Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

Our immune system acts to protect our body from “hostile” elements such as bacteria and various contaminants. Our nerves are covered by a coating called myelin, which insulates and protects nerve cells. The role of myelin is somewhat similar to the role of insulation wrapping electrical wires. In addition to its role in insulation and protection, myelin helps accelerate electrical pulses in the nerve, thereby causing information to travel at high speeds.

In Multiple Sclerosis, the immune system attacks the myelin. The loss of this insulating material means an impairment in the nerve’s ability to transmit information. Some of the electrical pulses passing through the nerve do not progress, and some even stop completely.

The disease is most often diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40, and those diagnosed live with it throughout their lives, as a cure that can eliminate it completely has not yet been found.

The name of the disease (in Hebrew: Tareshet Nefotza) stems from the fact that it is characterized by multiple “scleroses” (lesions) that can be identified along the brain and spinal cord. The term “Multiple” (or “Widespread”) refers to the number of lesions and not to its prevalence in the population. It is estimated that there are approximately 5,000 people living with Multiple Sclerosis in Israel.

Invisible (The Transparent)

Multiple Sclerosis and the resulting damage to the central nervous system can bring many symptoms, most of which are described on this site. Some symptoms are very unique to neurological injuries because they are “invisible”—unseen to the eye. Those who suffer from these symptoms may feel them intensely, in a way that limits function and causes significant discomfort; yet to an outside observer, the patient looks exactly as they did before, completely healthy. Among these “invisible” symptoms are fatigue, electrical sensations (tingling), sensory changes, heat sensitivity, pain, etc.

In situations where communication is poor, these symptoms can lead to a sense of distress. The person with “invisible” symptoms feels the fatigue (for example) in a way that, in their perception, cannot be missed: “I am so exhausted, it is taking over my whole body—how can anyone not see this?”

Because of this perception, the person experiencing fatigue (or any other invisible symptom) expects others to see the difficulty, even though they look exactly the same from the outside. People around them have no way of guessing how hard it is for them in those moments, or how tired they truly are.

Sometimes, in moments of struggle, patients want others to know exactly what they are feeling without having to explain. This feeling is natural and legitimate. The problem begins when we turn this legitimate feeling into an expectation of those around us—expecting them to understand without an explanation, and worse, becoming disappointed and angry when the fantasy does not come true: “How can they not see what I need right now?”

Precisely for this reason, we are committed to ensuring communication so that we can understand the disease better, recognize the needs of the patients, and know how to assist them in the right places.