While I have this forum, it’s a good opportunity to spread awareness about multiple sclerosis.

When explaining MS to friends, I usually liken it to a lamp with faulty power cords. The outer covering of the wire has gotten frayed, and now the lamp is flickering because the signal is getting mixed up. In MS, the myelin sheath, the outer covering of the nervous system, gets frayed, mixing up the signals from the brain to the body. For me, symptoms include problems with balance, eyesight, coordination, concentration and – strongest symptom in my case – fatigue.

MS has two categories, relapsing/remitting, where the symptoms appear for days/weeks and then disappear completely. The second category is chronic/progressive, where each exacerbation of symptoms worsens the nervous system’s connection to the brain, as scars and lesions form. In this case, symptoms have a chance of permanence.

I was diagnosed with MS in 1992 with relapsing/remitting. In the past two years, I’ve entered the chronic/progressive category. I have a very easy case compared to many, so far permanent symptoms include: wacky peripheral vision, fatigue, concentration and, as I say to myself every other week, “MY HANDS HAVE BEEN TINGLING FOR TWO YEARS!!!” It’s just a very strange, still not understood condition.

I’m finding I DO have the time, energy and resources to get involved in a fun community I like, and contribute. At the same time, it’s keeping me active mentally, helping me to keep this brain cohesive. The two prime triggers for me are stress and heat, so I literally “Take It Easy” and “Stay Cool”. Thanks for taking the time to read this, hopefully it’s helped some people to understand MS just a little better. Because this site is dedicated to Powers, and knowledge is the real power.

-Mike