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    Do you consider yourself "sick"?

    I think this is about my umpteenth "contribution" to MSW tonight. I am waiting to drive my daughter home from the high school pool at 9:00 pm which is now really late for me!

    I sometimes refer to my MS as a sickness, and I sometimes refer to it as a condition. Although the word "condition" sounds more palatable, I can't disregard that I personally feel unwell (general malaise?) 24-7.

    I was curious how others feel about the semantics. The words we choose to use are important in life. I mean, until there is a cure, MS will always suck, but still...do we want to give the MonSter any more power over us by calling it a "sickness"? Does that particularly gross word make us feel even worse about having MS than we already do (or is it just calling MS out for what it truly is, instead of sugar-coating it?). Opinions?
    Tawanda
    ___________________________________________
    Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis 2004; First sign of trouble: 1994

    #2
    Great topic! Words are so powerful.

    I tend to call it a condition for now as I generally feel good. If it gets to where I feel like crud on a regular basis I will definitely call it an illness or disease or something more fitting.

    Interesting that I still can barely pronounce Multiple Sclerosis. I remember feeling as if I would barf when I tried to say it when I was first diagnosed and for some reason it is still difficult. MS rolls of my tongue but Multiple Sclerosis requires thought and effort.
    He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
    Anonymous

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      #3
      condition

      I think it's a condition, because a person can be in great general health and have MS. Maybe a doctor would disagree with that logic.

      Thanks for starting this thread!
      All the best, ~G

      Comment


        #4
        /*** ramble warning ***/

        I have MS, or multiple sclerosis if you prefer. It's an autoimmune disorder that affects my ability to walk without a cane, remember things, and think clearly at times. I really don't think I have it that badly, there are those that have it way worse than I do.

        ...and that's how I describe it. It's just a disorder to me; a more physical version of bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, or major depressive disorder. They're all disorders I've been diagnosed with at various times.

        Multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia are different. They're disorders, they just don't include that in their names. And that's where they get scary. They're not "diseases", I didn't get them from anybody and I can't really give them to anyone, so that word doesn't work for me. "Condition" doesn't work for me either... something as simple as hunger can be a condition. "Sick" is next to meaningless to me. It's anything from a cold to cancer.

        Words are incredibly affective... they shift and color everything else you think. What's the effect on your word choice, though? What effect do the affects have? I'm not sure. I just call them all disorders. Does that mean I'm a disordered person? Does it mean I'm a dysfunctional person, and does it mean I'm a damaged person?

        Yes. I've learned to accept the various failures of my body, yet also not be defined by them in the same way I hope you are affected by MS even if you don't have the disorder. I don't put myself forward as the MS "poster child", but yes, MS has me as much as I have it. I'm not okay with that, but I'm also not okay with the price of tea in China or whatever else.

        /*** ramble over ***/

        Word choice is a subtle but important thing to always consider. Pick the right one for you and your condition, and own it. *shrug*

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          #5
          I do not consider myself to be sick. I don't have a cold, infection, or other temporary ailment. I have a condition, or disorder, called Multiple sclerosis.

          Comment


            #6
            Since I feel "yuk" every day and have constant dizziness, I am sick. I have seen so many doctors and have taken so much medicine that I can't see it any other way. I wish I wasn't sick but I am.

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              #7
              I like thinking of it as a condition, at this point anyway. However it is considered a disease.

              "Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system)."

              https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-...s/syc-20350269
              He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
              Anonymous

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Jules A View Post
                I like thinking of it as a condition, at this point anyway. However it is considered a disease.

                "Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system)."

                https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-...s/syc-20350269
                I think it's easier and more suitable for me to refer to MS as a disease of the central nervous system, especially when my physical impairments are quite visible and obvious to others, as well as to myself.

                I only say that I'm sick when I have a cold, flu, virus etc.

                Take Care
                PPMS for 26 years (dx 1998)
                ~ Worrying will not take away tomorrow's troubles ~ But it will take away today's peace. ~

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                  #9
                  I have a disease ~ Multiple Sclerosis. I tend to call a spade a spade
                  and not something else.

                  The only time I consider myself sick is when I have a cold, flu, infection, etc.
                  Diagnosed 1984
                  “Lightworkers aren’t here to avoid the darkness…they are here to transform the darkness through the illuminating power of love.” Muses from a mystic

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Condition....I like that!

                    Yes, I like the idea of referring to MS as a “condition”. My docs say I am healthy, and just unfortunately have a bunch of autoimmune diseases. For the most part that is how I see it too. (Although there are some days when I actually feel quite sick/worn out from MS....I just push through and try to keep it to myself. However, my family actually always seems to know anyhow.) 😉

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                      #11
                      it doesn't matter, after all...

                      A rose by any other name is still a rose.

                      No matter what it's called/categorized/labeled/identified as.....

                      it's simply life.
                      The future depends on what you do today.- Gandhi

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Affliction.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          I usually use chronic condition or disease that affects the nervous system to describe MS. Thankfully been awhile, but when I had a relapse, then relapse related sickness or illness.

                          I think mentally, I associate sickness or illness with a darker place, more down. Not drastic, but there is something there for me.

                          Great topic Tawanda.
                          Kathy
                          DX 01/06, currently on Tysabri

                          Comment


                            #14
                            I think that's how the doctors think of it. Someone with just MS who is minimally affected is generally in good health.

                            I call it a disease. If it's hot & humid out, I'll be suffering the effects/limitations of the disease.

                            It's probably just me, but I think of a condition as something that's both permanent and unchanging, especially unchanging in the getting worse direction. Blindness is a condition, while macular degeneration would be a disease. Blindness is the condition caused by the disease. But I'm sure that's just my distinction, and I'm just as sure that it's wrong. 🙂

                            Originally posted by gargantua View Post
                            I think it's a condition, because a person can be in great general health and have MS. Maybe a doctor would disagree with that logic.

                            Thanks for starting this thread!

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by MMMMS View Post
                              It's probably just me, but I think of a condition as something that's both permanent and unchanging, especially unchanging in the getting worse direction. Blindness is a condition, while macular degeneration would be a disease. Blindness is the condition caused by the disease. But I'm sure that's just my distinction, and I'm just as sure that it's wrong. 🙂
                              MMMMS

                              Your perspective also makes sense.

                              Spasticity is a condition caused by the disease of MS.

                              Take Care
                              PPMS for 26 years (dx 1998)
                              ~ Worrying will not take away tomorrow's troubles ~ But it will take away today's peace. ~

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