Olga Lukinskaya

THE TERM "MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS" IS KNOWN TO EVERYONE, but few people know what kind of disease it really is. It is often jokingly mentioned in connection with forgetfulness or absent-mindedness and is generally considered something like senile dementia - although in reality it is an incurable disease that occurs at a young and even childhood age. In Russia, multiple sclerosis occurs in about 40-60 people out of a hundred thousand. The exact cause of the disease has not yet been established, and its mechanism is associated with a violation of the transmission of impulses along nerve fibers. In this case, so-called foci of sclerosis (scar tissue) appear in the brain, scattered randomly, hence the name of the disease. The disease manifests itself in different ways: visual impairment, problems with the bladder, numbness and tingling of the extremities, gait disorders.

The typical course of MS is exacerbations that occur every few months or years, and periods of remission. After each exacerbation, the body does not fully recover, and after 20–25 years, the disease leads to disability in many people: a person can lose the ability to walk and finds himself in a wheelchair, sometimes he cannot speak, write or read, becomes completely dependent on outside help. Life expectancy with constant treatment is not greatly reduced, but its quality can be seriously affected: multiple sclerosis is often accompanied by depression. There is no cure for multiple sclerosis today, although there are drugs that help prolong remission. Irina N. from Novosibirsk talks about how she lives with multiple sclerosis, what is the treatment and how the disease affects her life.

I notice that I began to feel much worse. I used to love walking very much, but now it’s hard for me: I walk uncertainly, stagger and after three hundred meters on the asphalt I’m exhausted

The injectable drugs that I am treated with are used constantly, without interruption. At first it was a drug that was administered intramuscularly once a week. I remember flying to St. Petersburg for a few weeks and carrying three syringes of the drug with me - this is a whole story, from the need for a cooler bag to a lot of sidelong glances and questions at the airport. Of course, I had a certificate from a doctor explaining what it was and what it was for. Now the injections are daily, and I have no idea how, for example, to go somewhere on vacation for a couple of weeks. Despite all this, I'm still afraid of needles. In addition, the current injections are very uncomfortable, they need to be done subcutaneously in the back of the shoulder, in the triceps area - and with one free hand it is simply impossible to pinch the skin fold and inject. The injections are made by my wife, who calms me every time. She is very supportive of me. In general, the course of multiple sclerosis directly depends on the emotional background, and, by and large, I just can’t get upset, sad, cry - it can get worse.

The diagnosis is given to me for life, and the treatment will also continue to the end - and yet, the prescription is valid for a month, and in order to receive it, you need to spend two full days. I'm not talking about the hassle at the clinic, the time in queues - we have an excellent neurologist, but she cannot fully examine the patient and fill out all the paperwork in twelve minutes, which are officially allotted for this. A year and a half ago, we were promised that it would be possible to receive a prescription at least once every three months - but things are still there. This is also reflected at work: not only am I regularly on sick leave, but I also spend two days a month getting medicine.

I had depression three times, fortunately, not very severe - the doctors pulled me out without medication. For the first time, the doctor strictly told me how to be treated and with what regularity to come - but most importantly, she forbade me to read about the disease on the Internet and draw any independent conclusions. That helped. The second time I came to a young neurologist, who suddenly said: “Irina, you always had such a beautiful manicure, what happened?” - I looked at my neglected nails and realized that it was no longer possible, it cheered me up. The third time I was prescribed antidepressants, but I did not want to take them and sought psychotherapy. The doctor formulated my attitude to the disease as watching a horror movie. "Do you like horror movies? he asked, and I answered in the negative. “But you came up with a horror movie for yourself, watch it endlessly and believe in it.” I realized that he was right and there was no need to invent anything and be afraid of the future.

No matter how paradoxical it may sound, but thanks to the disease, I got a taste for life. It happens that the mood is at zero, I want to give up - but my wife takes my hand and says: "Let's go"

We broke up with my first wife - she was tired with me, because the disease seriously changes the character. Before, I was somehow more spontaneous, but now everything needs to be planned. There are many restrictions: I can’t just take a detour for a walk or buy alcohol, the quality of which I’m not sure. Beaches are forbidden to me - in general, not every partner will survive. We have been together with Lyuba for two and a half years, everything is very calm with us. She supports me, pulls me out to some events all the time, makes it so that I have no time to feel sorry for myself. We often go to theaters, to exhibitions, to simply beautiful places. It was such that we suddenly got together and went to the Ob Sea to collect sea buckthorn - we don’t eat it, but the experience itself was very cool. No matter how paradoxical it may sound, but thanks to the disease, I got a taste for life. It happens that the mood is at zero, I want to give up - but my wife takes my hand and says: "Let's go." I go and see that I have something to continue the treatment for, and life is not so long to waste time on sadness.

