I don't very often get serious with my blog, but this is something I feel very strongly about. My dad was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when I was three years old. MS was something I grew up with, although in the early 70s, I was never aware of any other sufferers, other than friends my Dad made at the Hyperbaric Unit or Favell House in Northampton. I am sure that my parents sheltered me from what was happening, so I don't recall very much, only his trips out, and his slow progression from one walking stick, to two, and then to a wheelchair when I was around 10.
MS did not seem to affect anyone else's lives, although it was a big part of ours, with a steady flow of characters at our door; the physio, the district nurse, the care workers (who he referred to as the naughty nurses) who came every morning to get him ready for the day, and in the evening to put him to bed as he got older. But I didn't know anyone else with MS .
And then when I was a teenager, a neighbour of my sister was diagnosed. And then my friend's mum, and then a few years later, also her brother. And now, there are more and more people living with MS - including some of my own generation. It seems to be much more prolific, and I worry about my own family, and my own children.
And earlier this year, when I found myself experiencing pins and needles, and numbness in my hands and arms when I woke each morning, and aches and pains in my legs, I also began to question whether these symptoms might be due to something more than just ageing.
I went to the doctors and after a series of referrals, and MRIs on my head and back, I met with a brilliant neurologist to discuss the findings. I was very lucky, my results were good, and there were no signs of anything sinister. I have mild carpal tunnel syndrome, although the symptoms have improved with weight loss, as have the aches and pains.
I asked him about genetic links. I am paraphrasing here and as I am not the best listener, please be aware that this is my interpretation of what he said, not guaranteed to be factually correct. He said that in certain families, there may perhaps be a predisposition to some members contracting MS, although it is not attributable to one single factor, so is not likely to affect all family members. So, some families may have higher incidents of members with MS, but this is not down to a single gene, but a number of factors, which when all lined up may result in MS. There is lots of information available, and if this is of interest, you can find out more on the NHS website or visit www.mssociety.org.uk I am not medical and may not have got this exactly right, so it's better to hear it from the experts.
My dad believed that his MS had been triggered by shock, after being blown up, driving over a landmine during his National Service in the late 1940's in Palestine. It was another of the many things he didn't like to talk about, although once, when watching a Remembrance Day Service on TV, which featured the Royal Lifeguards, he said it was they who had rescued him. I don't think all of his compadres were quite as lucky as he was.
And yet, looking back, I think that his mum, my Nanny may have also had MS although I have no medical evidence, other than she was wheelchair bound. I asked the neurologist about factors which may put me or my family at further risk or if there was anything we could do which might sway the odds in our favour. He said that MS rates are much higher in the Northern hemisphere - with far fewer cases in places such as Australia, and that there is some evidence which suggests that this may be down to exposure to the sun. We could move to the Southern hemisphere, or we could take a vitamin D supplements. These factors would not necessarily protect us against developing MS but may increase our chances of not developing it. And it's certainly worth a punt.
So I have tried to spread the message within my family, and bought supplements for my kids, which of course they haven't taken. But I would encourage everyone to do a bit of research, particularly if you have a family history such as mine, to enable you to make an informed decision.
I am now taking vitamin D daily.
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