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Living with MS
C
harity Schedlosky of Humboldt,
SK was just 27-years-old when she
started to notice numbness and a
lack of control in her right handand foot. At the time she had no idea that she
was joining an estimated 100,000 other Can-
adians on a lifelong
journey with mul-
tiple sclerosis (MS).
“I went to mydoctor thinking
that it was just a
pinched nerve,”
she says. “But my
doctor sent me in
for a whole bunch
of tests and I ended
up at a neurologist.
Finally, the results
came back that I
had MS. It was dev-
astating, to say the
least, especially at
the age of 27.”
For more than a decade, Schedlosky’ssymptoms remained relatively mild. She felt
fine some days and worse on others, which
is common with relapsing-remitting MS.
With this disease, however, it’s also common
for the disease to take a sudden turn for the
worse as the insulating layers of the nerve
cells in the brain and spinal cord are pro-
gressively damaged. In the winter of 2015,
Schedlosky experienced just that. She began
to have difficulty seeing, needing a cane to
walk, and eventually was forced to quit her
job as her MS became even more taxing.
“The neurologist basically gave me achoice,” she recalls. “She said I could either
go on medication, or I could be blind and in a
wheelchair by t he time I was 42. It didn’t take
me very long to decide.”
Rapidly-evolving treatment options
Fortunately, by that time, treatment for MS
was on a different, much-improved level
compared to when Schedlosky was first
diagnosed. “It’s changed so much in the last
10 years that it’s hard to believe,” says Dr.
Virginia Devonshire, a neurologist at the Uni-
versity of British Columbia and NMO Clinic in
Vancouver. “It used to be that we had only a
few options with some efficacy. Now we have
so many therapies that we can find the right
treatment for the
right patient and
avoid unwanted
side effects,” she
explains. “Every
patient brings
something differ-
ent to the table.
Some people prefer
to be on a pill. For
some people, an
infusion adminis-
tered periodically
may suit their life-
style best.”Schedlosky, who is terrified
of needles, opted for a daily oral
medication. Today, she is walk-
ing without a cane, happily back to
work, and having far more good days
than bad. Most importantly, she is looking
forward to a long and healthy future with her
family. “For me, my biggest goal in managing
my disease is all about being around for my
family,” she says. “I want to be able to watch
my grandchildren grow. I want to see my
nephews grow up and get married. And if it
weren’t for this medication, I would already
be blind.”
With so many treatment options avail-
able, she encourages everyone diagnosed
with MS to speak with their health care pro-
viders about the therapy that will help them
attain their goals.D.F. McCourtHow Cha r it y Lives Her Best Life,
No Needles Required
For me, my biggest
goal in managing my
disease is all about
being around for my
f a m i l y.
““
Charity and her husband
Duane.