The disease has affected relationships with people: I no longer have contact with those who only take energy. With multiple sclerosis, support from other patients is important, and often people with this diagnosis tend to communicate with each other. It helps answer some everyday questions and, fortunately, most people with MS are optimists. True, there are those who constantly feel sorry for themselves and seek pity from others, but with them I try to keep communication to a minimum.

There are uncomfortable situations when some grandmother in transport begins to resent that I am sitting so young and do not give up my seat. Or, for example, the director at work, even knowing about the diagnosis, could not understand that I really walk very slowly and I do not need to be sent to any activities related to walking. I think this is due to the lack of basic knowledge and lack of observation. My co-director's aunt has suffered from MS for many years - and even he didn't take the disease as something serious for a long time. When a person has cancer, everyone, firstly, understands that it is something terrible, and secondly, it is usually very noticeable externally: a person receives chemotherapy, which is poorly tolerated, undergoes difficult operations. With multiple sclerosis, there are no such external manifestations or they are not always clear - well, a person is walking with a stick, but who knows why. There is not enough knowledge, there is not enough sympathy, people do not understand why in the middle of the day all my physical strength has already been exhausted, they do not take the diagnosis seriously.

Moscow and DJ career

I was born in the south of Russia, in Stavropol, but for work I constantly had to travel to the north - to oil and gas fields. I never liked doing it, and in 2002 I left for Moscow to become a DJ. There I worked for two more years at Novatek as a leading specialist in the oil sales department and at the same time was engaged in DJing; quickly got acquainted with many figures of the electronic scene - with Timur Omar, Gleb Deev, Andrey Panin, Vasya Bivoys, Anrilov. In the spring of 2004, I quit my job and began to earn only by DJing - I played in cafes, restaurants, at private parties.

I was into music that couldn't be played in clubs, so I played a wild mix of everything. I believe that a DJ mix should be like an interesting movie: with an opening, denouement and an epilogue. The main character can be killed at the beginning of the film, and then the pursuit of criminals begins, revenge - anything. I have not always met support among colleagues, but the DJ is a freelance artist, and I like it.

Mix Timoshova, recorded in "Propaganda" in 2011

I had a stellar period - parties at the Propaganda club with. Then the art director of "Propaganda" was Lyosha Nikolaev, and he and Kravitz were very friendly. Nina needed a partner, a second DJ for the party. In May 2008, there was the last Friday event of Nikolaev - and I was invited to play. After that, Kravitz and I decided to do Voices parties at Propaganda, and they lived for another two years.

My younger brother Sergei had a party, also associated with electronic music and parties. In it, I met my future wife Lena - we have been together for six years. We actively traveled around the world, went out two or three times a year: we traveled around Europe, were in Asia and Israel, drove around the United States.

The onset of the disease and treatment in Russia

Why I got sick is still unclear. Perhaps the mechanism of multiple sclerosis triggered the flu when in 2009 I was taken by ambulance to the hospital: then I began to have complications from the virus. In the admission department they could not understand what was happening to me, so they decided to leave me for the night in order to show me to a neurologist in the morning. The neurologist suggested that I have multiple sclerosis. I had an MRI, and the pictures really showed the foci of the disease.

First I was sent to the Institute of Eye Diseases because of neuritis (one of the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. - Note. ed.). My right eye lived its own life, spinning by itself - it was very funny and scary at the same time. There I got an appointment with a neurologist - it was an elderly woman. She was on the phone when I came in, and when she was done, she looked at me and muttered, "Oh my God." Then she called somewhere and said: “Take the boy away - this is hospitalization, there is a strong aggravation.”

Posted by Lev Timoshov (@come_to_oneself) Jun 4, 2017 at 8:32 PDT

During the examination, it turned out that the first symptoms appeared in 1999. Then I went to other doctors, but they said it was an allergy, SARS, whatever. I took the diagnosis calmly - I thought it would go away on its own, as always. I received corticosteroid therapy (corticosteroids are hormonal drugs that relieve some of the symptoms of the disease. - Note. ed.). I felt better, I started living a normal life again.

