[heliconsoul]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18478530

The Osbournes have revealed that son Jack has multiple sclerosis (MS). The TV and music star family said Jack was diagnosed from tests taken when he lost 60% vision in his right eye earlier this year. He told Hello! that after first feeling angry and upset he has now taken an attitude of "adapt and overcome". MS is an incurable neurological condition that damages the nerves and affects the transfer of messages around the body. Jack Osbourne, 26, said he had chosen to speak out in order to raise awareness of the condition. He added that the support of his fiancee Lisa Stelly was helping him to stay positive. MS can have a wide range of symptoms, including tiredness, temporary blindness, loss of co-ordination and speech difficulties. It is unpredictable and affects everyone differently. One in five sufferers has a benign form with mild attacks and no permanent disability, while another 15% have a progressive disease that steadily worsens. Jack Osbourne was diagnosed with the condition three weeks after the birth of daughter Pearl, now two months old. "The timing was so bad," he said. "I'd just had a baby, work was going great - I kept thinking: 'Why now?'" Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne are finding Jack's illness hard to come to terms with Parents Ozzy and Sharon said they were still trying to come to terms with their son's condition. Former X Factor judge Sharon said she had been asking herself if she was to blame. "I kept thinking: 'What did I do wrong, what did I eat or drink when I was pregnant?' I feel like it's somehow my fault." Former Black Sabbath star Ozzy said: "If it was me, you'd think: 'Ozzy had a reputation and it caught up with him', but Jack is such a good guy." Jack Osbourne - known as an extreme sports enthusiast - will use a combination of daily drug treatments, holistic therapies and lifestyle changes. The family were the subject of a worldwide hit reality TV show, The Osbournes, which originally aired on MTV between 2002 and 2005. The programme, also featuring the Osbournes' daughter Kelly, won an Emmy award in 2002.

Whatever you think of the Osbournes it's a terrible thing to be diagnosed with so young.

As someone whose wife is awaiting test results on this I hope that the least that can come of this horrible news is that the profile of MS can be raised a little in the media.

[Izick]

Aw, that's terrible. :(

[ShipTheCheese]

Ugh, terrible disease.

[dc89]

Firstly I hope your wife's tests come back ok, best of luck to you both.

Secondly, this sucks. Jack seems a genuine guy.

[Fritz]

Terrible, vicious disease. I hope your wife is going to be okay!

[EleventhDoctor]

Poor Jack. The Osbournes are the best-and you know as a family they are hit hard by this. :(

[Wallach]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18478530 Whatever you think of the Osbournes it's a terrible thing to be diagnosed with so young. As someone whose wife is awaiting test results on this I hope that the least that can come of this horrible news is that the profile of MS can be raised a little in the media.

While not good news on the whole, it's actually a good thing to be diagnosed early. He has a better chance of living a mostly normal life. Nothing's really guaranteed with MS but you can get a lot of symptoms under control better for the long haul sometimes.

[Dragonzord]

After he really turned his life around. That's horrible.

[NinjaBoiX]

Terrible news. I think Jack actually seems like a fairly decent guy, a surprise given that cretin of a mother. But yeah, thoughts go out to the whole family. Hope everything is cool.

[DiscoJer]

One of my best friends when I was younger (in my mid-late 20s, she was in her early 30s) had it.

On the one had, it's really awful. But on the other hand, you can generally lead a fairly normal life. She eventually went back to college.

But what she went through, yikes. I don't think I've admired anyone more that I personally knew, the way she handled it.

[BocoDragon]

Sucks man :( 26... Wow. Good luck to him.

[Scuderia]

Well that sucks, saw Ozzy just last week too.

[BradleyUK]

Having joy of bringing a child into this world and now Ms. :(

[demolitio]

Not a fun thing to live with. They can never pick whether I have a rare brain/spinal cord disease or MS since they tend to be mistaken for one another yet I have concrete proof of both. Both end in a wheelchair and the spinal cord disease killed one of my dad's favorite golfers. Shit's not fun slowly watching your demise and taking 15 different medications. I've already had 5 big surgeries and like 15 or so back procedures done but to fix the spinal cord will only happen if it's a life or death emergency because the paralysis risk is so high when it's actual nerves to the spinal cord and not the disks like most people's problems.

