Help parent with Multiple Sclerosis
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My mother has had Multiple Sclerosis her entire life.
What this disease does is, the body’s immune system attacks the normal tissues. Specifically, within the central nervous system, the immune system attacks the myelin (coating around the nerve fibers), damaging it and forming scar tissue. When this part of the body is damaged, the messages sent to and from the brain and spinal cord are distorted and these cause the symptoms which can range from walking difficulties, vision issues, spasticity, numbness, weakness to unfortunately much, much more.
I don’t know much about it, and I don’t know the type of MS my mom has, but I do know it flared up when she was 16 and that her doctors thought it was a stroke but it was not. She was misdiagnosed until 2001 when she was 41. I don't remember much since I was little, I can't really remember her walking normal, she always needed a cane and her legs would give out a lot. But in old photos and videos you'd see her walking fine, and dad always tells us stories about when they were younger and she could out run him.
In the past few years, her MS has gotten worse. When we go out she needs to be in a wheelchair, and at home she had to use her walker just to get around the house and even then she wouldn’t move around much as it was too painful and tiring for her.
In June 2014, my mom got very sick. My family thought it was just an aggressive episode of the MS. It made her completely immobile and she was throwing up. We called her doctor to admit her into the hospital after a day or two of this since it was not letting up. Her doctor never called us back (until like 3 days later) and so we called 911 and got her into the emergency room that night, June 7th.
It turns out, that something had happened and some scar tissue in my mom’s intestines caused a flap to cut off her bowels, causing them to back up and her stomach to fill up with bile. Eventually, they had to operate and it was successful and she was allowed to come home on June 24th. While this was going on, my dad had basically almost tore his rotator cuff in his arm at work. So he has been out on disability since the week after my mom went into the hospital. When she came home, he was able to take care of her until his surgery.
When his surgery was scheduled, mom was admitted into a rehab center to see if they could help her because after a month at the hospital and almost a month at home with physical therapy she could still not walk or even control her legs and her upper body was still very weak.
She has been at this rehabilitation center for almost two months now, with no improvement. And since her issue is neurological, they can’t do anything for her, she comes home today September 22, 2014, but she needs a long term care aid because while we are trying to fight with her and are going to more neurologists to find other ways for her to get past this, until she can walk again we need help. My dad is going back to work in a week or two since he is almost recovered from his surgery. My sisters and I are all full time students, but we are doing the best we can to help pay for a care aid, her medical bills, for the things we need to make our home handicap accessible (we need to trim cabinets, buy new thinner and easier to reach appliances, a good hospital bed, handicapped toilet, take out the carpets and put tiles or carpets she can wheel around on). We do not want to give up, and I want to help my parents in any way I can, this is just one of them.
I also know they are having problems applying for disability for my mom and that social security as well as medicate are giving them problems and saying that my mom is not qualified, and that they need to prove she's had this before 1993 (which isn't possible with her being misdiagnosed) which is why they need help financially specially since dad's been out on disability for over three months.
The amount I have put to raise would cover the cost of a care aid we found, for two years at a minimum of 25 hours a week. This would give my dad and siblings and I time to save up and make the changes to the house for my mom to be able to get around and be comfortable incase she’s not able to walk again.
I don’t know any other way to help my parents, but I love them very much and it breaks my dad’s heart to see my mom like this. They’ve been together since they were 16 and they are good, honest people. And if I can give my dad some sort of security or at least a financial head start, well right now I think that’s the best gift I can give him.
As a curiosity to my mother, I have not posted a recent photo since they don’t know I’m doing this, and I hope that’s not an issue. If this gets any traction at all, and once I tell my parents I will be sure to post a photo of them.
Please help, this is something they shouldn’t have to deal with in their 50s and it breaks my heart. They don't deserve this.
Thank you for reading, and if you can’t donate please keep my mother and my father in your prayers and good thoughts.
What this disease does is, the body’s immune system attacks the normal tissues. Specifically, within the central nervous system, the immune system attacks the myelin (coating around the nerve fibers), damaging it and forming scar tissue. When this part of the body is damaged, the messages sent to and from the brain and spinal cord are distorted and these cause the symptoms which can range from walking difficulties, vision issues, spasticity, numbness, weakness to unfortunately much, much more.
I don’t know much about it, and I don’t know the type of MS my mom has, but I do know it flared up when she was 16 and that her doctors thought it was a stroke but it was not. She was misdiagnosed until 2001 when she was 41. I don't remember much since I was little, I can't really remember her walking normal, she always needed a cane and her legs would give out a lot. But in old photos and videos you'd see her walking fine, and dad always tells us stories about when they were younger and she could out run him.
In the past few years, her MS has gotten worse. When we go out she needs to be in a wheelchair, and at home she had to use her walker just to get around the house and even then she wouldn’t move around much as it was too painful and tiring for her.
In June 2014, my mom got very sick. My family thought it was just an aggressive episode of the MS. It made her completely immobile and she was throwing up. We called her doctor to admit her into the hospital after a day or two of this since it was not letting up. Her doctor never called us back (until like 3 days later) and so we called 911 and got her into the emergency room that night, June 7th.
It turns out, that something had happened and some scar tissue in my mom’s intestines caused a flap to cut off her bowels, causing them to back up and her stomach to fill up with bile. Eventually, they had to operate and it was successful and she was allowed to come home on June 24th. While this was going on, my dad had basically almost tore his rotator cuff in his arm at work. So he has been out on disability since the week after my mom went into the hospital. When she came home, he was able to take care of her until his surgery.
When his surgery was scheduled, mom was admitted into a rehab center to see if they could help her because after a month at the hospital and almost a month at home with physical therapy she could still not walk or even control her legs and her upper body was still very weak.
She has been at this rehabilitation center for almost two months now, with no improvement. And since her issue is neurological, they can’t do anything for her, she comes home today September 22, 2014, but she needs a long term care aid because while we are trying to fight with her and are going to more neurologists to find other ways for her to get past this, until she can walk again we need help. My dad is going back to work in a week or two since he is almost recovered from his surgery. My sisters and I are all full time students, but we are doing the best we can to help pay for a care aid, her medical bills, for the things we need to make our home handicap accessible (we need to trim cabinets, buy new thinner and easier to reach appliances, a good hospital bed, handicapped toilet, take out the carpets and put tiles or carpets she can wheel around on). We do not want to give up, and I want to help my parents in any way I can, this is just one of them.
I also know they are having problems applying for disability for my mom and that social security as well as medicate are giving them problems and saying that my mom is not qualified, and that they need to prove she's had this before 1993 (which isn't possible with her being misdiagnosed) which is why they need help financially specially since dad's been out on disability for over three months.
The amount I have put to raise would cover the cost of a care aid we found, for two years at a minimum of 25 hours a week. This would give my dad and siblings and I time to save up and make the changes to the house for my mom to be able to get around and be comfortable incase she’s not able to walk again.
I don’t know any other way to help my parents, but I love them very much and it breaks my dad’s heart to see my mom like this. They’ve been together since they were 16 and they are good, honest people. And if I can give my dad some sort of security or at least a financial head start, well right now I think that’s the best gift I can give him.
As a curiosity to my mother, I have not posted a recent photo since they don’t know I’m doing this, and I hope that’s not an issue. If this gets any traction at all, and once I tell my parents I will be sure to post a photo of them.
Please help, this is something they shouldn’t have to deal with in their 50s and it breaks my heart. They don't deserve this.
Thank you for reading, and if you can’t donate please keep my mother and my father in your prayers and good thoughts.
Organizer
J S
Organizer
