BTW: Those of you who know a little bit about my personal journey through CCSVI might be as tickled as I was to hear that my "before CCSVI" neurologist will no longer be treating Multiple Sclerosis patients. Although the announcement was hardly fancy, it was received with glowing reviews by a few of us. His pet project is sleep disorders."Due to the accelerated demands and importance of sleep disorder studies, I will no longer be able to treat patients with Multiple Sclerosis. Present patients will be referedd to DR.______ or DR._________,my former associate who dealt with that portion of my practice." Of course this is just the tip of the iceberg, but it tickles me. I won't be receiving anymore regrettable communications from him in the future, I'll wager.
Ms Facts:
It is believed that, currently, there are approximately 350,000 to 400,000 people in the United States with MS diagnosed by a physician. This estimate suggests that approximately 250 new cases are diagnosed each week
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/multiple_sclerosis/detail_multiple_sclerosis.htm#158953215
MS is a life-long chronic disease diagnosed primarily in young adults who have a virtually normal life expectancy. Consequently, the economic, social, and medical costs associated with the disease are significant. Estimates place the annual cost of MS in the United States in the billions of dollars. You would think given the statistics, that most medical input would be positive in CCSVI.
The drug companies have ridden this gravy train a long time. Because our life span is near normal, we are a permanent financial bonanza. They don't need to worry about keeping us alive, just keeping us injecting their meds. If the neurological world were to accept the facts about CCSVI and the angioplasty to relieve it, the entire medical world would be in upheaval. What about patients treated for a non-existent autoimmune disease for decades who desire some well deserved recompense? Not all doctors have been aware of the tests and studies explored two decades ago, but some are. MS specialists in particular have noted the unlikelihood of autoimmune. Even now there are many PwMS who are so indoctrinated into the false findings in MS that they are unwilling to accept the facts either. There is as much division among our ranks as there has been in the past over simply the medications and the efficacy of one over the other. The opposition is doing their level best to keep everything regarding CCSVI in a state of upheaval. We know that the so called "studies" in Germany and elsewhere were designed to disprove the entire theory by purposely not finding any evidence of narrowed veins or blockages. In addition, there are some MS 'ers who do not want their world turned upside down by any new treatment. That is sad, but somewhat understandable.
There are also very few who know how their lives are going to be different after a successful procedure. It certainly has been a learning process for me, and not entirely painless.Those of us who have considerable disability most likely took many years to get to that point. not only did I get my life back to an enormous degree, I also aged 17 years. It takes time and effort to get my head around normalcy.
Possible Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis
- Muscle weakness
- Spasticity
- Impairment of pain, temperature, touch senses
- Pain (moderate to severe)
- Ataxia
- Tremor
- Speech disturbances
- Vision disturbances
- Vertigo
- Bladder dysfunction
- Bowel dysfunction
- Sexual dysfunction
- Depression
- Euphoria
- Cognitive abnormalities
- Fatigue
- Diminished sense of smell, taste, touch and hearing
Osteoporosis.
Depression
- Between 40% and 60% of MS patients suffer from depression at some point over the course of the illness, and studies have reported risks for suicide ranging from 3% to 15%. There is some evidence that depression in multiple sclerosis is not only due to the social and psychologic impact of MS but to the disease process itself. Furthermore, in one study, depression had biologic effects (increasing production of inflammatory cytokines) that could exacerbate the disease itself. Treating depression then may even help reduce the disease process. Physicians should assess patients for depression, even though there may be no obvious signs of it. It should be noted that the risk for suicide may be present even in patients who are not obviously depressed. People at highest risk for suicide are those who live alone, those with a history of an emotional disorder (e.g., depression, anxiety, alcohol abuse), a family history of mental illness, and people with high social stress.
- http://adam.about.com/reports/000017_5.htm
Suicide and multiple sclerosis: an epidemiological investigation.
Fifty three of the 5525 cases in the onset cohort group committed suicide.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC489162/
Suicide among Danes with multiple sclerosis.
[J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2005