In 1995 I met a new friend for coffee. We talked a bit and then she said, “Can I ask you a personal question? What kind of things does MS cause?”
After telling her, she then told me some “strange” sensations she had been having. I asked a few questions and it seemed obvious to me that she did indeed have MS. What was I to say? “Do you think I might have MS?” she asked.
My answer was that many things can cause the symptoms she described and she should definitely see a doctor. About year later she was diagnosed with MS.
How do we tell someone that we think they should get checked for MS? My niece once had an “episode” where she couldn’t lift her leg and began tripping a lot. I remembered when, at her age, I too had such an “episode” and couldn’t lift my leg. Since then she has several car crashes. In past years I wouldn’t say a word, but nowadays with drugs that may slow or even prevent full-blown MS…should we mention that they get an MRI?
If we should mention it, how to go about it? New drugs make early detection a possible chance for an almost normal life---yet, the person could have a benign form of MS and never have any problems at all. Will insurance companies even pay for such an expensive test (MRI) for a child, just because the parent has a suspicion?
It is a new frontier, one that I hope the National MS Society will forge ahead into the scenario of how to broach possible symptoms in a child with risk factors. Or do they actually know so little about MS that “risk” is an impossible attachment to MS awareness.
Personally, I guess I will have to wait for someone to ask me and tell them to see a doctor. Seems like more should be done though. What do you think?
Thursday, March 5, 2009
At Risk for Multiple Sclerosis: How Do We Tell Others?
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In 1995 I met a new friend for coffee. We talked a bit and then she said, “Can I ask you a personal question? What kind of things does MS cause?”
After telling her, she then told me some “strange” sensations she had been having. I asked a few questions and it seemed obvious to me that she did indeed have MS. What was I to say? “Do you think I might have MS?” she asked.
My answer was that many things can cause the symptoms she described and she should definitely see a doctor. About year later she was diagnosed with MS.
How do we tell someone that we think they should get checked for MS? My niece once had an “episode” where she couldn’t lift her leg and began tripping a lot. I remembered when, at her age, I too had such an “episode” and couldn’t lift my leg. Since then she has several car crashes. In past years I wouldn’t say a word, but nowadays with drugs that may slow or even prevent full-blown MS…should we mention that they get an MRI?
If we should mention it, how to go about it? New drugs make early detection a possible chance for an almost normal life---yet, the person could have a benign form of MS and never have any problems at all. Will insurance companies even pay for such an expensive test (MRI) for a child, just because the parent has a suspicion?
It is a new frontier, one that I hope the National MS Society will forge ahead into the scenario of how to broach possible symptoms in a child with risk factors. Or do they actually know so little about MS that “risk” is an impossible attachment to MS awareness.
Personally, I guess I will have to wait for someone to ask me and tell them to see a doctor. Seems like more should be done though. What do you think?
In 1995 I met a new friend for coffee. We talked a bit and then she said, “Can I ask you a personal question? What kind of things does MS cause?”
After telling her, she then told me some “strange” sensations she had been having. I asked a few questions and it seemed obvious to me that she did indeed have MS. What was I to say? “Do you think I might have MS?” she asked.
My answer was that many things can cause the symptoms she described and she should definitely see a doctor. About year later she was diagnosed with MS.
How do we tell someone that we think they should get checked for MS? My niece once had an “episode” where she couldn’t lift her leg and began tripping a lot. I remembered when, at her age, I too had such an “episode” and couldn’t lift my leg. Since then she has several car crashes. In past years I wouldn’t say a word, but nowadays with drugs that may slow or even prevent full-blown MS…should we mention that they get an MRI?
If we should mention it, how to go about it? New drugs make early detection a possible chance for an almost normal life---yet, the person could have a benign form of MS and never have any problems at all. Will insurance companies even pay for such an expensive test (MRI) for a child, just because the parent has a suspicion?
It is a new frontier, one that I hope the National MS Society will forge ahead into the scenario of how to broach possible symptoms in a child with risk factors. Or do they actually know so little about MS that “risk” is an impossible attachment to MS awareness.
Personally, I guess I will have to wait for someone to ask me and tell them to see a doctor. Seems like more should be done though. What do you think?
In 1995 I met a new friend for coffee. We talked a bit and then she said, “Can I ask you a personal question? What kind of things does MS cause?”
After telling her, she then told me some “strange” sensations she had been having. I asked a few questions and it seemed obvious to me that she did indeed have MS. What was I to say? “Do you think I might have MS?” she asked.
My answer was that many things can cause the symptoms she described and she should definitely see a doctor. About year later she was diagnosed with MS.
