Contents:
- Medical Video: Stress And Multiple Sclerosis
- What is multiple sclerosis?
- Symptoms of multiple sclerosis in children
- How parents help
- Tell your child the truth
- Have a good health team for your child
- Let your children adapt to multiple sclerosis
- Measure your child's reaction
- Don't limit their social activities
Medical Video: Stress And Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common neurological disorder that usually affects adults, but now more and more children and adolescents are diagnosed. The Multiple Sclerosis International Federation (MSIF) estimates that around 2.3 billion people are affected by multiple sclerosis globally. In the US, it is estimated that 8,000-10,000 of the 400,000 cases of multiple sclerosis are people under the age of 18. If your child is facing the effects of multiple sclerosis, there are 5 tips for caring for your child.
What is multiple sclerosis?
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic neurological disorder. When your child has multiple sclerosis, your child's brain and spine are affected. The immune system attacks tissues that protect nerve cells called myelin sheaths. This damage will slow down the signal message between your child's brain and body.
Multiple sclerosis is a long-term disease that causes severe effects on the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerve in your child's eyes, which leads to vision problems, balance, muscle control, and other basic functions of the body. Then your child will lose the ability to write, speak and walk.
Symptoms of multiple sclerosis in children
Signs and symptoms in children are sometimes not the same as in adults, such as seizures and changes in mental status (lethargy). Children often experience recurrent and deformed pain, which makes it more difficult to carry out daily activities. Some other signs and symptoms include:
- Having problems with the bladder or intestinal control and walking.
- Experience changes in vision.
- Experiencing muscle spasms.
- Experience sensory changes, tingling, or numbness.
- Having tremor.
How parents help
As a parent, it is difficult to see your child suffering from a painful condition. It is important to remain positive and strong for your child. Here are 5 tips to help children with multiple sclerosis:
Tell your child the truth
Parents tend to be afraid of causing anxiety to children and usually delay notifying about their illness. However, the reality is the opposite. When you are honest about their multiple sclerosis, they will not think that multiple sclerosis is a scary condition. Knowing the truth can also provide a sense of trust. As a result, your child feels safer and less afraid.
Have a good health team for your child
Working with health professionals who are qualified to treat multiple sclerosis will help you understand what your child is experiencing. The health team will monitor the symptoms of your child to help treat and find suitable ways to deal with the condition.
Let your children adapt to multiple sclerosis
You must help your child understand that having multiple sclerosis is not an excuse for not doing activities. Your child needs to learn to adapt to changes in life, whether in school or everyday challenges. It is important not to change the way you act on children. Don't loosen discipline. Not treating them in a special way will make children more adaptable to multiple sclerosis.
Measure your child's reaction
You have to listen carefully to what your child says and pay attention to signs of depression, persistent sleep problems, suicidal thoughts, difficulty in concentration or decision making, weight gain or loss, and feelings of worthlessness. You must help children talk about what they feel so that you can give advice and prevent them from making mistakes.
Don't limit their social activities
Don't protect your child too much just because you are worried something will happen. If you limit children's daily activities, they will lose activities that are important for healthy development such as playing soccer with friends or participating in sports activities. Ask your child health team when you want to find out if there are restrictions on activities.
The fact that your child is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis is never easy to accept for you or your child. As parents, you need to be aware of signs of disease, consult with your doctor about their symptoms and treatment in the right way.
