Similarities between Agent Orange, PCBs and MS?

[John_T]

1. Is any, special type of "work" or doing anything specific considered good occupational therapy for MS "disability" functions?

i.e. simply to think about any process, is work. Doing simple functions on the internet my not bring in any money, but doing what ever required tasks, keep MS'er from stagnating.

Could the treating doctor's instructions just like exercise, include business functions.

2. MS is the sickness of 1000 different faces.

Has anyone, else seen the symptom similarities from Illness caused by PCB and /or Agent Orange and MS.

There are test to show the effects of MS, is there any test to determine any A. Orange in a person's body? I would think it might be similar to DDT or Agent yellow.

Has any research been done to see if any exposure to A. O. , PCB's or DDT could start autoimmune sickness like MS?

*** this question is focal for anyone who has been in the military.

[ssdw1958]

But I was never in The military.

But I did read that some people that were in the military, who were in Iraq were coming back with MS you do ask a good question. It would be nice to find out why some of us get MS and others don’t.

I hope this makes sense since it is so early 5am and it’s many nights I can’t sleep.

[jackiesj in reply to ssdw1958]

ssdw1958 no sleep, what...we must be sisters!

[janetb1968]

That's a very good question; I do wonder why some people don't get MS and others do. I haven't been in the military but I have worked in the NHS here in the UK as a staff nurse and come into contact with many illnesses and diseases 😯🤐😯🤐😯🤐😯🤐 for many years.

[tombouy46]

Thank you ssdw, you just gave me a much needed chuckle, I was just reading your post and the last part of it really hit home, I was awake till about 5:15 this morning, also yesterday morning. Same thing. Thursday night I didn’t sleep at all. Sat up all dam night. I find myself steering at the tv. But have no clue to what is even on, I find myself just sitting on the couch in a fog. My brain never shuts down. Unfortunately that’s not a good thing. I find myself going over things that have gone wrong, or are going wrong in my life. How the m.s. has altered my life in so many ways. None of them any good, I actually had a 2 hour talk with my mom yesterday. Trust me. That just doesn’t happen. But I was at my breaking point. I get absolutely no family support, Nothing. And I finally explained to her how much that hurts. You would think having a mom, a brother and his wife and 2 nephews who live about 15 minutes away from me that we would have a someone close family. Couldn’t be further from the truth, it’s gotta be well over a yr since mom has asked. How are you doing, How are you feeling. Anything new with the m.s. Nothing. I feel I’m going through this all by myself. That’s a suck feeling. Just wanted to share that. Thanks. Tom

[jimeka in reply to tombouy46]

Tom, don’t beat yourself up about it. Ms is a very lonely disease, that’s why this forum is a great place to vent and unload. We all understand. Family and friends are often scared like we are, they feel helpless, then if they ignore it, I think they think that it will magically disappear. I find that people feel uncomfortable discussing ms as they don’t understand it, we with ms don’t understand but we have to cope with it. Be assured that you are not on your own, and being awake all night is common. Blessings Jimeka 🍫

[tombouy46 in reply to jimeka]

Jim you hit the nail on the head when you said m.s. is a lonely disease, first off. I live alone, strike 1. Secondly Because of the depression I’ve been fighting. I don’t really go out much, yes I know. That’s bad. 3rdly I’m having a lot of days where I won’t answer my phone. Calls or texts. I need to find a way to snap out of this

[ssdw1958 in reply to tombouy46]

Hi Tom this is ssdw1958 aka Sandra I know exactly how you feel I have people not call me and then when they do I hear I should take you out, well that never comes to be lol what am I suppose to say to that.

Last night I fell asleep 😴 at lets see 8am then I woke up at 10am yeah I got some sleep lol I haven’t had a full nights sleep in years

Well I hope you get a nape to day. I also hope you get a visit from someone.

Nighty Night

[Raingrrl]

Hi John_T .... I'm not a vet but it was more fun looking up answers to your questions than doing the chores I'm supposed to be doing. (I did research and data analysis in my career and I miss it!)

There are a myriad of ways that M.S. can affect a person so any beneficial O.T. would need to be tailored towards the individual just like P.T. needs to be. Here is just one article about it: multiplesclerosis.net/treat...

As for Agent Orange and M.S., the VA researchers don't seem to have established a cause and effect between the two. The VA has ongoing research into herbicides and chemicals as causes of neurologic diseases. Here is a clip of a question on the VA M.S. FAQ page (va.gov/MS/Veterans/FAQs/Dia...

"1. Since Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder and autoimmune disorders can be caused by exposure to herbicides, is it highly probable that exposure to Agent Orange can indirectly cause Multiple Sclerosis?

This is a good question, and one that MS researchers would review. MS researchers do work with other autoimmune disorders and look for causal relationships. However, at this time there is no demonstrated connection between Agent Orange and MS. Due to a variety of disorders that are connected to Agent Orange, the VA has created a website that addresses questions, and has a research program dedicated to studying this chemical and its relationship to health. You can go online for more information at va.gov/agentorange"