How do we tell someone that we think they should get checked for MS? My niece once had an “episode” where she couldn’t lift her leg and began tripping a lot. I remembered when, at her age, I too had such an “episode” and couldn’t lift my leg. Since then she has several car crashes. In past years I wouldn’t say a word, but nowadays with drugs that may slow or even prevent full-blown MS…should we mention that they get an MRI?
If we should mention it, how to go about it? New drugs make early detection a possible chance for an almost normal life---yet, the person could have a benign form of MS and never have any problems at all. Will insurance companies even pay for such an expensive test (MRI) for a child, just because the parent has a suspicion?
It is a new frontier, one that I hope the National MS Society will forge ahead into the scenario of how to broach possible symptoms in a child with risk factors. Or do they actually know so little about MS that “risk” is an impossible attachment to MS awareness.
Personally, I guess I will have to wait for someone to ask me and tell them to see a doctor. Seems like more should be done though. What do you think?
In 1995 I met a new friend for coffee. We talked a bit and then she said, “Can I ask you a personal question? What kind of things does MS cause?”
After telling her, she then told me some “strange” sensations she had been having. I asked a few questions and it seemed obvious to me that she did indeed have MS. What was I to say? “Do you think I might have MS?” she asked.
My answer was that many things can cause the symptoms she described and she should definitely see a doctor. About year later she was diagnosed with MS.
How do we tell someone that we think they should get checked for MS? My niece once had an “episode” where she couldn’t lift her leg and began tripping a lot. I remembered when, at her age, I too had such an “episode” and couldn’t lift my leg. Since then she has several car crashes. In past years I wouldn’t say a word, but nowadays with drugs that may slow or even prevent full-blown MS…should we mention that they get an MRI?
If we should mention it, how to go about it? New drugs make early detection a possible chance for an almost normal life---yet, the person could have a benign form of MS and never have any problems at all. Will insurance companies even pay for such an expensive test (MRI) for a child, just because the parent has a suspicion?
It is a new frontier, one that I hope the National MS Society will forge ahead into the scenario of how to broach possible symptoms in a child with risk factors. Or do they actually know so little about MS that “risk” is an impossible attachment to MS awareness.
Personally, I guess I will have to wait for someone to ask me and tell them to see a doctor. Seems like more should be done though. What do you think?
In 1995 I met a new friend for coffee. We talked a bit and then she said, “Can I ask you a personal question? What kind of things does MS cause?”
After telling her, she then told me some “strange” sensations she had been having. I asked a few questions and it seemed obvious to me that she did indeed have MS. What was I to say? “Do you think I might have MS?” she asked.
My answer was that many things can cause the symptoms she described and she should definitely see a doctor. About year later she was diagnosed with MS.
How do we tell someone that we think they should get checked for MS? My niece once had an “episode” where she couldn’t lift her leg and began tripping a lot. I remembered when, at her age, I too had such an “episode” and couldn’t lift my leg. Since then she has several car crashes. In past years I wouldn’t say a word, but nowadays with drugs that may slow or even prevent full-blown MS…should we mention that they get an MRI?
If we should mention it, how to go about it? New drugs make early detection a possible chance for an almost normal life---yet, the person could have a benign form of MS and never have any problems at all. Will insurance companies even pay for such an expensive test (MRI) for a child, just because the parent has a suspicion?
It is a new frontier, one that I hope the National MS Society will forge ahead into the scenario of how to broach possible symptoms in a child with risk factors. Or do they actually know so little about MS that “risk” is an impossible attachment to MS awareness.
Personally, I guess I will have to wait for someone to ask me and tell them to see a doctor. Seems like more should be done though. What do you think?
In 1995 I met a new friend for coffee. We talked a bit and then she said, “Can I ask you a personal question? What kind of things does MS cause?”
After telling her, she then told me some “strange” sensations she had been having. I asked a few questions and it seemed obvious to me that she did indeed have MS. What was I to say? “Do you think I might have MS?” she asked.
My answer was that many things can cause the symptoms she described and she should definitely see a doctor. About year later she was diagnosed with MS.
How do we tell someone that we think they should get checked for MS? My niece once had an “episode” where she couldn’t lift her leg and began tripping a lot. I remembered when, at her age, I too had such an “episode” and couldn’t lift my leg. Since then she has several car crashes. In past years I wouldn’t say a word, but nowadays with drugs that may slow or even prevent full-blown MS…should we mention that they get an MRI?
