Kristin's Trip To Israel - Stopping MS: June 2018

Thursday, June 7, 2018

UPDATE - 3 YEARS AFTER HSCT

My Dad and I at Christmas 2016.

I have not posted for a long time. Life has changed after my HSCT. In some good ways.
My MRI last year was great. No new activity and only scars from old lesions. Very good news! The only MS symptom that is left is foot drop with my right foot. I am no longer tired and can go all day.

My hair has grown back! Which is great!!

Mom passed in December of 2016. This was a very hard time for our family. My Dad is doing okay now. He is 96 and really misses my Mom. They were married almost 72 years. We had to move him to an assisted living home a couple of months ago.

During this last 6 months, I've gotten my Real Estate license and am starting on a new career path. I'm so excited about this! Becoming a REALTOR® is something that I have wanted to do for years, but never had the time or energy. I do now.
Helping other people has always been my passion and as a REALTOR® I will be able to help people with the most important thing that they ever buy. A home.

I still follow along on Facebook with the HSCT Group. Dr. Burt was just interviewed by Dr, Sanjay Gupta and it is a great thing to watch! Dr. Richard Burt - HSCT

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).