With Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS), Lynn would have an exacerbation that could last days or weeks, but he would return to “normal” at some point, and nothing much changed. With Secondary Progressive MS (SPMS), he stopped getting better. He happened to be in a clinical trial at the time he transitioned to SPMS, so he was seeing his doctor every three months and getting the full-court press evaluation. We started noticing that his scores were getting worse over time without any evidence of having had an exacerbation. He was not walking as far, and his strength was less. Response times to questions got worse, and overall, he seemed to feel worse most of the time. That’s when his doctor decided his MS had changed from RRMS to SPMS, and we realized we needed to look into making changes in our lives.
We were not fortunate enough to have a comprehensive approach by his doctor to managing his MS. His doctor is a neurologist, and he does not offer guidance on his care or alternate treatment measures; just on disease treatment. However, when I would bring something up, he would make referrals to other resources. His physical medicine/rehabilitation doctor has probably been the most helpful. He arranged for Lynn to be measured for a power chair and he’s talked to him more about dealing with his other losses and some measures worth considering in either preventing further decline or improving overall health.
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