Purpose
The objective was to remove all doubts about the treatment of multiple sclerosis not being able to work for both men and women, whose domiciles are different. Comparisons for the treatment being given in two countries were to be made, with the aim of finding the similarities of drugs used, which work and which ones do not, as well as the differences between those regimens used. Through the differences, similarities, advantages and disadvantages uncovered from drugs obtained from two countries, the project sought to give male patients suffering from multiple sclerosis the ability to make sound and informed decisions about the medications they chose to utilize, and for doctors the medications they chose to prescribe based on their diagnoses of multiple sclerosis. Furthermore, the study was done to determine how to help a man who suffers from both multiple sclerosis and alcoholism.
Summary
According to the plans laid out earlier on the project is proceeding according to schedule. All required outcomes and deliverables up to this point in time have been met and adhered to. This being the first phase of the project, and it being completed means that the project is exactly halfway from its beginning to its expected completion. The amount of time used during the first phase, however, may not necessarily be the same as the amount of time to be used in the next phase, because the first phase (as would be expected of a novel project of this kind) faced some teething problems, which are not expected to affect the next phase. The teething problems are not expected to affect phase II of the project because in the previous phase the participants learnt how to work around the said problems, and should they arise once more in the coming phase, dealing with them shall be a lot easier than the case was during the first phase, when the said challenges came upon the team unexpectedly, and without the team having had prior training on how to face the challenges. The patient in question right now is a male patient whose name has been made confidential, but just for reference purposes he was named John Doe. John Doe has gone through the problems faced by people suffering from multiple sclerosis, and he would like future sufferers to emerge as victors against the condition, with no better way than to share his experiences, and how he has managed the illness so far. Having been said that through experience one gets the best council, John Doe’s approach to this problem is based on sound doctrine. It is based on an adage that states, “Experience is the best teacher.”
Introduction
It is not easy to determine what causes multiple sclerosis, a disease that remains an enigma for both scientists and doctors alike. Nevertheless, studies have been done to help sufferers have an easier burden. Multiple sclerosis, like many other diseases of its kind, is an autoimmune disorder, which means that a person’s immune cells do not recognize native cells as such, and due to this lack of recognition, the immune cells attack the native cells as though they were foreign. The disease can be quite debilitating, with the sufferer losing function of most of his organs as he tries to battle the disease through contemporary medications.
This research has been more of a literature search on what people out there have to say about multiple sclerosis. It has also involved the study of literature on what approaches there are to combating the condition, and whether or not people with multiple sclerosis can regain normalcy in their lives or it is just for them to be given false hopes of doing so, while scientific research has no workable solution for their situation. Before delving much further into the progress report, it must be noted that multiple sclerosis is a very difficult condition to deal with as an individual, but the situation becomes even more difficult when one’s partner is also diagnosed with the same condition, like was the case of Jane Doe and John Doe.
Results of Research
The research first involved scouring through the internet for any information regarded to be relevant to the study, from which it was found that the concept of autoimmunity would have been accepted more than 100 years ago had it not been that leading scientists at the time, particularly Paul Ehrlich, dismissed it as a nonviable condition. Therefore, it took another half a century for autoimmune disorders to be accepted as a reality. From the study, it was also found that bone marrow transplants were also being considered as part of the regimen for dealing with multiple sclerosis. Other forms of medication have also been considered for combating multiple sclerosis, and these include Zinbryta, which is one of the most recently approved medications that comes in the form of a monthly injection.
Completed Work
Relevant literature on the topic of multiple sclerosis has already been compiled, and is in the form of web search results. Some of the studies relevant to this case include the aforementioned texts as well as others like the use of electrical stimulation to make patients gain the ability to function normally after an attack of multiple sclerosis or a relapse of the same that would leave them somewhat disabled.
John Doe has also been advised to join an alcoholics anonymous support group, where he is likely to meet with people battling it out with alcoholism, and probably find one or two people who might be suffering from multiple sclerosis as well. He has also been advised that there is a possibility that his condition has been misdiagnosed, and that he might not be having multiple sclerosis at all, but that his condition might have just been brought about by his alcoholic lifestyle. Cases of misdiagnosed multiple sclerosis are not a new phenomenon, one case in point being a recent article by Crouch . In the case of John Doe, there would be much of a reprieve, because when people are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, they tend to make drastic changes to their lifestyles. Therefore, it is likely that John Doe would consider quitting his alcoholic lifestyle as he is faced up with the notion of a more urgent condition that threatens to leave him in a cabbage like state much sooner than the alcohol he drinks. If there was a misdiagnosis (which is not very likely) John Doe would have already made such changes to his life that he was well in the way towards being a more responsible citizen, who is immersed in trying to help others rather than trying to ruin his life by being carefree. What has been done so far in regard to this has been to try and not dwell so much on the idea that misdiagnoses do occur, because it might not necessarily be true in John Does case. There would be no better way to give him false hopes by making such claims, which could also make him revert to his old injurious habits. Ideally, the message that he might have been misdiagnosed was relayed, but not dwelt on unnecessarily, so that he would consider going for a reevaluation of his condition.
