MS disabilities are a great source of worry for those who have been diagnosed with MS. They feel anxious that they will eventually be limited by these multiple sclerosis disabilities.
It is not unusual for MS patients to feel trepidation about what lies ahead. The general prognosis for MS patients is the ultimate progression of their symptoms to disability of some form or another. Conventional medicine has helped manage this fear somewhat by postponing the development of such symptoms. Patients who are diagnosed with MS early and start conventional treatments for the disease immediately are often successful in postponing the development of MS disabilities for many years. Their medication helps to slow down the destructive processes of demyelination. Hence they do not develop lesions to the extent that they otherwise would. As a result, they are also slow to progress to disability.
Another group whose progression to disability is slow includes patients who are children or teenagers when they first get diagnosed. Because of their youth, their capacity to regenerate tissue is especially high. Hence, much of the damaged nervous tissue is quickly repaired or replaced with efficiency. This naturally slows down the progress of the disease. It also lengthens the period of time over which patients will live without experiencing multiple sclerosis disabilities.
MS Disabilities and their Forms
There is more than one form of MS-associated disability. This is consistent with the fact that MS is a debilitating disease that can progress in a variety of ways. One form of disability associated with MS is blindness or severe visual impairment in at least one eye. This disability is usually associated with damage to the optic nerve. It can make it impossible for a patient to read, drive or perform other tasks that require visual acuity.
Yet another form of MS disability is that associated with MS fatigue. The fatigue results in mental and physical exhaustion, both of which can impair a patient’s ability to perform well in tasks. Muscular weakness is often associated with MS fatigue. Depending on the muscles affected, it can hinder a patient from walking or from engaging in work involving the hands. It can even make it impossible for a patient to dress, take a shower, cook food, and feed himself or herself.
The above disabilities all have terrible repercussions, not just on the patient, but also on the lives of loved ones and colleagues. Fortunately, with medical and familial support, there are steps that MS patients can take to minimize the impact of these disabilities.
