It attacks when least expected, sometimes with barely noticeable repeating symptoms, sometimes with symptoms that send you to the emergency room.
     March is National Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month and today is the beginning of National Multiple Sclerosis Week--March 10th-16th.  In this first of two posts this month, I want to address the clinical aspect of this disease with hopes that it will bring understanding to those who know little about it or who confuse it with Muscular Dystrophy.

     Multiple Sclerosis...the name means "many lesions." I see you scratching your head and wondering what I mean when I say lesions. To explain that, I must explain what MS, Multiple Sclerosis, does to the central nervous system.
     Our bodies are equipped with a computer...our brain. From our brain stems our spinal cord and our Central Nervous System (CNS) Within that spinal cord is a colorless liquid that surrounds our brains and our nervous system and protects it. The fluid feeds nutrients to our brain and spine and also removes waste as well as protects our brain against injury.
     From our spinal cord millions of nerves stretch throughout our bodies. The nerves are covered by myelin, another protective mechanism. Think of your nerves as a copper wire with a plastic coating (myelin) that may help you visualize my next statement.
     In people who have been diagnosed with MS, their bodies produce rogue T-Cells and B-Cells...cells that are instrumental in controlling inflammation. These rogue cells attack the myelin...the plastic coating on the nerves...seeing it as a foreign matter that it needs to rid from the body. As these cells eat away this protective covering, nerves are exposed, and instructions from the brain to these nerves are interrupted. The nerves now have lesions on them. These lesions are located on the spinal cord and in both the white and gray matter of the brain.

     Because of the nerve damage done by these rogue cells, many things go wrong. Eyesight is affected, or it may be speech, or it may be a numbness and tingling in extremities. It could be cognitive, it could be a number of things that prevent our bodies from working properly. The biggest thing is fatigue.
     Well, can't you rest? You ask.  MS fatigue is different than what the normal person experiences. It is a brutal, all encompassing weariness that prevents you from moving. You have zero energy, you cannot think, you have fog brain, and so much more.
     What can be done to treat the lesions?  At this point, not much. It is all speculative and all preventive. The disease modifying drugs that are available are many, but physicians still have no clue when or if they do anything to curb the progression of MS.
     What is the process for confirming an MS diagnosis?
     1. See your physician and discuss frankly all of your symptoms, regardless of how minor you think they may be. It will give a better picture of what is happening in your body. You will then be sent to a neurologist, a specialist dealing with the Central Nervous System and diseases that affect it.
     2.  Your neurologist will order an MRI with contrast to determine if and where lesions are located on your spinal cord and brain.
      3.  Some neurologists may order a lumbar puncture--a procedure that removes spinal fluid from the spinal cord to check for Oligoclonal Banding. Following the procedure, you will need to lay flat for a few hours until the fluid returns to normal pressure.
     4.  After all of the testing has been completed, you will meet with your neurologist for the results and a plan for care will be discussed.  Several options will be discussed and it will all depend on how the MS presents itself in your body.
     The one thing I want to impress upon you, if you are reading this and either have been diagnosed or suspect you may have MS...you are not alone. Do not be afraid to ask for help. I am more than happy to visit with any who need an ear.
     For me, I was diagnosed in 2003 at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota by five different neurologists who each examined me then collectively met to compare their findings.
     I wrote a book, So You have MS. Now What? about my personal journey with MS. It contains a lot of practical and clinical information. You can find out more about it on my member page by clicking HERE.
    In my next post, I will address what YOU can do to help find a cure to this autoimmune disease.