Kristin's Trip To Israel - Stopping MS: HOPE

Sunday, April 19, 2015

HOPE

hope

hōp/

noun

1.
a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.

"he looked through her belongings in the hope of coming across some information"

synonyms: aspiration, desire, wish, expectation, ambition, aim, goal, plan, design;More
2.

archaic

a feeling of trust.

verb

1.

want something to happen or be the case.

"he's hoping for an offer of compensation"

synonyms: expect, anticipate, look for, be hopeful of, pin one's hopes on, want;More

I just Googled the definition of hope. I've had many people ask me why I would put myself through Chemo and go all the way to the other side of the Earth to do it. My answer is HOPE. It is such an amazing feeling to have hope for a change! So many things have happened to make going to Israel a possibility. I never dreamed that this treatment was possible. I thought that when my leg stopped working that I would be in a wheelchair someday. That still might happen, there are no guarantees that having HSCT will work, but the odds are amazing. My goal is to stop the MS, any symptoms that start to get better will be a bonus!

I also have hope for other people that have MS. My hope is that everyone that wants to have HSCT can have it. I want everyone to know that there is a treatment that can stop this disease.

As I am packing for Israel, I feel so very thankful for my husband, my parents, our two son's, friends that stand by me and many other things. Our youngest son's girlfriend, Brianna, cut my hair this week to get ready for Chemo. It is a little shocking, but so easy to get ready in the morning!

2 comments:

UnknownApril 21, 2015 at 4:13 PM
Love the haircut. It is cute and looks easy to take care of.
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UnknownApril 22, 2015 at 12:05 AM
Hope is all we got,, well that and the strength to keep fighting,,, good luck on your journey
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What is MS

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic degenerative disorder affecting the Central
Nervous System: the Brain and Spinal cord. MS is one of the leading causes of
neurological disabilities in young adults. MS affects both genders, more
commonly in women than men.

The Mayo Clinic lists four main patterns of Multiple Sclerosis:

Relapsing remitting: This type of MS is characterized by clearly defined flare-ups,
followed by periods of remission. The flare-ups typically appear suddenly, last a
few weeks or months, and then gradually disappear. Most people with MS have
this form at the time of diagnosis.

Primary Progressive: People with this less common form of MS experience a
gradual decline, without periods of remission. People with this form of MS are
usually older than 40 when symptoms begin.

Secondary Progressive: More than half the people with relapsing remitting MS
eventually enter a stage of continuous deterioration referred to as secondary
progressive MS. Sudden relapses may occur, superimposed upon the continuous
deterioration that characterizes this type of MS.

Progressive relapsing: This is primary progressive MS with the addition of
sudden episodes of new symptoms or worsened existing ones. This form is
relatively rare. (MayoClinic.com 1998, 2004).

The signs and symptoms of MS are fatigue, weakness, numbness, and difficulty
with coordination and loss of balance. A percentage of patients complained of
visual disturbances including blurry vision, patchy blindness and total blindness.

The disease process of MS involves the nerve cells called neurons. In Multiple
Sclerosis nerves are hardened in multiple locations of the body, the breakdown is
scattered irregularly throughout the body, decreasing aspect of functional abilities,
depending on which nerves are affected.

The cause of MS is unclear at this time. Presently research is done in the areas
of viral, immunology and genetic factors. Autoimmune response triggered by the
exposure to a virus or environmental trigger in genetically susceptible individuals.
The exposure to a virus causes reactions that form antibodies to fight the virus.
Antibodies attack the myelin instead of the virus- an autoimmune response.

There is no cure for MS. The medications given to the patient are for pain
management and relief of symptoms. Side effects of these medications are:
weakness, fatigue, grogginess, decrease in alertness, all these symptoms can
interfere with the performance of Activity of Daily Living (ADL).