After the consultation, the doctor said: “The disease is still incurable, so I apologize for all the doctors who can observe you, but cannot cure you.”

Until March 2015, there was a Center for Multiple Sclerosis in Moscow, where there were good doctors. But the most important thing is that various programs worked in the Center, which were paid for by the state. We received many effective drugs that were not available in Russia. When the import substitution policy began, foreign drugs were replaced with Russian ones, which are completely useless in multiple sclerosis. This was the last straw.

Moving to America and treatment there

Now I live in Miami, in the city of Hallandale. We have a quiet village life - it's very cool after the Moscow rhythm. We periodically go to New York for a walk if we start to miss the metropolis.

My wife and I do not have the "Rashka - poop" setting: I love Moscow very much, but due to illness, the big city has become a difficult test for me. For example, I cannot use much of the infrastructure because I am in a wheelchair. I also became weather dependent: I have problems with blood circulation, I am very cold, and it is cold in Moscow. Lena and I have been thinking about leaving Moscow somewhere for the winter to wait out the cold, and in October 2016 we flew to America. Then we were not sure that we would be delayed for a long time, so we agreed among ourselves that we would decide along the way. As a result, they stayed to live here and receive treatment.

Before we left, we gave away and sold everything we had. I sold all my records, equipment, electric scooter. We also had savings, of course. All this amounted to our starting capital before leaving. Before departure, we were looking for housing in America for a long time, and at the last moment we found an unfurnished apartment. The first month there was a terrible echo, but gradually we began to settle in: we collected furniture at garage sales, bought something online, and eventually furnished the space in a minimalistic way, as we like.

I had a shock when I first got to a neurologist in America. After the consultation, the doctor said: “The disease is still incurable, so I apologize for all the doctors who can observe you, but cannot cure you.” It is difficult to imagine that in Russia one of the doctors would say this.

When we first arrived, I, Russian simplicity, approached people and asked: “Hello, what do you take?” They looked at me in disbelief

In Russia there are very good specialists in multiple sclerosis, but in America all doctors are constantly in the process of learning. At the same time, in diagnosing everything is the same as with us. When I asked here about vascular preparations, they looked at me inquiringly: “What is it?”

There are many sick people in America, but here they live, they are included in life. It is comfortable to move around the city and around the country: everywhere there are ramps, doors that open automatically. From the moment we moved, I began to receive all the necessary drugs: I contacted the manufacturer, who took a confirmation of the diagnosis from my neurologist, and then began to provide me with the medicine.

Posted by Lev Timoshov (@come_to_oneself) Jun 18, 2017 at 4:21 PDT

Charitable foundations help people with multiple sclerosis with some useful things. For example, they recently sent me a vest with cooling elements and a special scarf, as well as cutlery that I can eat with comfortable handles. All this is delivered directly to my home. And in Moscow, I had to go to a pharmacy in Altufyevo to get the drug. One of the funds helped pay for physical therapy. I also attend yoga for free twice a week. Moreover, this yoga is especially for patients with multiple sclerosis.

When we first arrived, I, Russian simplicity, approached people and asked: “Hello, what do you take?” They looked at me with bewilderment, because here people try to be in the know, but the disease is discussed only with the doctor. And in Russia, everyone is trying to treat each other.

You can only go somewhere in a chair, so now I look at the world from the bottom up, look at other people's asses

I didn't have any close friends in the States. Here no one will say: "Come visit us, let's drink tea." My home is my castle, and friendship is a very personal and deep moment, trust must be earned. I miss Russian friendship a little: there are not enough friends, apartment dwellers, when everyone gathers at someone's house. But I'm a big boy now. Moreover, I have a wife, and this is already a whole company.

How life has changed since the onset of the disease

You can only go somewhere in a chair, so now I look at the world from the bottom up, look at other people's asses. I treat people exactly the same as before the illness. True, I have become less irritable: I communicate more calmly, without tantrums and cynicism. I don’t have the feeling that everything is very bad, the world is shit, and people are bastards.

I am forty-one years old, and, in principle, I like the way I am now. I am changing, and this is noticeable even in our relationship with my wife. For example, I noticed that I began to listen more - it is much more interesting and correct. And I also feel strong - after all, such baggage is behind me. How can you not feel strong?