I still haven't figured out which one I rather settle for. I still need a lawyer to try and get disability.

[MIMIC]

After he really turned his life around. That's horrible.

This.

Horrible news. :(

[FGMPR]

Not a fun thing to live with. They can never pick whether I have a rare brain/spinal cord disease or MS since they tend to be mistaken for one another yet I have concrete proof of both. Both end in a wheelchair and the spinal cord disease killed one of my dad's favorite golfers. Shit's not fun slowly watching your demise and taking 15 different medications. I've already had 5 big surgeries and like 15 or so back procedures done but to fix the spinal cord will only happen if it's a life or death emergency because the paralysis risk is so high when it's actual nerves to the spinal cord and not the disks like most people's problems. I still haven't figured out which one I rather settle for. I still need a lawyer to try and get disability.

Jesus :( I'm sorry to hear that.

[rezuth]

Fuck, dude had started a good life :(

[Stumpokapow]

Boy, that's a really long article that doesn't even mention if he has relapsing-remitting or progressive MS.

[Wallach]

Boy, that's a really long article that doesn't even mention if he has relapsing-remitting or progressive MS.

Well, he's 26 and just been diagnosed; given that this problem with his vision is likely one of his first serious symptoms they probably won't know for sure yet.

[heliconsoul]

Well, he's 26 and just been diagnosed; given that this problem with his vision is likely one of his first serious symptoms they probably won't know for sure yet.

Yeah, doctors seem quite reluctant to pin it down due to the nature of the disease. It's a bastard to diagnose apparently.

My wife's symptoms presented as numbness in her legs, which went away after 4 months and she currently has no noticeable symptoms. Her first test was an MRI which showed one single lesion, which may or may not be MS (as MS means multiple-lesions) so we're now waiting for lumber puncture results.

So here we are nearly a year from the initial onset and we still don't know either way. It's positive (fingers crossed) that there hasn't been another attack since the first yet.

[Hoo-doo]

This really sucks, I wish him all the best. MS is a terrible disease.

[Wallach]

Yeah, doctors seem quite reluctant to pin it down due to the nature of the disease. It's a bastard to diagnose apparently. My wife's symptoms presented as numbness in her legs, which went away after 4 months and she currently has no noticeable symptoms. Her first test was an MRI which showed one single lesion, which may or may not be MS (as MS means multiple-lesions) so we're now waiting for lumber puncture results. So here we are nearly a year from the initial onset and we still don't know either way. It's positive (fingers crossed) that there hasn't been another attack since the first yet.

Sounds kind of like how my diagnosis went, though I initially went in for having a long series of scintillating scotoma over about a month. That was like six years ago, and I've been really fortunate so far. Past year or so especially, doesn't surprise me at all that people go decades without getting a diagnosis sometimes. Shit seems random as good dice.

[Escape Goat]

Poor Jack. I hope science comes through for us soon.

[MeshuggahMan]

Damn that sucks. My girlfriend and my best friends mom both have ms and it can be a scary disease. its a weird disease to diagnose because you essentially are diagnosed with it after a process of elimination.

On one hand I see what it CAN do to someone (friends mom) and also see someone live a fairly normal life with it (my gf). My friends mom is pretty bad at the moment and always says she wishes she was diagnosed just a few years later because the treatments are growing more effective each year. My gf used to get an infusion (can't remember the name off hand) and it was a miracle drug. It made her feel like she had nothing. There's a new drug she takes called gilenya which essentially lowers the immune system so it can't attack the body. Of course the downside is when you get sick you get hit HARD. But it still works well.

Its good they caught it early though and at a time when there are various treatments available. If its relapse remitting he should be fine

[Big-E]

MS is weird. I know that Canada has a pretty high rate for it and people think it is environmental. Apparently it affects people more at higher latitudes.