If we should mention it, how to go about it? New drugs make early detection a possible chance for an almost normal life---yet, the person could have a benign form of MS and never have any problems at all. Will insurance companies even pay for such an expensive test (MRI) for a child, just because the parent has a suspicion?
It is a new frontier, one that I hope the National MS Society will forge ahead into the scenario of how to broach possible symptoms in a child with risk factors. Or do they actually know so little about MS that “risk” is an impossible attachment to MS awareness.
Personally, I guess I will have to wait for someone to ask me and tell them to see a doctor. Seems like more should be done though. What do you think?
In 1995 I met a new friend for coffee. We talked a bit and then she said, “Can I ask you a personal question? What kind of things does MS cause?”
After telling her, she then told me some “strange” sensations she had been having. I asked a few questions and it seemed obvious to me that she did indeed have MS. What was I to say? “Do you think I might have MS?” she asked.
My answer was that many things can cause the symptoms she described and she should definitely see a doctor. About year later she was diagnosed with MS.
How do we tell someone that we think they should get checked for MS? My niece once had an “episode” where she couldn’t lift her leg and began tripping a lot. I remembered when, at her age, I too had such an “episode” and couldn’t lift my leg. Since then she has several car crashes. In past years I wouldn’t say a word, but nowadays with drugs that may slow or even prevent full-blown MS…should we mention that they get an MRI?
If we should mention it, how to go about it? New drugs make early detection a possible chance for an almost normal life---yet, the person could have a benign form of MS and never have any problems at all. Will insurance companies even pay for such an expensive test (MRI) for a child, just because the parent has a suspicion?
It is a new frontier, one that I hope the National MS Society will forge ahead into the scenario of how to broach possible symptoms in a child with risk factors. Or do they actually know so little about MS that “risk” is an impossible attachment to MS awareness.
Personally, I guess I will have to wait for someone to ask me and tell them to see a doctor. Seems like more should be done though. What do you think?
In 1995 I met a new friend for coffee. We talked a bit and then she said, “Can I ask you a personal question? What kind of things does MS cause?”
After telling her, she then told me some “strange” sensations she had been having. I asked a few questions and it seemed obvious to me that she did indeed have MS. What was I to say? “Do you think I might have MS?” she asked.
My answer was that many things can cause the symptoms she described and she should definitely see a doctor. About year later she was diagnosed with MS.
How do we tell someone that we think they should get checked for MS? My niece once had an “episode” where she couldn’t lift her leg and began tripping a lot. I remembered when, at her age, I too had such an “episode” and couldn’t lift my leg. Since then she has several car crashes. In past years I wouldn’t say a word, but nowadays with drugs that may slow or even prevent full-blown MS…should we mention that they get an MRI?
If we should mention it, how to go about it? New drugs make early detection a possible chance for an almost normal life---yet, the person could have a benign form of MS and never have any problems at all. Will insurance companies even pay for such an expensive test (MRI) for a child, just because the parent has a suspicion?
It is a new frontier, one that I hope the National MS Society will forge ahead into the scenario of how to broach possible symptoms in a child with risk factors. Or do they actually know so little about MS that “risk” is an impossible attachment to MS awareness.
Personally, I guess I will have to wait for someone to ask me and tell them to see a doctor. Seems like more should be done though. What do you think?
In 1995 I met a new friend for coffee. We talked a bit and then she said, “Can I ask you a personal question? What kind of things does MS cause?”
After telling her, she then told me some “strange” sensations she had been having. I asked a few questions and it seemed obvious to me that she did indeed have MS. What was I to say? “Do you think I might have MS?” she asked.
My answer was that many things can cause the symptoms she described and she should definitely see a doctor. About year later she was diagnosed with MS.
How do we tell someone that we think they should get checked for MS? My niece once had an “episode” where she couldn’t lift her leg and began tripping a lot. I remembered when, at her age, I too had such an “episode” and couldn’t lift my leg. Since then she has several car crashes. In past years I wouldn’t say a word, but nowadays with drugs that may slow or even prevent full-blown MS…should we mention that they get an MRI?
If we should mention it, how to go about it? New drugs make early detection a possible chance for an almost normal life---yet, the person could have a benign form of MS and never have any problems at all. Will insurance companies even pay for such an expensive test (MRI) for a child, just because the parent has a suspicion?
It is a new frontier, one that I hope the National MS Society will forge ahead into the scenario of how to broach possible symptoms in a child with risk factors. Or do they actually know so little about MS that “risk” is an impossible attachment to MS awareness.
Personally, I guess I will have to wait for someone to ask me and tell them to see a doctor. Seems like more should be done though. What do you think?
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