I can't say that now I listen to a lot of music, but sometimes it happens. At these moments, my thoughts return to the Moscow DJ life, I think that it would be good to mix this song with this one, and here is a great bass, there is a cool drum. I have devoted most of my life to this, and how can you forget? Now I can hardly play, but I'm glad to remember.

It annoys me a lot when they want patience. It is not clear why to endure

Sometimes you give yourself concessions, you feel sorry for yourself a little. But this cannot be done, especially in my condition. The emotional background strongly influences the course of the disease. The neurologist said to think about the good every day - I follow this. Sorry, I can’t be upset, the doctor prescribed me!

I recently started sharing my medical history on social media. My wife encouraged me to do this - she said that there are many people who need it. I have already written more than 20 posts, collecting likes. It is important for me to talk with people like me. Each case is very individual, some people with sclerosis still run, and there are people who are already lying down, not getting up, and they are carried on their hands. Not fun. I am grateful for every comment, even strangers support me. Some try to help in various ways, including financially.

Posted by Lev Timoshov (@come_to_oneself) Jun 11, 2017 at 7:05 PDT

True, it annoys me greatly when they want patience. It is not clear why to endure. I have painkillers, so I definitely will not endure the pain. It's so in Russian: "You be patient." There is no money, but you hold on. My mother and sister say the same thing, and I constantly scold them for it.

I don’t go to a psychotherapist, because it is very expensive, I try to cope on my own. It is very important to talk to people, and reading helps me too. Recently, I have become interested in neuroscience: it is very interesting to read about how our brain works, what it can do, how it can be developed and trained. I also love movies, especially sad ones. There is a lot of positive in sadness, cheerful films seem somehow artificial.

About future

In the next couple of years I would like to master English well, and then I will be able to master some other profession. Now I'm playing the fool - I live on a disability pension.

The most important thing is to keep traveling. For example, I dream of flying to New Zealand. But if I can’t travel around the world, I will travel at least in America. There's a lot here. For example, the state of Florida is the entire reserve, California is the reserve. Americans are very environmentally friendly. I often think, well, why is there no such thing on Baikal? Or in Altai? Or in the Urals? It seems to me that this is all because of the Russian mentality: “I have a carpet hanging at home, and a piece of shit behind the fence.” And in America it’s like this: “I have a carpet hanging, so it will be neat on the street.” There are no fences here, and in Russia the richer you are, the higher yours.

Posted by Lev Timoshov (@come_to_oneself) Jul 16, 2017 at 7:47 PDT

I'm a huge Depeche Mode fan and I'm looking forward to their Miami show on September 15th. There were moments when I could put Depeche Mode absolutely everywhere - even in some old school house mix. This shocked some fellow DJs, but delighted absolutely everyone on the dance floor.

In Moscow, I loved to ride an electric scooter: I came to Gorky Park, and from there I went to Sparrow Hills, went up to Leninsky Prospekt. In two years I drove 2200 kilometers. In 2013, I got an electric scooter, which I rode for two years, as long as my health allowed. It was something incredible! I wish we had an electric car, such a small dream.

It is very reassuring when I make plans and in the end achieve something. Sometimes these are simple goals: for example, today I got up early in the morning, worked out - and I got those things that I couldn’t do yesterday. My body periodically makes it clear that there are resources, but they are hidden somewhere - you just need to remove the shackles. I set myself a goal - to walk thirty meters without support on New Year's Eve. Now I'm working on it. I also often dream that I am running.

In order to maintain basic skills, as well as learn to walk again, Lev Timoshov needs constant rehabilitation, and it costs money. Leo did not ask for his details - it was the initiative of the editors.

Sberbank: Card number: 4276 3800 1839 4135, Timoshov Lev Vladimirovich
PayPal: [email protected]
"Yandex money": 410015412694028

MOSCOW, May 27 - RIA Novosti, Alexander Chernyshev. Problems with hearing and vision, constant fatigue, numb limbs - multiple sclerosis gradually turns a person into an invalid. In Russia, more than one hundred and fifty thousand people with this diagnosis, most of them are young, beautiful and talented. The disease cannot be cured, but it can be stopped for decades. How to fight a terrible disease - in the material RIA Novosti for the International Day of Multiple Sclerosis.

