Vim & Vigor - Winter 2011 - North Mississippi - (Page 54)

Moving Forward Rehabilitation improves the quality of life for MS patients Brian Spencer B 54 rian Spencer of Blue Springs was almost 16 when it happened: One morning he woke up and his entire left side was numb and tingling. “It felt like maybe a pinched nerve,” Spencer says. “The tingling was like when your leg falls asleep.” The tingling persisted throughout the day, so after school, his mother took him to Barnes Crossing Urgent Care in Tupelo. Certiﬁed family nurse practitioner Terry Miller thoroughly examined Spencer and ordered an MRI, which revealed spots on his brain. “He said it’s either a light stroke or multiple sclerosis, and neither one is good,” Spencer recalls. “I had never heard of MS—I had no idea.” A DIFFICULT DIAGNOSIS When further tests and a spinal tap ruled out other conditions, a specialist conﬁrmed the diagnosis as Vim & Vigor · W I N TER 2 011 multiple sclerosis, a disease of the brain and spinal cord that can cause problems with muscle control and strength, vision, balance and sensation. The symptoms of MS are caused by inﬂammation in the brain and spinal cord, and destruction of the protein coating, called myelin, that surrounds and protects nerve ﬁbers. Spencer likens it to an electrical cord with its insulation stripped away, leaving the wires exposed. “It’s like the nerves short out,” he says. This damage disrupts the normal ﬂow of messages through the brain, spinal cord and nerves that control a person’s movement and feelings. Symptoms typically begin between ages 15 and 40, with peak incidence between ages 20 to 30. Women are affected twice as often as men. Spencer’s ﬁrst exacerbation, or ﬂare-up, lasted more than a month. Several months went by before

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Winter 2011 - North Mississippi

Vim & Vigor - Winter 2011 - North Mississippi
Contents
Opening Thoughts
Getting Back to Life
ACT Now!
Lingering Memories
Accumulating Accolades
Back in Action
Supplementary Knowledge
Keys to Survival
Clearing the Air
Mark Harmon of NCIS fame makes 60 look good
This One’s for the Girls
Life After a Loss
Do Your Diabetes Homework
Healthy Returns
Care for the Caregiver
Gaining Control
Moving Forward
Catch the Spirit

Vim & Vigor - Winter 2011 - North Mississippi