Published 22/04/2024
by Laura Clipson
MS Awareness Week 2024 takes place this year from 22nd-28th April, a joint campaign by MS-UK, MS Society, MS Trust, Shift.MS, MS Together, Overcoming MS and Neuro Therapy Centres. As a person living with MS, I strongly believe in the importance of increasing awareness about this condition and the daily challenges it presents for those affected.
I was diagnosed in 2021, though I had experienced what I now know were relapses years before that, and the disease has changed my life significantly. Since diagnosis I have had to re-evaluate what I can and cannot do, establish new boundaries, essentially establishing a new way of life.
Multiple Sclerosis is a neurological condition that causes damage to the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord). Your immune system attacks the protective covering around your nerves (myelin), causing scarring. When the myelin sheath around our nerves is damaged, this then means that messages can’t travel through the central nervous system as quickly as they could before, or sometimes they can no longer get through at all. This causes the wide range of symptoms seen in MS; numbness, problems with vision, weakness in the arms and legs, bladder issues, muscle stiffness, problems with balance, walking difficulties, pain, brain fog, and fatigue are just some of those symptoms.
MS can be tricky to diagnose, because the symptoms can mimic other health conditions. An early diagnosis can be critical in helping to prevent further damage and progression of the disease. There are many effective treatments available today that aim to prevent any further damage to the nervous system.
This year’s theme for MS Awareness Week is MS Unfiltered, encouraging people to break the stigma around symptoms of MS they may find embarrassing or difficult to talk about. For example people may not want to mention issues they are having with their bladder and bowel or sexual problems, and may even feel the need to hide the extent of their difficulties with walking or other day to day activities.
MS Unfiltered encourages people to speak out about the symptoms they may feel less comfortable discussing, and to seek support from those who experience the same symptoms. At the same time, this theme should help raise awareness about the huge range of symptoms people with MS can have, and the daily challenges they face.
My MS wasn’t caught as early as I’d hoped, and due to that I experience a myriad of different symptoms which affect my daily life. For me, it helps to know there are others out there who experience the same issues I do; others who, like me, have had to find a new normal.
- Participate in #MSUnfiltered and share your story - if you have MS, share your experiences with the disease and the symptoms you have to deal with. Share any advice you have for others, or just your MS journey.
- Take part in a fundraiser to raise money for MS charities. The MS Trust is hosting Miles for MS in May, where you set your own goal to get you moving throughout the month of May. Learn more here. If you don’t fancy that, there are plenty of alternatives - you could host a bake sale or coffee morning, or do a sponsored challenge.
- Raise awareness by educating friends or co-workers about the disease itself, and the symptoms it can cause.
Many of the symptoms caused by MS are invisible, so it’s important that we talk about them and get the support we need from others. You don’t have to suffer alone; join in with MS Unfiltered and share your story and experiences with others who can relate. Help to raise awareness for those who may not know the difficulties those with MS go through.
Thank you for reading.
