Living with MS: Local woman details struggle

Phyllis Snider at Aldi on Saturday, February 9, 2013, in Ocala, Florida.

Phyllis Snider woke up one day in 2007, blind in one eye. Alarmed, she made an appointment with her doctor. It wasnt until late 2008 that a physician diagnosed her with multiple sclerosis.

MS is a neurological disorder where the immune system attacks the central nervous system. If affects about 400,000 people in the U.S. and 2.1 million people worldwide.

According to the National MS Society, some symptoms of MS include fatigue, abnormal gait, visual problems, bowel and bladder incontinence, numbness, dizziness/vertigo, pain and depression.

Snider developed the relapsing/remitting type of MS, where there are exacerbations of symptoms and periods of time where there are few or no symptoms. The other type of MS is progressive, a more disabling condition where symptoms worsen over time. Many people must use a wheelchair and are often unable to meet their own basic needs.

A serious fall several years ago left Snider further incapacitated, needing two canes to get around the house and a wheelchair or power scooter when she goes out. Before her current treatment, Sniders MS used to only exacerbate the problem.

Snider stopped working sometime before moving to the Ocala area three years ago from Wisconsin. She did customer service work for graphic designers and worked with people who did labels for such big names as Kraft, Heinz and Smuckers.

Snider is married and has a daughter, son and two grandchildren who live in Wisconsin and Canada. When she broke the MS diagnosis to her family, they were supportive.

They prayed for me, and I have a husband (Gary) who is very good to me. He massages my legs every night which helps me with walking, Snider said.

Mentioning current symptoms, Snider said, If I didnt have my fall, I almost wouldnt know I have MS. There are gait problems which I deal with.

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Living with MS: Local woman details struggle