MS Gallery − Louise P.
“I’m still the same person I have always been. I have learned to cope with MS.”
Louise P.
Age: 27
Hometown: Gosforth, Newcastle, England
Onset of symptoms: 2004
First symptoms experienced: Loss of control in legs, flashes of light and vision loss
Diagnosed: 2004
Started treatment: 2004
As a pediatric nurse, Louise was familiar with many diseases, but had never encountered MS. So when she suffered her first MS attack, she wasn’t quite sure what she was experiencing. “When my first symptoms of MS appeared, I was frightened. I was getting ready for work when I noticed that I couldn’t lift my foot very well to tie my shoelaces. When I got to work I also noticed that I couldn’t write very well and that’s when I went to Accident & Emergency.”
From there Louise was referred to a neurologist. The doctor quickly diagnosed MS and prescribed medication to manage the first attack. Initially, Louise was in denial. But with the support of her family, she began to accept that the condition was now part of her life.
Having learned about the importance of early treatment, Louise’s consultant and MS nurses helped get her on medication as early as possible. Once she started, “the Louise that I was before the diagnosis was back. I felt like I could keep living, enjoying nights out with my friends and getting away with them.”
At the hospital, Louise continues to work hard, and is glad she can continue working in a demanding job. “I still enjoy work and life and am now in a very happy and stable relationship. I am also getting married – life’s brill!”