[heliconsoul]

MS is weird. I know that Canada has a pretty high rate for it and people think it is environmental. Apparently it affects people more at higher latitudes.

Appear to be the case. Areas with less sun seem to get it more, Scotland has the highest rate in the world. It suggests a possible link to vitamin D exposure but I don't think anyone has a real clue yet.

Here's hoping the stem cell research pays off as that seems the most promising (ethical arguments that I don't want to derail the thread with aside).

[Hoya Destroyer]

Not a fun thing to live with. They can never pick whether I have a rare brain/spinal cord disease or MS since they tend to be mistaken for one another yet I have concrete proof of both. Both end in a wheelchair and the spinal cord disease killed one of my dad's favorite golfers. Shit's not fun slowly watching your demise and taking 15 different medications. I've already had 5 big surgeries and like 15 or so back procedures done but to fix the spinal cord will only happen if it's a life or death emergency because the paralysis risk is so high when it's actual nerves to the spinal cord and not the disks like most people's problems. I still haven't figured out which one I rather settle for. I still need a lawyer to try and get disability.

That sucks. Hope it works out for you. Can you still walk properly and do you get back pain?

[kurtrussell]

It's a tough thing to deal with. A friend of mine plays in a band called Olivia Tremor Control and was diagnosed with it a few years back.

He went straight onto medication for it and at the same time started drinking heavily, and really didn't cope with it well at all. Two years later, he remains on the medication but has started a vigorous self-help regime and is generally looking after his body a lot better. The results: He's gained 90% of his life back. You wouldn't even be able to tell he has it now, apart from his physical and vocal ticks.

Really hoping he manages to keep on keeping on and there isn't any other deterioration. It's a cruel, cruel disease though :(

[jmdajr]

Fuck that's terrible...

[Messypandas]

Thats horrible and so soon after having a child. Good luck to him

[shadyspace]

Does this kill people?

[heliconsoul]

Does this kill people?

It can do indirectly, via infection etcs. Remember it's your immune system attacking your body.

It depends on the severity of the sub-type and just luck really. According to the internets most MS sufferers live to a normal average age. Just unfortunately with a much lower quality of life when they're older.

[GaimeGuy]

Not a fun thing to live with. They can never pick whether I have a rare brain/spinal cord disease or MS since they tend to be mistaken for one another yet I have concrete proof of both. Both end in a wheelchair and the spinal cord disease killed one of my dad's favorite golfers. Shit's not fun slowly watching your demise and taking 15 different medications. I've already had 5 big surgeries and like 15 or so back procedures done but to fix the spinal cord will only happen if it's a life or death emergency because the paralysis risk is so high when it's actual nerves to the spinal cord and not the disks like most people's problems. I still haven't figured out which one I rather settle for. I still need a lawyer to try and get disability.

Maybe you have both? :/

[Jason's Ultimatum]

Appear to be the case. Areas with less sun seem to get it more, Scotland has the highest rate in the world. It suggests a possible link to vitamin D exposure but I don't think anyone has a real clue yet. Here's hoping the stem cell research pays off as that seems the most promising (ethical arguments that I don't want to derail the thread with aside).

Shit. Makes me want to get a little sun, even though I hate it here in FL.

At the age of 26 no less. That's awful.

[PS3GamerKyle]

man fuck diseases.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

It's a tough thing to deal with. A friend of mine plays in a band called Olivia Tremor Control and was diagnosed with it a few years back. He went straight onto medication for it and at the same time started drinking heavily, and really didn't cope with it well at all. Two years later, he remains on the medication but has started a vigorous self-help regime and is generally looking after his body a lot better. The results: He's gained 90% of his life back. You wouldn't even be able to tell he has it now, apart from his physical and vocal ticks. Really hoping he manages to keep on keeping on and there isn't any other deterioration. It's a cruel, cruel disease though :(

Name drop, but a cool one, so we'll allow it. :)

I was preliminarily diagnosed with MS about two years ago, but the symptoms and test results were so minimal that the two MS specialists I've seen since are much more skeptical about the diagnosis than the neurologist who I initially went to with symptoms. MRI turned up a few small brain lesions (which is technically "multiple sclerosis") and no spine lesions. No change in two years, have not had a lumbar puncture. I had a really rough week in 2010 (which prompted the diagnosis) and then a cornucopia of minimal or moderate symptoms over the next couple of months. For about a year and a half though I've really felt nothing too significant--I'm so used to the tiny things I feel that it's impossible to tell whether they're symptomatic or just normal neurological "tics". Certainly nothing I would have gone to the doctor over if I hadn't felt like I had a brain tumor or ALS in 2010. Literally know one would know I had any issue unless I told them.

