Selma Blair is opening up about her experience as a single parent suffering with multiple sclerosis.
Selma Blair has stated that she has exhausted all alternatives for alleviating the agony and physical challenges caused by her multiple sclerosis diagnosis about a year ago.
"Preparations to relieve the symptoms have not helped, and I'm feeling worse and worse," the actress revealed during a health conference in New York organized by Time 100.
She stated that she felt better immediately following the treatment. "However, the physicians informed me that I needed to plan for my death. I mentioned this to my son, who informed me that he wants me cremated," he tells People, quoting the actress.
Selma is waiting for her lost hair to come back due to therapy, but her looks does not worry her; all she wants is to live as long as possible with her son.

What Is Multipe sclerosis?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disorder affecting the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system).

MS causes your immune system to wrongly target myelin cells. These are the protective sheaths that wrap the brain and spinal cord nerves. Myelin sheath injury disrupts the messages (signals) that your nerves convey throughout your body to execute activities such as vision, feeling, and movement.

Myelin injury can affect your brain, spinal cord, and the nerves that feed your eyes. There is no cure for MS, although therapy can help decrease continuing damage and control symptoms.

What are the risk factors for MS?

You may be more likely to develop MS if you:
Are aged between 20 and 40.
Are of Northern European descent.
Are assigned female at birth.
MS can affect anyone. Rarer cases may affect children.

What are the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis?

Fatigue.
Clumsiness.
Dizziness.
Problems with bladder regulation
Loss of equilibrium and coordination.
Difficulty with cognitive function.
Mood shifts.
Muscle stiffness and spasms (tremor).
These symptoms differ from person to person and might change in severity from one day to the next. You may have a couple of these symptoms, but they are unlikely to occur all at once.

Do you ever feel normal with MS?

This can be difficult to forecast because everyone defines "normal" in their own manner. With MS, you may experience periods of remission in which your symptoms resolve and you feel more like yourself. You may even forget you have MS until symptoms reappear. This sense of normalcy, as well as its degree, varies according to kind and stage.

What are the complications of Multiple Sclerosis?

MS symptoms may worsen or escalate, resulting in problems like:
Walking is difficult without support.
Loss of bowel and bladder control.
Memory loss.
Sexual dysfunction.
Depression and anxiety.

What tests are used to diagnose Multiple Sclerosis?

Diagnostic testing allows your doctor to rule out illnesses that cause symptoms similar to MS. It may include:
Blood and urine testing.
An MRI test.
An optical coherence tomography (OCT) test.
A lumbar puncture.
The Evoked Potential (EP) test.
Who diagnoses MS?
If your health care practitioner believes you have MS, they may recommend you to a neurologist. A neurologist is a doctor who specializes in treating conditions of the nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord.

Management & Treatment

Is there a cure for Multiple Sclerosis?

There is presently no cure for MS.

How is Multiple Sclerosis treated?

Multiple sclerosis therapy focuses on reducing future damage, controlling symptoms, and avoiding complications. Your treatment strategy might include:

Medications.
Physical, occupational, and speech therapy.
Mental health counseling.
Other forms of symptom treatment vary dependent on how the problem affects you. It may include:

Wearing glasses or taking drugs to treat visual problems.
Deep brain stimulation to treat muscular spasms (tremors).
Using assistive mobility equipment such as a cane, walker, or wheelchair.
Antiseizure or antispasmodic drugs (gabapentin or nortriptyline) are used to treat pain.
Donepezil is a medication used to treat cognitive problems.
Alternative therapy including acupuncture and yoga.
Your healthcare physician may propose plasma exchange (plasmapheresis) if your body doesn’t respond well to certain drugs in the midst of an MS episode. This is more successful in limiting damage from a current attack as opposed to avoiding new attacks in the long run.

Your provider can also tell you whether there are any clinical studies that you can participate in. Clinical trials are human studies of novel pharmaceuticals or the use of current therapies to discover new treatments for MS and other illnesses.

Multiple Sclerosis Medications

Multiple sclerosis medications can lessen relapses (periods when symptoms increase or new symptoms occur), as well as the formation of new lesions/scars, slowing the disease's course. Common types of medicines for MS are:

Disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) lower the frequency of relapses, delay the course of MS, and prevent new lesions from growing on your brain and spinal cord. Several drugs have received FDA clearance for long-term MS therapy.
Relapse management medications: Corticosteroids (such as methylprednisolone) immediately decrease inflammation by inhibiting the immune system. These drugs can help you recover more quickly after an attack. They also reduce damage to the myelin sheath that surrounds your nerve cells. This drug may be administered into a vein in your arm via an IV. Other short-term therapeutic options for severe episodes include IV immunoglobulin therapy and plasma exchange.
DMTs for MS.

Common disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) for MS and their administration methods include:

Injections into your skin include beta interferon, glatiramer acetate, and ofatumumab.
Alemtuzumab, natalizumab, rituximab, ocrelizumab, or ublituximab are all intravenous infusions.
Oral drugs include cladribine, dimethyl fumarate, diroximel fumarate, monomethyl fumarate, fingolimod, siponimod, ponesimod, ozanimod, and teriflunomide.
Stem cell transplants.
Prevention
Can Multiple Sclerosis be prevented?
There is no known strategy to prevent MS.

How can I reduce my chances of having multiple sclerosis symptoms Free?

Disease-modifying medicines are the most effective strategy to lessen the amount of flare-ups (also known as relapses or attacks) that occur.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is also vital. The decisions you make can assist to halt illness development. Your physician may recommend the following to keep healthy:
Eating healthful foods.
Getting sufficient sleep.
Participating in frequent physical exercises.
Not utilizing tobacco products.
Living with a chronic disease can be emotionally difficult. MS might occasionally influence your mood and memory. Working with a neuropsychologist or a mental health practitioner is crucial for long-term management of the illness.

What is the Prognosis for multiple sclerosis?

Multiple sclerosis is a lifelong illness with no treatment. However, present treatment options are highly successful in managing symptoms and reducing the frequency of flare-ups. Regardless of therapy, MS can cause impairment and make it difficult to do regular tasks without help over time. Your care team is here to support you throughout your MS journey, preventing problems and improving your quality of life.

Is multiple sclerosis affecting your life expectancy?

You can expect to live a regular life with MS. Previous research has indicated that MS can reduce your life expectancy by up to ten years, however breakthroughs in treatment choices have greatly improved this prognosis. Only in extremely rare circumstances is MS lethal.

Can someone with MS have a normal life?

Yes. MS can be difficult to diagnose and manage, but your care team will support you every step of the way. Despite the fact that MS is incurable, you may live a full and active life. From drugs to therapy, there are resources available to help you enhance your physical and mental efficiency. You may also join support groups to interact with others who have had similar experiences.

When should see a healthcare provider?

Contact a healthcare practitioner if you encounter the following:

Feeling extremely sensitive to heat.
Feeling shaky or out of balance.
It is difficult to recall stuff.
Numbness or tingling, particularly in the arms and legs.
Sudden eyesight changes.
Weakness in the arms or legs.
If you have MS and are experiencing new or worsening symptoms, notify your healthcare physician.

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