Doctors urge multiple sclerosis patients to stop suffering in silence

FOR Sam Sheppard, the first signs that a relapse of her multiple sclerosis (MS) is on its way, are tingling, numbness and pain in her hands and feet.

When that happens, the mum-of-two from Surrey, gets straight on the phone to her specialist MS nurse. "A big relapse is devastating," says Sam, 39, who works as an administrator.

"When a relapse strikes it's not just me that is affected, I can't get out of bed, I can't get the kids to school, I need time off work and my husband has to become mum and dad for the family.

"I've got a great nurse who always says 'if in doubt give me a shout'. If I don't tell him about these minor symptoms, we can't make the right decisions about my treatment options."

Unfortunately not all MS patients are quite so vigilant. A new UK study has revealed that nearly half (46 per cent) of patients suffered a relapse but did not tell anyone.

Researchers of the Novartis-funded MS Pathways study also found that specialist MS doctors and nurses were accepting relapses as inevitable and without considering alternative treatments.

So experts are now urging patients to report even minor relapses to their doctor because of the catastrophic effect it could have on their health, finances and family life.  express