"Couldn't Accept the Diagnosis"

“Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system. In people with this diagnosis, the sheath of nerve fibers, myelin, is destroyed. The nerve cells themselves, which are responsible for the transmission of nerve impulses, are also damaged; in the last stages, patients have great difficulty with any movements,” explains RIA Novosti neurologist, head of the Scientific and Practical Center for Demyelinating Diseases Professor Alexei Boyko.

According to him, most often the disease manifests itself at the age of 18 to 45 years. Moreover, most of the sick are intellectually developed individuals: mathematicians, poets, artists, lawyers, economists and all those who are easily given mental work. Although now MS occurs in childhood and adolescence.

MS is insidious in that it is easy to confuse the symptoms at first with overwork or the consequences of injuries - dizziness, impaired sensation in the limbs or vision.

"For the first time I organized a concert on my own - at the age of seventeen this is a big responsibility. On the eve of leaving Moscow for Voronezh, where the event was planned, I was sitting with friends in a cafe and felt wildly tired. The next day I slept all the way on the train, and when I woke up, in Everything was swimming in my right eye. I turned to an ophthalmologist: he asked me to read the letters, but I didn’t even see the table, ”Tamara Sukhikh tells RIA Novosti.

The doctor sent her to the hospital, but Tamara refused to go to the hospital - the concert is more important. In addition, she had no doubt: you just need to get some rest, and your health will improve. In Moscow, vision problems really stopped.

But Tamara was not happy for long. Somehow, a familiar massage therapist suggested that she stretch her neck and, surprised by the abnormal muscle tension, advised her to do an MRI. The verdict is multiple sclerosis.

“I cried all the way home. And then I decided that I was not in the mood for illness, I started repairs, studied, worked. I did not want to accept the diagnosis, for three years I pretended that nothing had happened. But my condition worsened: my eyesight was weakening, my legs were numb , my hands were shaking so that, trying to drink, I chipped my two lower teeth with a glass. Gradually, because of this, I stopped communicating with people, rarely left the house, "recalls Tamara.

One evening she received a call from an unfamiliar number: she spoke with a young man named Andrey until eight in the morning, and the next day, leaving everything behind, went hitchhiking with him to St. Petersburg. Walking in the center of St. Petersburg, Tamara weakened so much that she could not go further. Andrei took her to the clinic, but the girl was not accepted without documents. The young man then called an ambulance.

“I spent almost a month in the hospital. After that, it was no longer possible to deny the disease. Andrei and I lived for some more time in St. Petersburg, signed, and when we returned to Moscow, I registered with the clinic in order to receive expensive medicines for free. them every other day, but nothing helped, I could barely walk around the apartment, "Tamara admits.

Help came from my mother, who lives in Voronezh. A doctor friend gave her a booklet that detailed bone marrow transplantation.

"Today it is one of the strongest methods. It is still at the stage of studying all indications and contraindications. This method is advisable when safer methods of treatment do not help, as it is associated with great risks: due to the strong effect on immunity, a person is especially susceptible to infections and other adverse reactions.Nevertheless, in some cases, such treatment can stop the progression of malignant forms of MS, and if new foci are not formed, then the manifestations of existing foci are compensated, especially in young people," Boyko comments.

Despite all the risks, Tamara decided on the operation. “I felt improvements right away, and my mother confirmed on the phone that I was speaking normally, although before that I could barely move my tongue. But the movement returned to my legs only after a year and a half. I set records with a cane - first to the store, then to the pharmacy " , says the girl.

The result impressed her so much that she created a group where she shared her experience of the operation and the rehabilitation process with other MS patients. With one of the interlocutors who asked a question, she began to communicate. His name was Anton.

“I was amazed that with a serious development of the disease, Anton provided for himself and his mother, he himself found money for treatment. I carefully watched how quickly he recovered from the operation, and then went to Tula to meet in person. he wasn’t there, and he didn’t even notice my absence, ”explains Tamara.

Soon she divorced her first husband and moved with Anton to her mother in Voronezh. Now they take only vitamins from medicines and actively go in for sports - they attend classes in bachata pair dances.

men cry

Alexei Kosykh also did not immediately pay attention to the symptoms. “My toes were taken away, I thought the shoes were small. Then my left side went numb from the armpit to the thigh. I went to the surgeon, he prescribed some kind of ointment. Only after it became difficult to walk and I began to stagger from side to side, my wife persuaded me to see a neurologist," he describes his condition. He was then 28 years old.

