Working with multiple sclerosis

[medstudent24]

Hi,
Are there any doctors on here that have mutiple sclerosis or know any colleagues with the disease. I'm wondering how it affects you in your job day to day. For those that know someone, do you notice any problems in their job performance? I haven't been able to find specific information on practicing doctors that have ms so I'm hoping someone one here might be able to help.
Thanks!

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[lilnoelle]

Well, I'm not a doctor, nor do I know any that have MS, but I have a sister-in-law with MS (my hubby's aunt and grandfather's brother have MS as well) and I don't think a physician would be able to work real long after being diagnosed with MS. I suppose everyone is different, but my sister in law went blind before she was diagnosed, gained her sight back but it has progressively gotten worse. In addition to sight problems, she has a difficult time functioning normally in a variety of ways. Some of this is due to the MS, much of it is due to the drugs she has been on for MS. She was diagnosed 6 years ago and hasn't been able to work any type of physical job for longer than that.

 

[Obedeli]

Hi,
Are there any doctors on here that have mutiple sclerosis or know any colleagues with the disease. I'm wondering how it affects you in your job day to day. For those that know someone, do you notice any problems in their job performance? I haven't been able to find specific information on practicing doctors that have ms so I'm hoping someone one here might be able to help.
Thanks!

Were you diagnosed? There are different patterns of disease. Since you are a med student, your best option is to curbside a neurologist at your school or better yet, ask your own neurologist AFTER you are referred to them. Generally, I wouldn't go looking on these message boards for medical advice (funny isn't it) because you are going to get some real advice and some "well I read in a book for my neuro rotation blah, blah, blah." The trouble is you will have a tough time sorting out the crap from the gold or as in the case above, worst case scenarios which are bound to give you good piece of mind. Save yourself the grief.

Keep in mind, there are many physicians out there that are working everyday with chronic diseases.

 

[medstudent24]

Were you diagnosed? There are different patterns of disease. Since you are a med student, your best option is to curbside a neurologist at your school or better yet, ask your own neurologist AFTER you are referred to them. Generally, I wouldn't go looking on these message boards for medical advice (funny isn't it) because you are going to get some real advice and some "well I read in a book for my neuro rotation blah, blah, blah." The trouble is you will have a tough time sorting out the crap from the gold or as in the case above, worst case scenarios which are bound to give you good piece of mind. Save yourself the grief.

Keep in mind, there are many physicians out there that are working everyday with chronic diseases.

I'M NOT ON HERE LOOKING FOR MEDICAL ADVICE. I am simply asking if anyone on here has ms or knows anyone with the disease that practices medicine and how has their experience been working in the field. I'm aware of the sorting issue as I have yet to get a response to my specific question but that is the chance you take with searching for free information. thanks for the comment.

 

[VJWDO]

I guess I am exactly what you are looking for. I was diagnosed with MS 3/2003 and then entered med school 8/2003. I have been living with MS for 4 years and taking Copaxone injections daily. As I am sure you know, MS is variable and manifests itself in a broad spectrum of severity/disability. I have had one episode of Optic Neuritis as well as a few episodes of paresthesias/weakness. Other than that I have been totally fine, and have performed equally well, if not better than most of my colleagues over the past few years.

I am entering IM residency and am only mildly concerned over the possibilty of disease progression. All of this is based on the fact that I have an extremely mild form of relapsing remitting MS. You may be in a very different situation or have a more progressive course. As a matter of fact, mine is so mild that my last MRI was completely devoid of any lesionsmin my brain and full spinal cord. I would not take my story as the norm and take it as purely anecdotal.

The one thing to understand is WE HAVE NO CONTROL!! You have to live each day as if it were the last good day you are going to have. Not to sound morbid, but you never know when things can go south. I also think that to live your life worrying about the possibilty of disease progression is silly. No one knows what will happen tomorrow, not even healthy people.

That is my 2-cents, take it for what it is worth!

 

[Tired]

I'M NOT ON HERE LOOKING FOR MEDICAL ADVICE. I am simply asking if anyone on here has ms or knows anyone with the disease that practices medicine and how has their experience been working in the field. I'm aware of the sorting issue as I have yet to get a response to my specific question but that is the chance you take with searching for free information. thanks for the comment.

I don't know of anyone with MS, but there is an ID doc at one of our hospitals with an adult-onset progressive neurologic disorder. He has been functionally declining over the last 5-10y (so I hear second-hand), and has been able to adjust his work load and duties accordingly. Fortunately he is established enough, and has an understand group, so people have been willing to back him up.

 

[Obedeli]

I'M NOT ON HERE LOOKING FOR MEDICAL ADVICE. I am simply asking if anyone on here has ms or knows anyone with the disease that practices medicine and how has their experience been working in the field. I'm aware of the sorting issue as I have yet to get a response to my specific question but that is the chance you take with searching for free information. thanks for the comment.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO FREAKING YELL!! CAN YOU UNDERSTAND HOW SOMEONE MIGHT TAKE YOUR POST THE WAY I DID? PEOPLE COME ON THESE FORUMS ALL THE TIME ASKING FOR MEDICAL ADVICE.

 

[medstudent24]

I guess I am exactly what you are looking for. I was diagnosed with MS 3/2003 and then entered med school 8/2003. I have been living with MS for 4 years and taking Copaxone injections daily. As I am sure you know, MS is variable and manifests itself in a broad spectrum of severity/disability. I have had one episode of Optic Neuritis as well as a few episodes of paresthesias/weakness. Other than that I have been totally fine, and have performed equally well, if not better than most of my colleagues over the past few years.

I am entering IM residency and am only mildly concerned over the possibilty of disease progression. All of this is based on the fact that I have an extremely mild form of relapsing remitting MS. You may be in a very different situation or have a more progressive course. As a matter of fact, mine is so mild that my last MRI was completely devoid of any lesionsmin my brain and full spinal cord. I would not take my story as the norm and take it as purely anecdotal.

The one thing to understand is WE HAVE NO CONTROL!! You have to live each day as if it were the last good day you are going to have. Not to sound morbid, but you never know when things can go south. I also think that to live your life worrying about the possibilty of disease progression is silly. No one knows what will happen tomorrow, not even healthy people.

That is my 2-cents, take it for what it is worth!

thank you
i'm going to send a pm w/ a few more question if you don't mind

 

[medstudent24]

YOU DON'T HAVE TO FREAKING YELL!! CAN YOU UNDERSTAND HOW SOMEONE MIGHT TAKE YOUR POST THE WAY I DID? PEOPLE COME ON THESE FORUMS ALL THE TIME ASKING FOR MEDICAL ADVICE.

No I don't understand how someone could take my post the way you did. By carefully reading, it can be clearly seen that I was not asking for medical advice. Since you missed that in the first post I thought I would spell it out in bold letters for you, but I see that you've gotten it now.

 

[southerndoc]

One of the radiology attendings at my hospital has MS. She works a full-time schedule.