Contents
What is the most precious thing in life? Most of us will answer this question: the family. This one word contains the tragedy of many people with multiple sclerosis.
Most often, people starting a family are 20–30 years old, the same as people with MS usually have at the time of diagnosis. It happens that after receiving the unfortunate discharge from the hospital, they are already in a stable relationship, not always formal. Regardless of the fear of blaming the other person with their own disease, new questions arise: What will happen to me next? Should I decide to have a child? Condemn them to life with a disabled parent? What if it gets sick too? In addition, there is the problem of drugs that indirectly influence the decision to get pregnant, as they may at least not serve future offspring. Procrastination is also not good for the possibility of having a healthy baby or for the performance of the parent affected by MS. The problems vary, and they also depend on the gender of the person who is ill. Therefore, in this report, we will try to follow the questions posed by future and current parents with MS.
Pregnancy and then on a stroller ?!
I fell ill because of pregnancy!
Although the previous paragraphs sound reassuring, it is also known that the disease often manifests itself after childbirth. This does not mean that there was no disease before pregnancy, just – while during pregnancy the risk of a relapse decreases, unfortunately it increases right after delivery. This is due to the fatigue of caring for the baby and hormonal changes. That is why it is so important in this difficult time to care for the environment both for the child and the mother. However, studies show that one to two months after birth, there are more relapses. The period of increased risk may last for three to nine months and then the relapse rate returns to pre-pregnancy levels. This postpartum increase in relapse rate somewhat counterbalances the improvement in the course of the disease during pregnancy; The overall impact of pregnancy on the course of MS is therefore neutral. A quick return to immunomodulating drugs may also reduce the likelihood of relapses. This, however, means giving up breastfeeding.
It can also be very difficult for a child to emphasize the appearance of symptoms of the disease immediately after birth, especially as it begins to grow up. It can become a source of painful guilt. Make sure your child is told as soon as possible that they are not to be blamed for developing MS.
What if the baby has MS?
But I eat so many drugs!
Healthy pregnant women wonder about every aspirin. Women with MS are in a more difficult situation. They can take disease-modifying medications, symptomatic medications: a handful of medications every day. The problem is that the effects of many drugs during pregnancy are unknown. There are no clinical trials to assess the effects of drugs on fetal development as they are unethical. Evidence of harmful effects of drugs in humans comes from only a small number of cases of women who became pregnant while on treatment with the drug, or from animal experiments. In both cases, these data are not certain and unambiguous. It is believed that immunomodulatory treatment should be discontinued at least three months before a planned pregnancy.
If you become pregnant while taking these preparations, contact your doctor as soon as possible. Steroids are also considered relatively safe drugs during pregnancy. However, they are usually avoided during the first trimester when fetal organ development is occurring. It is also recommended that drugs be used with extreme caution in other diseases. However, the doctor may recommend their continued use, prescribe alternative preparations, if discontinuation of drugs could pose a serious threat to the mother or fetus. He may also occasionally offer the patient non-pharmacological ways of coping with the symptoms. All treatments should be resumed immediately after delivery, although some may not be appropriate while breastfeeding.
He, the head of the house, on a pension
My dad doesn’t play soccer
A child like an adult
Usually, a child growing up in a family where one of the parents is sick or disabled, quickly matures to independence and responsibility for the parent. He plays the role of an adult – It is Ewa who makes me get up in the morning – says Monika. Thanks to his daughter, he goes to the cinema, philharmonic halls and shopping centers. Ewa knows that she has to deal with herself, even if she takes care of her cat. She has “implanted” sensitivity to sick people. – Mom, I bought a new nail polish. I have to paint them for you to make you look nice – trying to dispel the sad thoughts of one of Lena’s daughters during her stay in the hospital. Lena remembers the time when the children were small And the news about the disease came suddenly. During the morning getting up, the question appeared – will I get up today? Children, now adults, sometimes accompany her during trips with the sick. – They have a habit of helping – says Lena.