When the MRI showed foci of demyelination, he began to cry. Before that, I read about the disease on the Internet, so I knew how serious everything was. He was hospitalized and treated within ten days. Having been discharged with improvements, Alexei returned to work. Six months later, after repeated examinations, he was prescribed first-line drugs - those that are effective in the initial stages of the disease.

However, despite regular injections, there was an exacerbation. “At work, I had to go from organization to organization. Every hundred meters my strength ended, I needed rest - I felt like a dead battery. As a result, I ended up in the hospital again. The doctor suggested stronger drugs, but they were not available, I got up in queue for the next year," says Alexey.

Six months later, tired of waiting for medicines and after consulting with his wife, he decided to transplant bone marrow cells at his own expense. This method of treatment is not officially recognized, so even funds do not help raise money, explains Kosykh.

After the operation, the state of health improved, but the sensitivity did not return to the index and thumb of the left hand. “Now I take a course of nootropic drugs and vitamins twice a year. I had to change my field of activity - now I work remotely as a system administrator, although sometimes I go out if necessary. I regularly swim in the pool to develop muscles, raise a five-year-old daughter. What I can’t do is stick to a diet: all the pleasure of visiting a restaurant disappears if you discuss the ingredients with the waiter for an hour, ”admits Alexey.

"Nervous about the wedding"

What exactly triggers MS is not fully understood. “The disease develops in people predisposed to it under the influence of a complex of external factors: the Epstein-Barr virus, endogenous retroviruses, smoking, vitamin D deficiency, changes in the intestinal microflora,” explains Alexei Boyko.

It is not uncommon for patients to associate the disease with trauma, although falls are caused precisely by the early symptoms of MS — dizziness and impaired coordination of movements. "On the way to school, I slipped and ended up in the hospital with a concussion. Dizziness and numbness of the limbs did not go away, although I followed the doctor's recommendations. Somehow the nurse forgot my card on the bed, I peeped into it and read about the foci of demyelination. At first I was even delighted - I was afraid that I had cancer, "says Marina Yuryeva (name changed at her request).

After several more examinations, the diagnosis was confirmed. Marina, realizing that she was in danger of a wheelchair, fell into a depression. From this, her condition only worsened: the girl could fall right on the street and regularly, once every three months, went to the hospital.

“Emotions strongly affect the immune system: chronic stress in MS is harmful, it can trigger exacerbations of the disease, as well as infections. I recommend patients to avoid conflict situations, fight depression both with medication and without medication, do yoga, for example, it calms ", Boyko says.

Marina is reluctant to talk about the disease even to close friends, but when she once again got to the hospital, she decided not to hide the diagnosis from her boyfriend. “I told him where I was lying and offered to guess what was the matter with me. He understood everything and arrived even without warning,” the girl recalls.

Gradually, Marina took control of her emotions, immunomodulatory drugs also played a role, exacerbations happened much less frequently. “It was hard for me, I am a very quick-tempered person. But I learned to let go of negativity - health is more expensive,” says the interlocutor.

The last serious aggravation was right before the wedding: I was nervous because of the organization of the celebration. “The hospital was sympathetic, they put me out of line and put me on my feet in a week, in the end everything went flawlessly,” says Marina.

When she and her husband thought about the child, the doctor did not see any obstacles to pregnancy. Now Kolya is already ten months old, and her mother tries not to worry when the child falls while taking the first steps, because she gets numb from experiences.

“During pregnancy, most drugs cannot be used, but this is not required: the body itself produces substances that reduce the risk of exacerbation of MS. treatment. There are many women with absolutely healthy children among my patients,” says Professor Alexei Boyko.

He has no doubt: with proper treatment and timely assistance, the development of the disease can be stopped for decades. "There is great progress in medicine. Twenty years ago it was a sentence, now people with such a diagnosis live normally, work, raise children. The main thing is to seek help in time and choose the right therapy. In addition to experimental methods, such as bone marrow cell transplantation, there are already 15 specific drugs that change the course of the disease," the doctor sums up.

