John Mac
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Two years later, in 1999, her vision went fuzzy again. This time, her GP was concerned that it might indicate something more serious.
On a Friday evening, Ailsa went alone for her first MRI brain scan with the neurologist who would give her a life-changing diagnosis.
"He told me: 'you've got very mild multiple sclerosis'. At the time I knew some people who had MS and needed to use a wheelchair. My eyes filled up with tears and the neurologist asked me 'why are you crying? I've just told you it's very mild'," Ailsa remembers.
MS is a neurodegenerative disease, in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the fatty myelin sheath that protects the nerves in a similar way to insulation around electric wires. As that protection is gnawed away, the nerves can eventually stop being able to send the signals that help us to walk, talk, think clearly or use our hands normally.
Why the immune system goes rogue in this way for about three million people worldwide has long been debated. A Harvard University study in 2022 showed compelling evidence that the Epstein-Barr virus that causes glandular fever triggers the process. More research is taking place in the hope that one day, MS can be prevented.
Ailsa, now 47, is taking part in a groundbreaking new trial, which is looking into whether existing drugs can be repurposed to help slow MS progression.
The way it is designed means several drugs can be tried at the same time, and more can be added or dropped as results emerge.
The Octopus trial - so-called because it is a multi-arm, multi-stage trial - is being run by Prof Jeremy Chataway, from the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery UCLH in London, with £13m in funding from the UK's MS Society.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-65135637
On a Friday evening, Ailsa went alone for her first MRI brain scan with the neurologist who would give her a life-changing diagnosis.
"He told me: 'you've got very mild multiple sclerosis'. At the time I knew some people who had MS and needed to use a wheelchair. My eyes filled up with tears and the neurologist asked me 'why are you crying? I've just told you it's very mild'," Ailsa remembers.
MS is a neurodegenerative disease, in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the fatty myelin sheath that protects the nerves in a similar way to insulation around electric wires. As that protection is gnawed away, the nerves can eventually stop being able to send the signals that help us to walk, talk, think clearly or use our hands normally.
Why the immune system goes rogue in this way for about three million people worldwide has long been debated. A Harvard University study in 2022 showed compelling evidence that the Epstein-Barr virus that causes glandular fever triggers the process. More research is taking place in the hope that one day, MS can be prevented.
Ailsa, now 47, is taking part in a groundbreaking new trial, which is looking into whether existing drugs can be repurposed to help slow MS progression.
The way it is designed means several drugs can be tried at the same time, and more can be added or dropped as results emerge.
The Octopus trial - so-called because it is a multi-arm, multi-stage trial - is being run by Prof Jeremy Chataway, from the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery UCLH in London, with £13m in funding from the UK's MS Society.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-65135637