It was of course not fun being told my results initially pointed to MS, but in retrospect a lot of the stress and panic in that initial "attack" was that I had no idea what was wrong with me and I thought I was dying. As a relatively young person, there are many worse things to be told is happening to your brain than multiple sclerosis. If I get another significant exacerbation it'll be more like "ah fuck, dammit MS" without worrying how many years left I have to live.

[Monocle]

That's rough. He has my sympathies.

[Victory Red]

Hopefully he can keep it in control.

His fiancee...

[PaleFolklore]

Such a shame. He had a show a few years ago where he was trying to climb a mountain or something and I remember really enjoying it.

[demon]

Man, my heart goes out to anyone who has to live with a disease like this. Makes me feel fortunate to have good health (for now).

[kylej]

Hopefully he can keep it in control. His fiancee...

.... THAT'S what he looks like now? Damn, he really did turn his life around, what a handsome guy.

[dralla]

that sucks, he seems like a good guy. on a more positive note, here's someone who cured her MS by changing the way she ate - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc

[HiResDes]

I always thought he was a really cool guy, I remember we shared an eerily similar taste in music back when I was younger....Hope he can cope

[Skidd]

Aaw man, he didn't deserve that. Not now, not never :(

[dark10x]

Terrible shame. :(

My mother is suffering from this and, in the past ten years, she's gone from fully active to a wheelchair. It hits hard and fast. :(

I've heard that it attacks men more rapidly and severely, however. I know of a man who's in his early 50s and is almost completely paralyzed by MS.

[catfish]

Terrible shame. :( My mother is suffering from this and, in the past ten years, she's gone from fully active to a wheelchair. It hits hard and fast. :( I've heard that it attacks men more rapidly and severely, however. I know of a man who's in his early 50s and is almost completely paralyzed by MS.

I've also heard that if it's detected via your vision first, you've usually got one of the more severe forms (there are roughly 4 'grades') and your body has 'attacks' where it fucks itself and then you don't get back to previous levels. Those attacks continue over time and that brings about the degradation.

A friend of mine has it, shitty disease.

[HiResDes]

Reading that just made me much sadder.

[malfcn]

Terrible, like many said..after he turned his life around.

[Revolver]

I've also heard that if it's detected via your vision first, you've usually got one of the more severe forms (there are roughly 4 'grades') and your body has 'attacks' where it fucks itself and then you don't get back to previous levels. Those attacks continue over time and that brings about the degradation. A friend of mine has it, shitty disease.

That's when mine was first detected. I had vision problems in one eye. After a process of elimination and several tests, I had to go in for a spinal tap. That's when they found "rings" in my spinal fluid and diagnosed me with MS. I have relapsing-remitting and have been in remission for a couple years now. Though past attacks have left me increasingly disabled. Eye problems still crop up and the fucking fatigue I get can be unbearable. I've been on Betaseron injections for a few years, but I hate the stuff. The slightest cold I catch can turn into something major. Because it's so expensive I live in constant fear that my insurance company will find some reason to drop my coverage. They've tried in the past but so far I've been able to stay covered. After the pleading from my wife I've finally decided to try and get disability. She worries that work is killing me.

So my heart and best wishes goes out to Jack Osbourne and anyone else living with this disease.

[kurtrussell]

To all MS sufferers in this thread, have you experimented with Marijuana?

My friend noticed a significant reduction in tremors and tics after smoking it. Not that I'm condoning any activities that may or may not be legal in your respective jurisdictions.