Step one: Find out everything about your illness. Find all the information about causes, symptoms, treatments, effective and latest. Read and rethink. Try on for yourself. And accept your diagnosis not as a sentence, not as a punishment, but only as a test of strength. Consider that you are passing the most important exam in your life - for the right to live. It is important to know what is strictly prohibited in this disease. A hot bath, hot food, hot weather - something that you can't do with MS under any circumstances. There is even a hot bath test, a cruel test to say the least, because it causes a sharp aggravation. Stress, viral infections also contribute to a new round of the disease. All of the above must be avoided.

step two: never give up traditional medicine. It is better to try all methods from the folk arsenal in parallel or in some cases after medication courses. If there is an opportunity to get an expensive course for free, through some kind of health or welfare project, go for it. Treatment for MS usually comes down to horse doses of nootropics, vasodilating and restorative therapy, and hormonal therapy. The latter is fraught with a lot of complications and side effects in the presence of a sufficiently persistent remitting effect. Treatment with immunomodulators is usually used at the initial stage of the disease. Reaferon, betaferon, copaxone are considered almost a panacea for MS. I can say that it is insanely expensive, hard to bear and does not always and does not help everyone. In Russia and Ukraine, Copaxone is issued free of charge in the presence of the 1st and 2nd disability groups. In Kazakhstan, Copaxone, the newest of a number of immunomodulators, is simply not available. Prick betaferon - an outdated analogue. The queue for a free pickup is advancing at a snail's pace. An effective tool that can stop the progression of the disease is stem cell transplantation. But, alas, not everyone can afford it. Of the folk remedies, one can name the mordovnik widely used in the practice of treating MS.

Step Three: purification of the physical body. There are many techniques that have been tested before you on thousands of people. You can cleanse yourself with the help of dietary supplements or with the help of one of the author's wellness programs, for example, Semyonova or Malakhov. Their books are sold in any bookstore and have long gained a reputation for being tried and true.

Step Four: cleansing on a mental level. Forgive and let go of everything and everyone that led to stress, resentment in that life, when the disease had not yet overtaken you. Forgiveness meditations have been developed by many modern positivist psychologists. Familiarize yourself with the system of Sviyash, Norbekov and others and find an acceptable path for yourself. I would recommend starting with books by Louise Hay. An illness often becomes the beginning of a rethinking of one's attitude to oneself, to the world, to people, the beginning of the path to light and spirituality. It does not matter who will help you with this: a church, a psychotherapist or an esoteric. Meditate, chant mantras, recite prayers, ask and you will be heard.

Step five: physical activity. If you can take two steps near the bed, do them. If you can move your fingers, move them. Two steps in a few days, months can become a thousand, and naughty hands will fill with strength. Gymnastics, any, even the most elementary, contributes to the accumulation of energy. Well with MS, the body flex system developed by Greer Childers helps. It does not require much effort and is suitable even for very debilitated patients. Breathing and stretching exercises are exactly what is required in MS because muscle weakness and breathing problems are common symptoms in MS.

Step Six: great power of thought and a positive attitude. Even lying in bed, you can work on your cure, imagine yourself healthy, full of strength, that is, visualize. You can read Sytin's moods at the same time, you can write your own, based on your symptoms. You can say Louise Hay affirmations. Or create your own.

step seven: improve nutrition. Many foods will have to be excluded from the diet: sausages, sausages, ketchup, deep-fried food, cakes, ice cream. You can and should eat fatty fish, meat, on the contrary, is lean, chicken is better, eggs, cottage cheese, low-fat cheese, legumes: beans, peas, beans, lentils, vegetables and fruits, chocolate, honey, low-fat dairy products, liver. Drink 1.5-2 liters of water per day. Better thawed, or protium. It is indispensable for chronic fatigue that accompanies MS, energizes and energizes.

Step eight: Don't give up on hard work. Yes, many people with MS are unable to go to work. But you can also work from home. This makes it possible to feel needed and even a small, but an increase to those pennies with which the caring state has favored you. What can be done at home? Yes, anything: sorting mail, gluing boxes, answering calls, doing something to order. The main thing is not to despair and remember everything that you know how and are able to do in the current conditions.

Step nine: communication with people. Do not lock yourself in, go to contact with others, be interested in everything that happens around you. The Internet for many patients becomes a window to the world and makes it possible to feel not alone. And do not allow yourself to discuss and savor the details of your sore, this will only charge it with additional energy.

Step ten: everything that you are able to do yourself, do it without relying on outside help, through “I can’t” and “I don’t want to”.

