I was diagnosed with MS (Multiple Sclerosis) in 2013. People ask me what it’s like, as many don’t understand the disease. Hell, I didn’t either until I had to look it up. So here’s my explanation. (Scroll by if you’re not interested).

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Everyone has neurons and neuron pathways. It’s how our body communicates and passes signals to do things like lift your arms, blow a kiss, talk and so on. Those pathways look kind of like electrical wire. They are coated in what’s called a myelin sheath.

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With MS your immune system attacks those pathways and that sheath, for reasons they still don’t understand why. There are billions of pathways to choose from, so the damage could be done anywhere, affecting any message pathway your body needs to use.

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The symptoms people with MS suffer can vary greatly because of how many pathways could be attacked, the amount of damage done, and the amount of healing afterwards. When we have these attacks, they are called relapses. This also leaves lesions in the brain and spinal cord.

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So diagnosing MS can sometimes take years, as symptoms vary so widely from person to person. It’s usually diagnosed after several MRIs as lesions increase. There can be numbness, pain, loss of vision, loss of use of limbs, loss of speech, twitching, memory issues and so on.

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The most common symptom is extreme fatigue, as our immune systems are constantly “on” waiting to attack something else. That can be really problematic as we try and cope, hold down jobs, raise children and function like “normal” people.

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I hear a lot “But you look normal. I never would have guessed.” This can be a huge problem for me and many others with disabilities. I have a disabled parking pass, but I hate to use it. I only use it on bad days, but because I don’t use a wheelchair, I will get dirty looks.

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In fact even people with wheelchairs get judged because unless you’re fully paralyzed, society in general tends to look at us as though we are faking things and taking advantage. Even though these are aids to assist us as we try and go about our daily lives.

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There have been celebrities diagnosed with MS. Their experiences too, vary greatly. From Jack Osbourne to Selma Blair to Annette Funicello. It slightly shortens our lifespan, but mostly just changes how we live, while we live.

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I do post on my own experience from time-to-time, and Twitter has been such a great source of support from fellow #MSWarriors. If you ever have a question please feel free to ask. I’m pretty open and I’ll do my best to answer.