Ten Facts About Multiple Sclerosis

Today marks the final day of Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month, and since spreading awareness was one of the goals of starting this blog, it is only right that I create a post with some facts.

Because you never know what you don’t know until you know.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) affects approximately 2.8 million people around the world, and yet, some have still never even heard of it. Let’s change that.

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Orange is the color for MS.

What Should You Know About MS?

10. MS is a chronic illness. It is lifelong. The good news is individuals living with MS can still have a standard life expectancy.

I receive my treatment through an IV twice per year. There are also oral medications available.

9. While there is still no cure for MS, there are several treatments available. According to the National MS Society, there are over 20 available DMTs, or disease modifying treatments.

8. There are countless symptoms that come along with MS, but two of the most common are fatigue and numbness or tingling.

7. Women are more likely to be diagnosed with MS than others.

6. There are different types of MS including relapsing-remitting MS (this is what I have), primary-progressive MS, secondary-progressive MS, and clinically-isolated MS. RRMS is the most common.

5. Temperature plays an important role for individuals affected by MS. Many experience an exacerbation of symptoms in the heat, but for me, it is in extreme cold.

4. Multiple Sclerosis is not an inherited disease meaning it is NOT passed down from generation to generation. There is no single gene that causes it.

3. There is no known cause of MS. It is an autoimmune disease in which your body attacks itself, but no one knows yet what triggers this to happen.

I am an MS Warrior

2. MS is an INVISIBLE ILLNESS. People living with MS may not appear sick, but while we look fine on the outside, we are experiencing symptoms on the inside that just cannot be easily seen.

1 There is always hope. MS is only one piece of me, and I refuse to let it define me. I have hope that I will live to see a cure.

I know I will.

For more on my personal story, please read You Don’t Look Sick. Exclusive excerpts available on my site.

You Don’t Look Sick is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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The butterfly is a common symbol for MS, because when you look at the MRI of the brain, it is shaped like a butterfly.

Do you have a question about MS? Feel free to ask! I want to share my knowledge and story. I’m more than happy to have a discussion.