Remember that there are no incurable diseases. AND multiple sclerosis- not an exception. You can first learn to coexist with him, and then drive him into a corner, because you are a spirit in a mortal body, and the power of the human spirit works wonders.

“The price of anything is measured by the portion of your life you spend on it,” says psychologist Terry Martin, who calls her approach “Uncoached Therapy,” in an email signature.

Professor Martin provides therapy by phone or online. She works with depression, unproductive thinking, and depression, which Martin notes are especially common among caregivers.

“When you tell how you got to where you are, or how you will be,” she says, “the story becomes an integral part of you. You can put it more beautifully: this is how the tapestry of your life is created.

Happiness is here and now

In 1985, Martin was diagnosed with a complex diagnosis - (MS). Now, at 71, Terri has become a real therapist at the monitor, talking about her mood and thoughts.

“I don’t compare myself to that old one. Every day I thank myself for who I am. It takes discipline, but it helps a lot. Too often we look back and say, "I should have done this." We must remember that it was then, but now everything is different.

Terry tells his patients: “Often, looking back, we become depressed, and thoughts about the future only cause anxiety. So the only thing worth thinking about is the present moment.”

Symptoms without a diagnosis

When Terri Martin was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, she was a successful corporate psychologist. She was married for the second time. She had a daughter and a son from her first marriage, and her second husband had four teenage sons.

“I didn't think that I might have any problems until I felt that something was wrong with my neck,” she says. - I traveled a lot, performed, which caused great fatigue. Then I thought that the problem was in the thyroid gland.

Once at a hotel in Connecticut, Martin decided to take a break before the performance. Four hours later, she was awakened by the maid's knock on the door. Terri woke up but couldn't move. She was urgently called an ambulance and sent to a Philadelphia hospital.

Terry was discharged from the hospital two weeks later without a diagnosis. She returned home, rested for a while and went back to work, even though she had trouble walking. According to her, she was in a "miserable state" at the time.

From Diagnosis to New “Normality”

Terri tried to continue her usual way of life. Once, when she was driving, she had an overwhelming desire to sleep. She turned off the road, stopped and fell asleep. And an hour later, on the way home, Terri thought that she should find out her diagnosis.

And she succeeded. The diagnosis was multiple sclerosis. The disease was confirmed by her attending physician after she underwent several tests and tests, including a lumbar puncture. In 1989 - earlier than she herself expected - Terri found herself in a wheelchair, in which she still spends most of her time.

In 1999, her husband was diagnosed and for the next 12 years she was the main person who looked after him. He died in 2013. And in 2015, Terri had a heart attack and had to undergo a triple bypass.

Over time, Martin's MS symptoms worsened. “I was in a panic, and this added to the stress. And stress does nothing to reduce MS symptoms,” she says.

Today, Martin lives with Bob Cayenne, whom he calls a "health consultant." And they both support each other in leading a healthy lifestyle.

“I haven't eaten meat for almost 40 years now,” Terry says. “Otherwise, I would have quickly ended up in bed with exhaustion, joint pain and confusion.”

Challenges and home environment

Part of Martin's treatment is weekly and regular massages.

“That's what keeps me on my toes,” she says. - I can't walk without support, so I use a cane or a walker. Sometimes I lean on Bob or do "furniture walking" as my granddaughter jokes - walking from chair to table. I almost do not feel my legs - they are numb, so I do not feel the surface under my feet, like ordinary people.

Terry also has reduced sensitivity in her hands. “I don't cook and generally try not to do anything that could be dangerous,” she says. - Sometimes I don't even know what kind of water flows from the tap - cold or hot, I just don't feel it. And that's really a problem."

The ability to say "no"

At this stage of the disease, Martin tries not to take drugs for multiple sclerosis. “At first, my neurologist was almost angry about this, but only I am responsible for my body, and not someone else. Now I increasingly meet doctors who agree with me. You must always have hope and do what is best for you. Sometimes it seems that “everyone has a suggestion for what will help you,” Terry says. "You have to be able to say 'no' when necessary."

This love and self-respect is felt in her when she confesses: “There are a lot of people around who make me move, keep my balance, talk, write, stay mentally and emotionally open. Multiple sclerosis made me change the way I work, but also taught me about teamwork, empathy and humor. And the way I am now, I like myself a lot more!”