Is MS Fatal?

[smnc2002]

Hi,

An article I was reading the other day said that a person was diagnosed with MS, a "deadly disease." I have never really thought of it that way and when I posted how angry I was on my Facebook page, a few friends replied back that it is a fatal disease.

I want to hear from my friends on this board about this. In addition to all the other unknowns with this disease, is death something I should keep in the back of my mind also?

Thank you so much for any input you can give me.

Have a wonderful and blessed day and a terrific weekend!

SMNC

[Sequoia]

Here are a couple of previous threads dealing with your question:

http://www.msworld.org/forum/showthread.php?t=106428

http://www.msworld.org/forum/showthr...light=MS+death

Most people with MS who die, die for other reasons or due to "complications of MS." The most common complication, I believe, is aspiration pneumonia. On the average, our life expectancy is shortened by only a few years compared to the general population.

Of course, we wouldn't have those complications if we didn't have MS in the first place...so it's kind of splitting hairs to say we don't die of MS as far as I'm concerned.

End-stage MS can be pretty bad, but I don't think that's a reason to be overly scared. It's more of a reason to do everything we can to slow progression by beginning medical treatment as soon as possible, by being faithful about taking our meds, and by making healthy changes in our lifestyles.

Plus, there's always hope that better disease modifying drugs will be found...and maybe even a cure one day!

[newme]

Weird. I was just reading about this!

One article said, "It is like saying people don't die from jumping off a bridge, it is the landing that kills them."

Seriously, I do think the process of living with MS can be dangerous. There is kidney problems from too many urinary issues. There suicide from depression. There is heart problems from lack of exercise. Etc, etc.

We just all need to stay as positive and healthy as possible - whether we have MS or not!

[angelpach]

I agree with newme
"We just all need to stay as positive and healthy as possible"

There are so many ways we "Could" die and it has NOTHING to do with MS.

Live and read of all those MSers who've lived many many many years already.

GOD Bless

[gomer]

LIFE......
.....itself is by it's very nature, FATAL!

The only way to avoid the aforementined is to never have life in the first place.

Doc Gomer Doctor of, Been There, Done That.

[ewizabeth]

Only a tiny fraction of people with MS actually die from direct causes of the disease. There are treatments now so most of us will have a normal lifespan. It isn't as bad as you might think!

[Scooter24]

Amen Gomer!!

We all have enough problems besides MS and we will all go someday so why make life any worse than it has to be, worry about today and wait and see what tomorrow brings. Do what you can and want to today because tomorrow may not be nice to you.

[Sunshyne]

Only a tiny fraction of people with MS actually die from direct causes of the disease. There are treatments now so most of us will have a normal lifespan. It isn't as bad as you might think!

OKAY...I like this reply the best...so I'm goin' with it!! hahahaha

Driving car more dangerous

It is still more likely that you or somebody you know will die in a car accident long before we die from MS. Life is dangerous....lots of things can happen. I recently was in a hospice class. This world is a temporary status for us. Please try to enjoy it while you can..... I used to be a lot more upset about life when I was young. I didn't know I had a chronic illness and yet still I was emotionally a wreck a lot of the time just over boyfreinds or family problems. Sometimes it seems like being sick is easier than fighting with family. I hope we all do better and try to enjoy what we can and get along as good as we can with our families.

[DianeD]

I agree that MS can be fatal, but life is fatal as one poster said.

Something gets you in the end. If you keep it in perspective there are people who have their lives shortened due to cancer (even children get it!).
Genetic predisposition to some diseases and conditions (heart disease for instance).

The problems that come with MS can cause death. Just being immobile is a problem, as are bladder issues.

I've had the experience of being involved closely with my mom's and dad's medical issues. Neither had MS. Still the bowel problems for my mother (hers didn't work) and the heart disease my dad had, slowly diminished their lives and eventually they died of their ailments.

Don't dwell on dying. Do the best you can to enjoy moments given to you to enjoy.

Allow yourself to feel sad, but also allow yourself to feel happy.

Don't make comparisons; it's impossible to be in another's shoes.

Diane

[Jules A]

In the respect that MS causes things that we otherwise would not have had that absolutely can and do kill us I would say that it sure can hasten our death.

I guess the good news is that those complications are not a guarantee and many people have very different courses and outcomes.

Personally I'd rather die than be in a vegetative state which this disease can cause so the whole topic of whether or not MS was fatal is the least of my worries.

[kellygrn]

It brings more attention to the disease itself

More people are putting death from MS as a way of spreading the word about the disease. Personally I was told many years ago that most MSer's die from aspiration pneumonia which is caused by damage caused by MS. But it is the pneumonia that killed them.

KK

[agate]

What ewizabeth said.

MS is for the long haul, and thinking a lot about whether it "might" be fatal is probably not going to help much. You still have to live from day to day, and it's to be hoped that there will be many days ahead.

Except for the very rare Marburg variant of MS, MS isn't considered fatal. Some people die of complications of MS--infected bedsores, aspiration pneumonia, other infections such as UTIs that affect the kidneys. It's more common to find a person with MS dying from some other cause--heart attack, cancer, the usual suspects.