Neuro Note #3

For my third neuro note, I chose to look at multiple sclerosis, or “MS.” I chose this topic because I honestly do not know anything about it. I have always heard of “MS,” but I have never actually known what the pathology looks like or what the common symptoms of it are. Today I watched a 2015 TED Talk called “Thriving in the Face of Adversity,” starring Stephanie Buxhoeveden. She began by telling her story of being a young, 25-year-old neurosurgical intensive care nurse, studying to be a nurse anesthetist. On the day that should have been her first time giving anesthesia, she was hit with the shocking discovery that she had multiple sclerosis. Buxhoeveden told of her early symptoms, her foot falling asleep, then her legs; then losing all sensation from the waist down, also losing her clear vision. All of these symptoms made more sense to me when she explained that multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that attacks the myelin surrounding one’s nerve cells. I remembered this from my first neurobiology class in OT school, that myelin helps to relay nerve signals quickly and effectively across the body. 

 

I learned from Buxhoeveden that there are two main types of multiple sclerosis – relapsing remitting and progressive. She told that she has relapsing remitting, so her symptoms come and go. What is crazy about Buxhoeveden and other MS victims is that they look “normal” – they do not “look sick.” However, she explained that a lot of her symptoms are invisible. She said, “I don’t look sick, but I have over a dozen lesions in my spine and my brain… I don’t look sick but I have a cane in my closet to pull out on days that I can’t walk on my own.” 

 

Although Buxhoeveden deals with a tough disease, she does not let it stop her. She lives to educate others about MS, and she still works as a nurse with MS patients. My biggest take away from this TED Talk is when Buxhoeveden said she is a better nurse and person for having MS. This reminded me that although in life I will have challenges, I can choose to take advantage of my circumstances and use them for good; I can encourage others and lead others toward success. Buxhoeveden taught me that even though people may not “look sick,” we have no idea what can be going on inside, and Buxhoeveden taught me to strive to be an empathetic OT practitioner. 

Photo from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuLOT6GsAxw

Tedx Talks. (2015, April 3). TEDxHerndon - Stephanie Buxhoeveden - Thriving in the Face of 

    Adversity [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuLOT6GsAxw