MS Hurts

When I started this blog, one of the things I wanted to do was try to help people understand what having MS means. Well, this is one of those moments. As an aside, please don't think I write any of this to get attention or sympathy. I don't. I write this blog because if I have to be stuck with this disease, I want to help people understand it.

Today we're going to talk about neuropathic pain. Don't know what that is? Well in my case, think of your worst earache ever. Now, think of your worst toothache ever. But don't stop there. Think about the worst headache you had ever. Now put them all together and you can start to understand neuropathic pain. Mine is on the right side of my head. For some people it occurs in other places. Remember, there is no one-size-fits all case of MS.

In the reading I've done about this--God, I've done a lot of reading about all things MS--it is sometimes likened to the phantom pain that people who lose limbs experience. According to the National MS Society, 55% of people with MS had “clinically significant pain” at some time. Almost half (48%) were troubled by chronic pain.

The pain comes from the dymelination of the nerves. Signals get all confused, freak out and send out pain signals. So why am I telling you this? Well, I just want people to be aware of what's sometimes going on beneath the surface--the pain and symptoms no one can see. And so that you don't look at me weird when you see me pulling my hair--yes, it actually helps, pushing my head against a hard surface--yes, that also helps, or digging my fingernails into my scalp to the point where I have scratches--yep, you guessed it, it helps my head feel better. Weird, I know, but it works.

To quote the great Paul Harvey: Now you know the rest of the story.....