I found Oliver Coles' description of his wife's progressive multiple sclerosis (Letters, February 15) so different to my own experience that I felt I had to reassure people who are embarking on the journey of this illness that not everyone will suffer as his wife did.
My husband Graham was 43 when he passed away from MS and it was registered on his death certificate as the cause of death. He had MS for 19 years. In the last five years he was a quadriplegic. In the last year of his life his speech was weak. We had the wonderful support of our GPs and the community nurses and in those days a direct line to the consultant at the national hospital for nervous diseases.
He certainly was not in pain and was only in a zombie-like state when he had his daily gin and tonic after lunch.
As far as I know he didn't want to die. We were having too good a time.
We went everywhere and made the best of life. Yes, choices are important but battling on to the bitter end isn't that bad.
- Wendy Carpenter, Rowe Avenue, Peacehaven
With reference to the tragic and deeply sad case of multiple sclerosis described in the letter from Oliver Coles, and for the benefit of the many new cases of MS among quite young people, the following information could be useful. The painful and aggressive variant of MS which so cruelly afflicted Mr Coles' wife is fortunately confined to a minority of sufferers.
I have suffered from MS symptoms for more than 25 years. I am now 68. As Mr Coles states people do not die directly from MS. It is a catastrophic disease of the central nervous system and there is, as yet, no identifiable cause. This means that the term "multiple sclerosis" or "many scarrings" is not a diagnosis but a definition of the pathology or symptoms.
The aggressive forms of MS are difficult to control even with the use of drug therapy. As Mr Coles said, the damage to the central nervous system at the advanced stage is usually entirely untreatable.
However, there does exist a form of treatment known as high dosage oxygen treatment (HDOT) which I have used weekly for 20 years at one of the MS therapy centres in Southwick and which has contributed in large measure to my present condition of relative stability.
HDOT is not a cure but there is sound medical evidence in support of this treatment. When applied long term it can, in many cases, retard the progression of MS symptoms, especially if commenced as soon as possible following the discovery of MS.
- Christopher Fox-Walker, Meads Road Eastbourne
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