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<\/p>\nA man from South Wales who was diagnosed with MS when he was 26 after experiencing vision loss and falling over on a lads\u2019 holiday in Ibiza said the disease has \u201cdevastated\u201d his social life and caused a \u201closs of identity\u201d, but said that maintaining a healthy lifestyle by training at the gym and walking his two dogs \u201ckeeps (him) sane, keeps (his) mind at ease\u201d.<\/p>\n
George Mckinty, now 30, began noticing issues with his vision in August 2021, when he was 26, finding that he \u201ccouldn\u2019t see out of one eye properly\u201d.<\/p>\n
On holiday in Ibiza that summer, he repeatedly fell over, which he found \u201cvery embarrassing\u201d and initially chalked up to his depth perception being affected by his vision problems.<\/p>\n
However, after visiting an optician who identified a problem with his optic nerve and being referred to a neurologist, he had an MRI and a lumbar puncture which confirmed his diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) \u2013 an incurable condition that affects the brain and spinal cord and causes symptoms such as vision problems, fatigue, clumsiness, muscle spasms and urinary problems.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI had an uncle with MS (who was) in a wheelchair. I thought: \u2018Oh, my God, that\u2019s going to happen to me\u2019,\u201d George told PA Real Life.<\/p>\n
However, thanks to effective treatment, George is able to manage the symptoms of his relapsing-remitting MS, which is characterised by periods of worsening symptoms and periods of recovery, and has not faced a relapse since 2021.<\/p>\n
George first realised something was wrong in August 2021 when, at the gym, he found he was struggling to see properly. When he covered his left eye, he realised that he had lost around 80% of the vision in his right eye, with severe double vision that affected his depth perception.<\/p>\n
Later, he learned that this flare-up would happen in the gym due to Uhthoff\u2019s phenomenon \u2013 a temporary worsening of MS symptoms triggered by increased body temperature \u2013 which he also encountered on a holiday to Ibiza with his friends three weeks later.<\/p>\n
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He had several falls while on holiday, which he \u201cassumed was just down to (his) depth perception\u201d being impacted by his vision loss, but this was compounded by bladder symptoms such as hesitancy and nocturia \u2013 getting up several times a night to urinate \u2013 and he began to fear something more serious might be wrong.<\/p>\n
On October 12 2021, after an MRI scan revealed lesions on his brain and spinal cord, George was told by doctors that they were almost certain he had MS. He was referred for a lumbar puncture, which analyses the cerebrospinal fluid for factors that indicate an excess level of antibodies and is used to confirm an MS diagnosis.<\/p>\n
After the lumbar puncture in March 2022, George\u2019s diagnosis of relapsing-remitting MS \u2013 the most common form of MS, which affects 85% of cases \u2013 was confirmed.<\/p>\n
George almost immediately began treatment to help manage his symptoms, which involves intravenous administration of ocrelizumab once every six months. According to the MS Trust, this treatment reduces the number of relapses by around 70%.<\/p>\n
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George has this treatment administered over the course of four to six hours once every six months, and he said it has \u201ckept (his) condition stable all the way through\u201d.<\/p>\n
However, while the treatment George receives is effective at preventing another relapse, he still faces problems from the damage that \u201chas already been done to (his) central nervous system\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve still got the eye issues in my right eye, where I\u2019ve got double vision (that affects) depth perception. So I can\u2019t do a lot of sports\u2026 which is aggravating,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt affects you socially, because I\u2019d love to play sports, my friends all play sports, and I can\u2019t\u2026<\/p>\n
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\u201c(For) my leg, I\u2019ve recently been with a physiotherapist, which is really good. I do a lot of stretching, a lot of hip exercises, just to improve my mobility\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cMy bladder\u2019s the most annoying, really, because it gives me nocturia, which is when you get up at night to use the toilet, and I get it four or five times a night. I self-catheterise because I can\u2019t fully empty it, and if you can\u2019t fully empty your bladder, it can become stagnant, and that can cause a UTI.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut soon, hopefully, I\u2019ll be getting Botox. I can\u2019t wait for the NHS anymore, so I\u2019m going to go private, to get Botox in my bladder of all places! That should calm it down, hopefully, and I\u2019ll be able to sleep fully.\u201d<\/p>\n
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George said he has also struggled with the impact the disease has had on his social life and identity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s taken a vast dip, massively,\u201d he said of his social life.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t drink the same, I can\u2019t go out as much. I get tired. Fatigue is a factor in my life, definitely, because of the lack of sleep because of the nocturia.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the loss of identity, that\u2019s the worst challenge overall.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to become confident in saying no. People say: \u2018Don\u2019t let it dominate your life. It\u2019s just something you have\u2019, whatever. But it does dominate your life a lot\u2026<\/p>\n
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\u201cEarly on, it affected my confidence quite a bit\u2026 The loss of identity, of who you were\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been four years, and I would say this year is the first time I started to feel better, in all honesty \u2013 like, mentally better about it, because it is a depressing thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, MS does affect your limbic system, which controls your emotions. Maybe that\u2019s impacted, I don\u2019t know. Maybe it\u2019s just because I\u2019ve got a disease that\u2019s incurable.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, one thing that keeps George \u201csane\u201d is training at the gym. He has been resistance training for more than a decade, now hitting the gym three to four times per week, and he believes that staying active helps him manage his MS both mentally and physically.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt keeps me sane, keeps my mind at ease,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThings like nutrition and resistance training \u2013 I\u2019ve got two dogs I walk every single day, I try to do 12,000 steps a day\u2026 I think those things (help with maintaining) a steady state of dopamine.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cLifestyle changes, while not a cure, can and do make a real difference to symptoms and quality of life for people living with MS. Yet too many people don\u2019t know this, or find information about it in a haphazard way,\u201d agreed Alexandra Holden, chief executive of Overcoming MS.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith NHS resources under pressure, it\u2019s more important than ever that people have access to evidence-based lifestyle strategies to support their health, alongside medication.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest challenge right now is lack of awareness, and misinformation, stopping people diagnosed with MS from accessing the full benefits of lifestyle-related support\u201d.<\/p>\n
In terms of the future, George plans to continue his treatment to ward off a relapse, but he knows that \u201cMS will take what it wants\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really will, which is a scary thing to even say, to be honest, but there\u2019s always going to be a way around it,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s always a workaround, there\u2019s always a way to reframe it in your mind, but also physically, what you can do with those symptoms.\u201d<\/p>\n