Some doctors have been for the idea that modulating drugs should be used when one first experiences an attack of multiple sclerosis or when such symptoms as define the case have been noticed in an individual, but other doctors would suggest waiting until the case has been clearly defined as a case of multiple sclerosis before embarking on aggressive treatment of the disease. So far, the team has settled for the latter approach knowing that when modulating drugs are settled for, it is highly likely that there might be some confusion regarding what the individual is suffering from. Autoimmune diseases are not easily distinguishable one from the other at first glance, so the notion to wait until differentiating features have been seen is the most appropriate route to take to avert a wrong diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. The side effects of the drugs used to modulate multiple sclerosis might even mask the actual disorder, making it difficult to determine what the individual is presently suffering from. Therefore, John Doe was advised to undergo magnetic resonance imaging, which would have given the conclusive evidence of whether or not he indeed suffered from multiple sclerosis. Without the report from the physician concerning John Doe’s medical condition it would be difficult to determine the best course of action for his condition. John Doe is yet to furnish the team with a complete report in this regard.
John Doe’s dalliance was a sign of irresoluteness on his part, showing that he did not want to face the reality of his condition. This same dalliance also explained the reason he was into alcoholism, which has also been noted to be an avenue through which some people try to drown their worries. The team, through this notion, was able to question John Doe regarding the onset of alcoholism in his life vis-à-vis his knowledge of the fact that he had multiple sclerosis, and just as had been suspected, his alcoholic binge started soon after he was diagnosed with the dreaded illness. This was not something strange or otherworldly, because many people suffering terminal illnesses would rather not perk up to their conditions and seek to try and forget reality by entering into alcoholic binges. It has been found, for example that although the condition of being alcoholic is highly prevalent among people with terminal illnesses, it is usually underreported. Some people who have symptomatic terminal illnesses will also be alcoholics, but their alcoholism might go unnoticed for an extended period of time. John Doe was actually the first of the couple to realize that he had multiple sclerosis, hid the fact from his wife, and was perturbed when he realized later that Jane Doe was also suffering the same condition. This realization caused John Doe to delve deeper into alcoholism. Therefore, it was noted with much chagrin that John Doe’s alcoholism presented a large impediment towards his recovery, particularly when it was considered that if he was to be given prescription medication, his alcohol induced amnesia would not allow him to stick to any schedule given by the physicians.
Future Work
What remains in the future is to ensure that John Doe’s alcoholism has been carefully and meticulously managed so that he does not remain his own enemy on his path towards recovery from multiple sclerosis. Once he has been rid of the alcoholism, he shall be introduced to various multiple sclerosis patient groups, where he can relate his experience and hopefully gain some insight into how he can best manage the condition while not forgetting that he is a family man with the responsibilities of a husband and father; responsibilities which he should not shun or try to overlook just because he has been diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Secondly, John Doe should be taken for a medical check up using magnetic resonance imaging to prove once and for all that he is having the illness or not. Regardless of the outcome of the check up, John Doe has a responsibility towards Jane Doe as a husband who needs to and can support her when she can no longer fend for herself. The support he gets at the alcoholics’ anonymous meetings will be a source of strength for him so that he can apply some lessons he learns there to his situation as a person with multiple sclerosis, and to the same situation that Jane Doe, his wife, is battling with.
The third task shall be to determine the best course of action towards the medical management of John Doe’s multiple sclerosis, because by going to an alcoholics’ anonymous group, he would be simply getting support from like-minded survivors of alcoholism and not people battling it out with multiple sclerosis. That notwithstanding he might chance to meet similar cases to his with the opportunity to learn about different ways of dealing with multiple sclerosis, which shall always be open to discussion in regard to his own case. It is said that what is good for the goose is also good for the gander, but in the case of John and Jane Doe, people with different genetic backgrounds, attempting to treat each ones case as similar to the other would be tantamount to leaving one of them in limbo.
Conclusion
This report details the first part of the case studies of Mr. and Mrs. Doe, with the first part having been dedicated to Jane Doe and most of this second part detailing how the case of John Doe should be approached. It highlights the fact that John Doe is an alcoholic and that this condition could worsen his prognosis if left untethered. It also highlights the need for another magnetic resonance scan for John Doe for conclusive evidence that he is indeed a multiple sclerosis patient.
References
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