CentraState - Healthy Directions

Fall 2015 Healthy Directions Living a Full Life with Multiple Sclerosis MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) CAN BE A CHALLENGING AND FRUSTRATING DISEASE BECAUSE ITS SYMPTOMS ARE OFTEN UNPREDICTABLE AND CAN COME AND GO AT ANY TIME. C arla Morgan admits that when she was first diagnosed with MS in late 2008, she had trouble maintaining a positive attitude. However, she says her outlook quickly improved after she enrolled in the Wellness Program at the Linda E. Cardinale MS Center at CentraState. The program not only helped her learn how to better manage her health through diet, exercise and medication, but also connected her with other people living full lives with the disease. "The camaraderie and being able to speak to other people who are going through the same thing just helps so much," says Carla, 60, a retired bridal shop owner and grandmother from Matawan. "I learned how to live with a more positive attitude—disabled is no longer a word in my vocabulary." AN UNPREDICTABLE DISEASE MS affects the central nervous system, disrupting the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and body. Symptoms vary greatly from person to person but may include everything from weakness, numbness, and tingling in the limbs to problems with balance and vision to mental and emotional difficulties. Carla was diagnosed after waking up one morning with extremely numb and tingly legs, feeling "like I was walking on glass," she says. She was found to have relapsing-remitting MS, the most common form of the autoimmune disease. Her condition can range from feeling like her old self to being incapacitated by a relapse, which occurs about once a year. "Most patients have attacks, or what we call exacerbations, where they have sudden symptoms that get worse for a period of time and hopefully, over time, get better," says Amos Katz, MD, medical director of the Linda E. Cardinale MS Center. "The only predictable thing about MS is its unpredictability, and one of the best things about our wellness program is patients can identify with other people who have the same illness. They can also learn what can be done to improve their lives with MS." A COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM CentraState's MS Wellness Program, the first of its kind on the East Coast, is a 12-week educational and exercise program. Participants meet from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursdays, and sessions include: • Classroom lectures by experts in areas including nutrition and stress management. • Group exercise programs focusing on methods, such as tai chi, to improve strength and balance. • Lessons on symptom management and time to share experiences with others, including a light breakfast and a lunch. "Our participants run the gamut—from people who are newly diagnosed to people who have been living with MS for 25 years and want the latest information," says program coordinator Ruth Memoli. "It's such a unique and important program that we have had people attend from as far away as New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland." THE GRADUATE PROGRAM Following the 12-week program, patients are invited at no charge to attend weekly classes in strength and balance, yoga and aquatics at the CentraState Fitness & Wellness Center. Carla says she can see a difference in her strength and balance from taking classes for more than a year, which has helped her take on the challenges of daily life and keep up with her 4-year-old granddaughter, Sarah. "As long as you learn to listen to your body and your symptoms and act on that, you basically can live a full life, day-to-day, with MS," she says. For more information about the MS Wellness Program, call 732-294-2505. HD Carla Morgan is enjoying every minute of her life after joining CentraState's MS Wellness Program. 14

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