March 15, 2019 - MS awareness week is March 10-16! Every day, people living with MS do whatever it takes to move their lives forward despite the challenges.
According to WebMD, Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a long-lasting disease that can affect your brain, spinal cord, and the optic nerves in your eyes. It can cause problems with vision, balance, muscle control, and other basic body functions.
The effects are often different for everyone who has the disease. Some people have mild symptoms and don’t need treatment. Others will have trouble getting around and doing daily tasks.
MS happens when your immune system attacks a fatty material called myelin, which wraps around your nerve fibers to protect them. Without this outer shell, your nerves become damaged. Scar tissue may form.
The damage means your brain can’t send signals through your body correctly. Your nerves also don’t work as they should to help you move and feel. As a result, you may have symptoms like:
- Trouble walking
- Feeling tired
- Muscle weakness or spasms
- Blurred or double vision
- Numbness and tingling
- Sexual problems
- Poor bladder or bowel control
- Pain
- Depression
- Problems focusing or remembering
We’re Stronger Together. Join a Walk MS event!
Ending multiple sclerosis for good will take all of us. It’s why Walk MS matters so much. And it’s why you matter so much. Walk MS helps us team up with friends, loved ones and co-workers to change the world for everyone affected by MS.
The nearest Walk MS events coming in April are:
- April 13th - Walk MS: Shreveport 2019 in Bossier City, Louisiana (One day event)
- April 6th - Walk MS: Fort Worth 2019 in Fort Worth, Texas (One day event)
- April 13th - Walk MS: Dallas 2019 in Addison, Texas (One day event)
For more information online about Walk MS, visit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's Walk MS page.
The information in this article came from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (https://www.nationalmssociety.org/) and WedMD (https://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/what-is-multiple-sclerosis#1).
