Hi
At the age of 69 my mum has recently been diagnosed with MS. Within a week she became severely impaired both mentally and physically (around EDSS 8).
She has received a 5 day course of steroids, and while things seemed to improve a bit while she was taking them, she has deteriorated since the course stopped, and the doctors said she hadn’t responded very well.
I have read multiple articles that plasma exchange (plasmapheresis) can help when steroid treatment is not effective. However, her current hospital (Broomfield hospital in Chelmsford) do not do this, and do not seem to be aware of any equipment nearby.
Does anyone know of anywhere in Essex (or in the UK otherwise) that would be able to do this treatment?
Regards
Chris
Hi Chris
I’ve not heard of people getting plasmapheresis for MS before, so looked it up. I think you’d need to have a neurologist consider whether it might help in your mother’s case, i.e. they’d need to think about whether she has the ‘right’ kind of MS that might respond to it. Chances are it would be a therapy you’d have to pay for as well, given that it’s not something that is routinely used.
Other people may have different views on this. They may have experience of it or knowledge of when and to whom it might help.
Obviously, you and your family are very suddenly living in a frightening world with which you have no experience. To have a first attack and instantly be judged as at point 8 on the EDSS is an extremely rapid disease course.
I hope you do find an answer to your question that is more positive than mine.
Sue