18 novembre 2005 12:13

By Amy L. Ashbridge

Staff Writer

A woman who has lived with a serious illness and decided to fight back from a different angle will make a presentation on the disease Saturday in Oneonta.

Mona Sen, 39, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she was 21, will give a presentation on understanding multiple sclerosis fatigue.

Sen, who moved back to Schenevus while on medical leave from Washington University in St. Louis, said she is working toward a master’s degree in occupational therapy.

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects the nervous system.

"Our own body is attacking our own nervous system," said Phil Young, a support group member.

Young, 58, said Wednesday that he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis eight years ago.

"She wanted to be able to help people with that kind of issue," Young said of Sen.

Many people with multiple sclerosis have some sort of fatigue, Sen said. It can be physical and cognitive, she said.

"People who have it are confused, and family members are even more baffled by it," Sen said Wednesday.

"My whole point is to let people know that there are eight different things (that can affect fatigue)," she said. "You can make your life better if you pay attention to them."

The multiple sclerosis support group will meet from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday in conference room "B" of A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital’s Nursing Home.

There are many benefits to the support group, Young said.

"You don’t feel alone," he said. "You hear the stories of someone else. You tell your stories."

Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis is the most common form of the disease, said Dr. Paul Deringer, the section head of the neurology division at Bassett Healthcare.

"A person will have an attack, and it gradually clears up," Deringer said. "Then a few months go by and something else happens."

About 400,000 Americans have multiple sclerosis, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

There isn’t a blood test to check for the disease, Deringer said. Doctors will do scans with a magnetic-resonance imaging machine, and also take a detailed history.

The disease isn’t fatal, Deringer said.

New treatments have become available in the past 10 years that help doctors and patients prevent attacks before they happen, Deringer said.

"These drugs reduce the inflammation," he said. "They’re not a cure, but they sure help manage the condition.

"We’re hoping if we cool the multiple sclerosis off earlier, we can prevent some of the cumulative disability," he continued.

Young said he considered himself fortunate because he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis after the medications became available.

"There is some research and progress that’s being made," Young said. "I’m really lucky."

He said family members are welcome at the meeting Saturday.

"We’re not scary. We don’t wear Halloween masks," Young said. "We’re not glum."

He added, "It’s a good place."