Learning About LOMS
I began digging into research papers online, looking at different types of MS, mortality rates, symptoms and the like. I soon discovered the phrase, late onset MS (LOMS). This population is diagnosed with MS later in life, over 50 years old as compared to the average diagnosis, which was closer to 30 years of age.
No, I was not in the age bracket for LOMS, but I felt a certain kinship with this group. Had I not had such a harsh outbreak when I did, who knows when I may have sought the right kind of help.
It turns out, late-onset MS can mimic completely normal signs of aging, like memory issues, menopause symptoms, diminished eyesight and lessened mobility. I related to this because I realized I had to push my mind and body more and more on show-site and in daily life.
Diagnosis Can Be Tricky
In order to stay on top of what was my career, I had to maintain the level of stamina equal to those 20 years my junior. I had this down cold and never missed a beat
Looking back, I felt the changes in my body but I chalked them up to bouts of show-exhaustion, something that usually doesn’t hit until the plane ride home. I hid my symptoms from everyone, including myself.
LOMS can be difficult to diagnose because symptoms can mimic those of other, often serious, neurological conditions that become more common with age, such as memory issues and stroke.
Compound these factors with the supposition that many who are diagnosed later in life were possibly like me, ignoring early signs and symptoms, shooing them away because life was too busy.
Might a MS diagnosis come much later in life for some, detected only because of a severe outbreak or symptom?
If I hadn’t finally listened to my body and got the medical attention it demanded, might my MS have remained under the surface for a few more years? If so, might I have been designated a LOMS’er possibly with a more accelerated pace of the disease?
More Questions and Ponderings
There is not much out there in terms of data for the layman that explains or defines much of what we want to know. I did discover that for LOMS’ers, a primary-progressive disease course is a more frequent diagnosis than in the younger MS population usually living with relapsing-remitting MS for years before possibly moving to more advanced stages.
Consider an individual who had MS for years but went undetected until they were past 50. Would this mean that individual would technically be diagnosed with LOMS? Another question, might the accelerated pace of MS at this demographic be because of aging itself?
Answers to these questions, for it may lead to individuals in similar situations to mine to not ignore potential health threats. Also the more we understand our disease, regardless of age, the better we can make relevant choices and plan for out futures.
Not so Old, Not so Young
Mortality has been on my mind a lot lately. How could it not when I was just starting to find balance in my life. I have no children; I identified myself through what I did for a living.
I didn’t get to retire gracefully when I was ready. I was shot out of my own life like a flaming cannonball that lands in a barren field, a dud. More importantly, I was (and am) a newlywed, insanely in love for the first time.
I’d entered into a marriage with tremendously good health and a great income. Just months after our wedding, I was hospitalized on our first Valentine’s Day with paralyzed intestines.
It’s hard enough to carve out a fulfilling and patient marriage, having had full lives beforehand. It’s a constant negotiation and recognition of each other’s patterns and buttons. Now I have all new patterns and buttons, and this old dog must learn new tricks.
I think about those with LOMS, and how disruptive it must be to find out in your golden years that your entire way of living must change. They say aging isn’t for wimps; I’d love to hear from those with LOMS, I bet they can teach us young ones how to make this look good. I, for one, intend to forge this new reality into a fulfilling path, MS and all.
